Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Programme 2007 - 2013 Interreg IVC

Date of latest update: 2025-06-21

Description

Description (EN):

The considerable lack of entrepreneurial initiatives in some European regions makes it essential that the public sector takes an active role in supporting the small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular in those less developed regions both in EU-15 and new member states territories performing below EU average in terms of productivity, employment rate and R&D expenditure. Most of these territories tend to be predominately rural and are located often in magnificent natural areas. Here economic development can become the victim of its own success if it does not develop in a sustainable way. This is particularly visible in vulnerable natural areas, where some regions already face problems connected with an unbalanced development. B2N project (BUSINESS TO NATURE – INTERREGIONAL APPROACH TO SMEs AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NATURAL AREAS) aims at contributing to the endogenous development of European regions by promoting entrepreneurship in underdeveloped areas building on local skills, the attractiveness of the natural environment and best practices in entrepreneurial initiatives that have already proved to be successful. B2N project succeeded in getting a combined partnership of EU-wide partners coming from old (ES, PT, UK, FR, IT, SE) and new member states (PL, BG, SI) with common problems, complementary experience and specialised knowledge. Applicant territories embrace magnificent natural places, where SME development is directly dependent on healthy environments, a classic example of a win-win strategy in the long term. Partners will work together on the improvement of SMEs and entrepreneurship policies by analysing the existing situation of SMEs, reviewing policies and identifying good practices, which are expected to be transferred during the implementation of the project into project partner’s territories. The main activities comprise joint analysis and elaboration of studies pursuing common methodology and joint events (seminars, workshops, study visits), accompanied by strong dissemination effort to communicate project’s results inside and outside partner’s territories. B2N is willing to provide a model policy framework to support SME’s development in vulnerable natural areas, in line with sustainable development principles. The project will focus on two policy areas: 1) Setting up new businesses, 2) Developing new marketable products and services by existing entrepreneurs (supporting innovation). Due to characteristics of the applicant regions, it is expected that new entrepreneurial initiatives will be created in tourism sector, comprising a wide range of economic activities ranging from traditional to new technology based services.

Achievements (EN):

2012 is the last year of the B2N project implementation so B2N entered its last phase - preparation to transfer of good practices. Beginning from January 2012 all project partners are engaged in the elaboration of the final document - policy recommendations. This document will sum up in a way all the activities that happened in the lifetime of the project showing identified best practices in relation to advices on how to improve local policies devoted to business development on natural areas. Together with earlier outputs regarding review and evaluation of regional policies in the context of supporting enterpreneurship in natural areas it constitutes next valuable source of information not only for the project partners but also for all decision makers, local authorities, organisations and universities representatives. The B2N partnership is working very hard just from the beginning of the project taking a lot additional activities in the field of dissemination and exchange of experiences. The cooperation is smooth thanks to a constant contact maintained by all project partners. The exchange of experiences is being carried out constantly due to personal contacts, meetings, study visits, seminars, etc. Partnership as a group of experts from different countries working together with the same aim is a great achievement of the B2N project itself. It was built just from the beginning starting from the common process of the project preparation, through a lot of common events (opening conference, 10 steering committee meetings, 8 study visits, 4 workshops and seminars) and day-to-day e-mail contact. Together the B2N partnership managed to elaborate a few valuable studies, an on-line good practices data base and now is working on the final document. All project partners are using experience and knowledge gained in the lifetime of the project in their day-to-day work. A lot of things are being done in the field of promotion to ensure the high level of the project visuality: brochures, newsletters, press releases and information in local media and websites, moreover participation in important events on the European level like the Open Days in 2011. The B2N website is full of valuable information, updated all the time, regarding the project outputs and partner organisations themselves. The last period of the project implementation will be devoted to final document dissemination and local dissemination events with the final conference as the most important one. It will also focus on elaborating road maps - documents for all partners showing ways of implementing the project results on their level. Visit our website www.business2 nature.eu to be kept updated on the B2N actions!

Expected Results (EN): As a result at policy level, B2N´s goal is that the SMEs and entrepreneurship policies will be improved in all partners’s regions and, in later stages, the results of the project will contribute as a model of SMEs development in natural areas to EU-wide stakeholders.

Thematic information

Sustainable management of natural resources Regional planning and development SME and entrepreneurship

Partners (12)

Lead Partner: Poland Agencja Rozwoju Turystyki S.A.

Address: ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warszawa, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Warmińsko-Mazurska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego SA w Olsztynie

Name: Warmińsko-Mazurska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego SA w Olsztynie

Address: Al. Józefa Bema 3, 10-516 Olsztyn, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Lokalni pospeševalni center Pivka

Name: Lokalni pospeševalni center Pivka

Address: Kolodvorska 5, 6257 Pivka, Slovenia

Legal status: n/a

Länsstyrelsen Östergötland

Name: Länsstyrelsen Östergötland

Address: Östgötagatan 3, 581 86 Linköping, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Община Велико Търново (OВТ)

Name: Община Велико Търново (OВТ)

Address: 2 MAIKA Bulgaria SQ., 5000 VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria

Legal status: n/a

Instituto Ourensano de Desarrollo Economico (INORDE)

Name: Instituto Ourensano de Desarrollo Economico (INORDE)

Address: Progreso, 28, 32003 Ourense, Spain

Legal status: n/a

Provincia di Perugia

Name: Provincia di Perugia

Address: Piazza Italy, 11, 6100 Perugia, Italy

Legal status: n/a

Comité Régional de Développement Touristique d'Auvergne

Name: Comité Régional de Développement Touristique d'Auvergne

Address: Parc Technologique La Pardieu, 7 allée Pierre de Fermat CS 50502, 63178 Aubiere, France

Legal status: n/a

Urzad Marszalkowski Wojewodztwa Warminsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie

Name: Urzad Marszalkowski Wojewodztwa Warminsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie

Address: ul. Emilii Plater 1, 10-562 Olsztyn, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Associação de Desenvolvimento da Região do Alto Tâmega (ADRAT)

Name: Associação de Desenvolvimento da Região do Alto Tâmega (ADRAT)

Address: Av.da Cooperação, Ed. Inditrans Lote A1, n.º 2 Outeiro Seco, 5400-673 Chaves, Portugal

Legal status: n/a

Fondation Gran Paradis

Name: Fondation Gran Paradis

Address: Villaggio Minatori, 11012 COGNE (AO), Italy

Legal status: n/a

Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Name: Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Address: County Hall, LD1 5LG Llandrindod Wells, United Kingdom

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Warmińsko-Mazurska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego SA w Olsztynie

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Lokalni pospeševalni center Pivka

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Länsstyrelsen Östergötland

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

ОБЩИНА ВЕЛИКО ТЪРНОВО

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Instituto Ourensano de Desarrollo Economico (INORDE)

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Perugia Province

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Comité Régional de Développement Touristique d'Auvergne

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Urzad Marszalkowski Wojewodztwa Warminsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Associação de Desenvolvimento da Região do Alto Tâmega (ADRAT)

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Gran Paradis Foundation

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Poland Agencja Rozwoju Turystyki S.A.

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Partners and Projects info

Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Project acronym: B2N

Project start date: 2010-01-01

Project end date: 2012-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 954 465.93

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 551 364.68

Co-financing sources:

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

Financing programme

2007 - 2013 Interreg IVC

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

2015-09-01

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

204 / 204 (100%)

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

2 250 / 2 250 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Business to Nature - Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship Policies in Natural Areas

Description

Thematic information

Partners (12)

Partners map

Summary

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

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