Strengthening competitiveness of agri-food SMEs through transnational Clusters

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Balkan-Mediterranean

Date of latest update: 2022-10-04

Description

Description (EN):

The Agri-food SMEs represent an important part of the Balkan-Med economy and thus drive competitiveness and employment in the region. However,agri-food SMEs throughout Balkan and EU, face significant challenges based on consumers' increasing preferences for quality, convenience, diversity, health regulations, food safety, sustainable food production and climate change pressures on production and resource management. The adequate adjustment of Balkan SMEs to these challenges require innovation in terms of food technologies, novel business models and building stronger links with industry, academia, public sector and the market. In this framework, FOCUS project aims at establishing transnational Agri-food cooperation links among agri-food businesses, research institutions, technology providers, policy makers and customers that will enhance technology transfer and food innovation in order to facilitate the upgrade of agri-food SMEs competitiveness and extroversion.The project targets to promote SMEs' networking and structured exchanges towards the advancement of the enterprises' capacity to adopt new technologies & business models and introduce novel market-driven products & marketing ideas. This will be achieved through capitalizing on existing agri-food Clusters in the targeted regions and providing tailor-made services, training, seminars & networking activities that will enhance their knowledge base.The workplan includes analysis of Regional profiles, benchmarking of the existing Balkan-Med Agri-food support ecosystem and identification of novel technologies with regard to production of innovative foods,quality increase & meeting demands of EU regulations and consumers' target markets. The project's results will be mainstreamed to local & Balkan-Med policies & Action Plans, building Roadmaps & Policy Recommendations to facilitate research, innovation & technology transfer in the framework of Smart Specialisation. The project will also trigger transferability & capitalization opportunities of project's results, offering prospects for exhanging knowledge, enabling technologies with relevant sectors that would generate innovative ideas, meeting the needs and expectations of the society & economy. The partnership,involves key players of the research & business ecosystem (Universities,Regional Authorities,Chambers,Business Support centers) in Greece,Cyprus,Albania & Bulgaria, and holds the capacity to offer an effective business support environment that will contribute in transforming today's challenges (eg. the effects of globalization,resource depletion,global consumer trends) into viable & competitive business opportunities.The project seeks to apply novel technologies (food processing,packaging,waste management) to a vast variety of local sectors such as vegetables, fruits, olive oil, meat, winery & dairy products that cover the full spectrum of goods based on first quality agricultural resources of the area.

Website: http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/approved-project/28/

Expected Results (EN):

FOCUS structure has been designed to encourage the transfer of innovation in the Agri-food sector by targeted networking activities between 'strong' regional & transregional innovation actors in order to exchange information and improve the capacities by testing innovative systems & technologies & promote joint actions between enterprises by developing partnerships of innovation among territorial stakeholders. The anticipated results of the project are: 1.Fostering of 250 transnational cooperation links among all relevant actors (SMEs, public authorities, academia) of Agri-food Industry under the operation of Balkan-Med Agri-food Clusters of Excellence & its activites in Greece, Albania, Cyprus & Bulgaria (networking & matchmaking, ICT collaboration platform, Conference etc.). 2.Enhancing profitability & growth performance of Agri-food SMEs by combining & transferring new & existing knowledge into innovative & competitive solutions seizing Balkan-Med business & market opportunities. 3.Improvement of capacity,competitiveness &extroversion of SMEs supporting them identify new business models,technologies &innovation through Innovative Clusters & support services, free&accessible. 4.Improvement of the capacity of clusters' key actors through operating in a coordinated manner & defining common objectives & plans of action towards new business model expansion in Agri-food industry in Balkan-Med. 5.Market uptake & distribution of innovations tackling the specific challenges in a sustainable way in terms of high quality jobs, sustainable growth and turnover & overall quality of life. 6. Support a successful and competitive pan-Balkan-Med agri-food industry and business leadership securely based on economic growth, technology transfer, sustainable food production & consumer confidence. 7. Contribution to targets of EU2020 Strategy towards inclusive, smart & sustainable growth & National Regional Polices & RIS3 by defining priorities on technology transfer and innovation.

Expected Outputs (EN):

FOCUS foresees to deliver the following main tangible outputs aiming at stimulating business performance, extroversion & competitiveness of Agri-food SMEs through their participation in transnational clusters & technology transfer cooperation activities: -1 Methodology of Qualitative & Quantitative Indicators for mapping & benchmarking the SoA of Agri-food support ecosystem within Balkan-Med. -4 Regional/National Studies Mapping existing Agri-food clusters & networks at Balkan-Med & EU level. -1 Comparative transnational analysis & Benchmarking Report defining prerequisites/conditions leading to successful innovative Agri-food clusters in Balkan-Med. -4 Studies on Regional/National & EU Policy Boundaries. -1 Joint Methodology setting up the clusters' design,operation mechanism & Pilots deployment Model. -4 Action Plans of 4 Regional Clusters. -3 Periodic Focus Groups:key actors & members of Clusters. -1 FOCUS ICT collaboration platform free & accessible. -1 FOCUS Toolbox:market trends,surveys, regulations,Technology Marketplace, SMEs profiles. -4 Diagnosis Regional reports on 80 Balkan-Med Agri-food SMEs feasibility of new business ideas. -8 Capacity Building seminars (free):(average 28 SMEs/country). -80 SMEs supported to conduct their Feasibility Business Plans(free & open service). -1 Balkan-Med Guide facilitating TT & deployment of new technologies in Agri-food SMEs. -4 National Agri-food Policy Recommendations Roadmaps for RIS3 strategies. -1 Plan for transferability & sustainability of Clusters' cooperation Model to other sectors. -1 Capitalization WS/1 Final Transnational Open Conference in Greece /4 Open Days /1 Networking Technology transfer Fair. -1 Communication Plan Guide. -Communication package & identity(slogan,logo,templates,booklet,poster). -Dissemination & communication activities & tools accessible to all(3 social media accounts,4 newsletters,23 press releases,1 website).

Thematic information

Clustering and economic cooperation SME and entrepreneurship Agriculture and fisheries and forestry

Specific Objective: Competitive territories: stimulating business performance and extroversion through transnational linkages, clusters and networks

Thematic Objective: (03) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:

Investment Priority: (03a) promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, including through business incubators

Partners (7)

Lead Partner: Περιφέρεια Πελοποννήσου

Address: Ethnarhou Makariou Square, 22100, Tripoli, 22100 Tripo, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ppel.gov.gr/

Total budget: EUR 172 120.00

ERDF budget: EUR 146 302.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 25 818.00

Γεωπονικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών - Τμήμα Επιστήμης Φυτικής Παραγωγής

Name: Γεωπονικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών - Τμήμα Επιστήμης Φυτικής Παραγωγής

Address: Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: https://www2.aua.gr/el

Total budget: EUR 110 378.00

ERDF budget: EUR 93 821.30

IPA2 budget: EUR 16 556.70

Аграрен университет-Пловдив - Факултет по растителна защита и агроекология

Name: Аграрен университет-Пловдив - Факултет по растителна защита и агроекология

Address: 12, Mendeleev Str., 4000, Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.au-plovdiv.bg/

Total budget: EUR 111 074.00

ERDF budget: EUR 94 412.90

IPA2 budget: EUR 16 661.10

Κυπριακό Εμπορικό και Βιομηχανικό Επιμελητήριο

Name: Κυπριακό Εμπορικό και Βιομηχανικό Επιμελητήριο

Address: 38 Gr. Dhigenis Av. & 3 Dheligiorgis str PO Box21455, 1509, Nicosia, 1509 Nicosia, Cyprus

Legal status: private

Website: https://ccci.org.cy/

Total budget: EUR 156 128.00

ERDF budget: EUR 132 708.80

IPA2 budget: EUR 23 419.20

AULEDA Agjensia per Zhvillimin Ekonomik Lokal Vlore

Name: AULEDA Agjensia per Zhvillimin Ekonomik Lokal Vlore

Address: L. "Isa Boletini", Rruga Vlore-Skele, Kati III, Prane Bankes IntesaSanPaoloVlora, Albania

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.auledaphp.auleda.org.al/

Total budget: EUR 82 792.90

ERDF budget: EUR 70 373.97

IPA2 budget: EUR 12 418.94

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο-Σχολή Χημικών Μηχανικών

Name: Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο-Σχολή Χημικών Μηχανικών

Address: Heroon Polytechniou 9, Zographou Campus, 15780, Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.chemeng.ntua.gr/

Total budget: EUR 150 235.00

ERDF budget: EUR 127 699.75

IPA2 budget: EUR 22 535.25

Бизнес център за подпомагане на малки и средни предприятия – Русе

Name: Бизнес център за подпомагане на малки и средни предприятия – Русе

Address: 14 Kresna Str., 7000 Ruse, 7000 Ruse, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Website: http://bsc.smebg.net/

Total budget: EUR 120 118.00

ERDF budget: EUR 102 100.30

IPA2 budget: EUR 18 017.70

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Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Strengthening competitiveness of agri-food SMEs through transnational Clusters

Project acronym: FOCUS

Project start date: 2017-11-01

Project end date: 2020-01-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 902 845.90

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 767 419.01

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 697 045.05.
IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 70 373.97.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Balkan-Mediterranean

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2022-12-09

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

44 / 44 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

282 / 282 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-09-20.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Strengthening competitiveness of agri-food SMEs through transnational Clusters

Description

Thematic information

Partners (7)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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