Hungarian - Slovak SME Cooperation Support

http://www.husk-cbc.eu	http://www.hungary-slovakia-cbc.eu

On 1^st September 2009 the National Agency for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (NADSME) in cooperation with Theodore Puskas Foundation and Hungarian Investment and Trade Development Agency initiated the realisation of the common project called: Hungarian - Slovak Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Cooperation Support. The duration of the project is until 15^th November 2010.

The project website: www.sme-husk.eu  

The need of project realisation

Taking into consideration the potential of SMEs development in Hungarian - Slovak cross -border region it is essential to support its sustainable development, to improve the use of common business potential and to raise its competitiveness on the basis of mutual enterprise interactivity. On the level of Hungarian regions there are considerable economic contrasts. The highest concentration of SMEs is located in the region of Central Hungary. The region of North Hungary located in Hungarian - Slovak cross - border region is economically below the country average. At the same time there are also discrepancies in economical ratios at regional level: two of three regions with the lowest economic activity are Borsod - Abaúj - Zemplén and Nógrád which are bordered by Slovakia. The complex services for entrepreneurs and specific vocational support for SMEs are missing in this area. NADSME, thanks to its network of support business centers, covers all eligible Programme area in Slovakia (the network includes 8 Regional advisory and information centers, 4 Business innovation centers, 4 First Contact Centers, 9 Business and Technological incubators). The above mentioned situation creates good presumption for covering the whole area, as well as for developing new and existing services for SMEs. Hungarian partners are able to support a device to its side of the cross - border region.

The research of entrepreneurs needs in this region discovered some lacks in this field:

• absence of the enterprises subjects database (including economical indicators),
• undersized level of business activities,
• absence of the events for entrepreneurs,
• insufficient information about possibilities of building up enterprises abroad, employing people from partner country, advantages and disadvantages of doing business in Slovakia/Hungary.

At the same time the research discovered the intention of joining entrepreneurship events with presentation of products of local entrepreneurs and about mutual visits in the companies in the border region.

Project objective

The main project objective is the reinforcement of SMEs competitiveness in border area

Specific objectives are as follows:

• improvement and raising of effectiveness of services provided for SMEs,
• stimulation of more active cross - border cooperation of SMEs in border region
• launching of new package of services for entrepreneurs

For achieving these objectives is inevitable to map actual state in target regions in the first phase of the project realisation. The project will be linked to some already existed studies.

Project target groups

Target groups are mainly SMEs in the Hungarian - Slovak border region. Services provided within the project are in general dedicated to entrepreneurs in the border area. Mentioned target groups will be direct recipients of services provided within the project and of its outputs. Last but not least, the project is dedicated to different business support organisations (chambers of commerce, training and educational institutions, advisory centers etc.).

Timeline of project activities and outputs

December 2009

• SMEs in the border region will be communicated via questionnaires with the aim of identification of potential cross - border cooperation of companies and completion of 400 Hungarian and Slovak company database,
• The communication platform will be designed and created within the project. On the basis of information received from the database the most actual information and offers related to SMEs in Hungarian - Slovak cross - border region will be sent via the platform,
• Working out the information material "Doing business in Slovakia" and "Doing business in Hungary" for facilitating the orientation in business conditions of neighborhood country,

January - April 2010

• Working out the catalogue of existing services on international level which could be used for bilateral cooperation

May - November 2010

• Mediation of international cooperation of Slovak and Hungarian technological incubators

July 2010

• Identification of 6 best practices of enterprises from cross - border region

May - August 2010

• Realisation of technological audits of 5 Hungarian and Slovak companies

Through events

• Organisation of enterprise seminars in both countries
• Realisation of 4 international company missions in Slovakia and Hungary
• Organisation of 4 business conferences in Slovakia and Hungary
• Preparation of 4 brokerage events of Hungarian and Slovak companies

The content of this document does not necessarily represent the official position of the European Union.