Programme: European Territorial Cooperation Objective
Action Type: CENTRAL EUROPE Programme (Round 4)
Project duration: 31-07-2012 – 31-03-2015
Project partners:
Lead partner: European Office, Vienna Board of Education
Project partners:
1. University of Vienna, Research Group Knowledge Engineering (AT)
2. Region of Veneto, Directorate of Labour (ITL)
3. Modena Formazione (ITL)
4. City of Stuttgart (DE)
5. Stuttgart Media University (DE)
6. Municipality of the Capital of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava
7. I-Europa, Ltd. (SK)
8. Budapest Enterprise Agency (HU)
9. Budapest College of Communication and Business (former METU, HU)
10. Metropolitan District Prague 14 (CZ)
11. Czech Technical University in Prague
Short summary: i.e. SMART is an international initiative involving 12 partner organizations from 7 different regions across the Central Europe - Vienna (AT), Stuttgart (DE), Venetto region (IT), Modena (IT), Budapest (HU), Bratislava (SK) and Prague (CZ). Partnering organizations represent mostly a mix of educational organizations and political institutions.
The main aim of the project is to implement a transnational management structure that will deliver a new transformative business approach to innovation and entrepreneurship in three different economic sectors: Creative Industries, Green Economy and ICT. The role of the partners (educational and political institutions) is to develop and implement this management structure into everyday reality, supporting the regional and transnational growth of SMEs.
The creation of the management structure is to be achieved through so-called regional SMART points (every region will establish at least one SMART point). These points (physical - offices) will provide motivation, trainings, counseling and other related support for emerging entrepreneurs.
The basic elements of each of the SMART point is a SMART Trainer - a person, who has knowledge and motivation to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in the target groups, with a special focus on a combination of Creative Industries, Green Economy and ICT. The networking of the individual SMART points into a transnational network will provide strong support for the SMART Trainer. She or he can utilize the knowledge, abilities and potential of other existing SMART points and hence provide even better support for the entrepreneurs.
Another important activity related to the project is the implementation of the so-called SMART Campus (in 2014). The seven regional SMART points supported by their SMART Trainers will launch regional competitions for emerging entrepreneurs to evaluate the business plans they create. The best 5 entrepreneurs per region will go to the SMART Campus - a one-week event organized by the project, to improve their business plans under the strong support of international experts and SMART Trainers.
The final phase of the project will ensure one of its main goals - to institutionalize the project outputs and secure its sustainability. As mentioned before, one of the main goals of the project is to set up a permanent structure supporting emerging entrepreneurs. The scope of the project is therefore far beyond its simple implementation.
For more info, please visit the project website: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/projects/austria/ie-smart-creating-young-entrepreneurs-and-new-jobs