TRATOKI Transregional toolkit for micro enterprises

Rationale of the project

The product of the project will be a transfer and joint development of tested instruments and approaches for micro enterprise support. Within the EU, SMEs represent about two third of total employment, half of which is in micro enterprises. Thus, micro businesses are a key source of new jobs and innovation boosting equal opportunities and a sustainable regional development. However, start-ups and micro enterprises often require basic business and management skills to turn their ideas into viable commercial success or to be able to pass successfully the transition phase from micro to medium size. Several other problems appear to affect more specifically micro entrepreneurs - above all women, young people and ethnic minorities - notably access to adequate finance and marketing.

The objective of the proposed project is to promote job creation, regional development, social cohesion and entrepreneurship by improving, extending and innovating the instruments, programmes and policy approaches of the participating regions in support of micro enterprises and start-ups. The partnership of different sized regional development agencies has evolved around the common perception that each region has some efficient best practice elements to offer while at the same time they are looking for new solutions and complementary instruments. The partnership is geographically diverse and reflects the complementary needs. Consisting of three organisations from the Accession Countries, it also aims at fostering stronger links between old and new Member States by helping small businesses to profit from the new opportunities of enlargement.

The cooperation activities will focus on three main components: a) a comprehensive scheme of business support measures for micro enterprises and start-ups, b) internationalisation of micro enterprises and mediation of cross-border cooperation and c) access to finance through revolving microcredit funds, spreading and developing further the results of the concluded RECITE II project “Equal Credit” in which the applicant was lead partner.

On the basis of technical papers, plenary workshops and 9 "laboratories" comprising each three partners on a specific subject, the regions will exchange experiences, transfer good practice instruments and project results and develop new approaches together. All the partners involved will thus benefit from the implementation of new instruments or programmes and prepare a comprehensive support scheme for micro enterprises and start-ups in each participating region. Moreover, an interregional toolkit will be produced and ready for dissemination, facilitating the creation of new jobs and new sources of employment. The project will also provide added value beyond the partnership by promoting and mainstreaming an innovative and sustainable use of Structural Funds in the current and next period, e.g. financial engineering in revolving loan funds

Partnership: