Promoting innovation, cooperation, and value-added growth of SMEs in European rural areas through improved regional development policies.
Context
Rural areas in Europe face structural challenges such as depopulation, low innovation capacity, limited access to knowledge and finance, and a weak presence of value-added economic activities. These issues affect SME competitiveness and are a priority in the EU cohesion policy.
InnoCoop addresses these needs by supporting rural SMEs in boosting cooperation and innovation. Partner regions vary from remote rural areas to peripheral territories near major urban centres, each with specific challenges related to isolation, lack of capital and networks, or competition with dominant urban hubs.
Objectives
- Improve regional development policies supporting cooperative innovation among rural SMEs.
- Increase SMEs’ access to support services, networks and financing tools.
- Strengthen interregional and transnational learning and the transfer of good practices.
- Enhance collaboration between businesses, knowledge institutions, public authorities and civil society.
Activities
- Comparative analysis of socio-economic contexts and SME innovation support systems in partner regions.
- Organisation of transnational meetings to share experiences and best practices between regions.
- Activation of regional working groups to engage local stakeholders and adapt transferable practices.
- Monitoring and follow-up of the implementation of selected practices, alongside communication and dissemination actions.
Impact
- Improved policy instruments supporting innovation and cooperation among rural SMEs.
- Strengthened skills and collaborative capacity of participating SMEs.
- Establishment of stable interregional networks between public authorities, businesses and knowledge institutions.
- Availability of documented transferable practices, benefiting European rural areas in the long term.
Partners
- Social Ascension of Somogy Development Communication and Education Nonprofit Ltd. (Hungary, Coordinator)
- CROST Nonprofit Ltd. (Hungary)
- Regional Development Fund of East Macedonia and Thrace (Greece)
- Kaunas Science and Technology Park, Public Institution (Lithuania)
- Regional Department of Productive Activities of the Sicilian Region (Italy)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- Regional Development Agency Backa Ltd. Novi Sad (Serbia)
- Podlaskie Voivodeship (Poland)
