Project summary

About our project:

There is a lower rate of start-ups in Europe comparing with other parts of the world (Asia or US). There is a need to offer attractive jobs and places to live for young people. Actual condition causes that many yought leave our regions to look for better life. With this project we want to develop an attractive tailor-made ecosystem for start-ups. Its aim is to improve SMEs growth, entrepreneur skills and to overcome defined barriers. Project partners have defined that commitment and willingness to invest in long-term policy is important  to increase the number and quality of startups in their region.

                  

Policy change

The main objective is to improve policies for SMEs competitiveness by enhancing advisory support services for first time entrepreneurs. As result, OSS wants to build an complete ecosystem for entrepreneurs starting new business.

                                     

How are we going to achieve it?

Every partner will contribute with an expertice and best practices from their first line service (FLS) system. When the project is finished, we will present the Toolbox of experience and expertice.  We will also enhance an advisory support service adapted to the needs of the entrepreneur. With the experience in each partners policy, and stakeholders from different levels to participate in changing the policy affecting our main objective, we enticipate to change the different regions advisory services. 

                                       

OSS Project methodology

                                  

What happened till now?

We're already at the end of the second semester. In first semester we've achieved pretty good results. We had a few chances to disseminate and promote our project and its assumptions. During our meeting with stakeholders in Hampshire, all of our project partners had a chance to present good practices of their regions in the subject of " Digital solution in the field of supporting start-ups". If you're interested, what subjects were discussed, read our News: https://www.interregeurope.eu/oss/news/news-article/4883/second-partnership-meeting-in-hampshire/

We might be also proud, that our project partners take part and disseminate our project in such events as:

After the third semester of Our Project implementation, we have achived some pretty important goals. During the third Partnership meeting in Bulgaria, we have chosen some important regional Good Practices regarding the subject of mentoring:

                          UGR Emprendadora;

  

The Norwegian Good Practice - My business tool - has been accepted by experts and published on Policy Learning Platform - Link here.

€1,441,421.00

from 1 Jun 2018
to 31 May 2023
Topic

SME competitiveness

What policy instruments does the project address?

There shall be international and competitive businesses in Møre and Romsdal area. Related specific objective is to mobilise for more entrepreneurs in the region. It is going to be achieved through the entrepreneural programme hoppid.no.

We included in the Action Plan, that there is a need to develop startups competences. That activity regards to the subject of entrepreneurship using first line services (FLS). We think that there is a need to revitalise and develop equal services regardless of location. Another need is to strengthen advisors' competences.

FLS system has been operating for 10 years till now in the region. After that time, we might define that the quality of services for startups is different, depending on location in the county. We have learnt that these services don't meet all needs. To make our ecosystem better, we think it is necessary to revitalise and target our policy to startups.

We want our Action Plan to be more adapted to startups needs. We also want to make the governance more effecting through implementation of digital solutions. that would bring us two main benefits: simplify the interaction between involved service providers in the partnership and make experts more accesible for entrepreneurs. We hope that our financial instruments will be more focused on startups needs.

Which partners are working on this?
  • Møre and Romsdal County Council

Public policy recognizes the importance of new businesses and supports entrepreneurs, but there is not enough focus on the urban/rural different agendas, and also a lack of cohesive programme across the region. The Leo model, which is the local voice of government in all regions in the UK, has a seperate approach. While this is welcome in terms of reflecting local needs, it also breeds duplication of efforts and fragmentation in support services for first time entrepreneurs, when a cohesive joined up approach would bring a more dynamic and cost effective solution. This project gives us the wider base of knowledge and comparison to influence policy across our region related to start up and entrepreneur policy.

County Councils and local authorities can provide an element of support for entrepreneurs but funding is limited and not strategically delivered across the region.

We hope that the study tours and policy debates between the project partners will give us concrete ideas and examples to utilise in our own infratructure and through stakeholder delivery. We envisage to adopt good practices on how first line services for new startups may be designed in a clearer way, with less confusion on the part of the entrepreneurs, and more tailor-made to their needs. We want to continue to respond to local needs but need consistency and better cohesive support for the entrepreneurs.


It will be difficult to influence UK policy beyond the two year cycle we are now in. We can influence the current round of funding priorities and create a legacy for whatever follows Brexit. We are sure that the policy direction related to startups will remain the responsibility of Local Enterprise Partnerships and County Councils such as Hampshire. The OSS project will create a legacy and the learning experiences from other partners and the debate and discussion held on entrepreneurship topics will give us solid ideas and initiatives to implenent post project.

Which partners are working on this?
  • WSX Enterprise

One of the main goals is to improve the access to the entrepreneurship ecosystem. We want to achieve it by supporting financial instruments, promoting equity and quasi-equity investments for startups, ventura capital funds, private capital or shares. The second one is to promote entreprenaurial ideas in areas related to European and regional challenges. We

The policy should be improved to provide more support for underdeveloped regions, especially by fostering startups and facilitating their survival.

We want to find solutions to make first line services better, what helps startups to be established more efficiently. Introducing of the ecosystem for FLS system will encourage to star new businesses and will ensure its survival.

By realisation and implementation of the OSS project, we hope to improve the management and monitoring process for implementation of the policy instrument. Changes in that policy would cause the improvement of communication and coordination between key actors in the startups ecosystem.


 

Which partners are working on this?
  • Agency for Regional and Economic Development

Granada province is characterised by having a low level of entrepreneurial culture as well as a poor survival rate for startups. At the same time, the provincial economy is dominated by SMEs with over 99% of firms having less than 500 employees and by an excessive of “micro firms”, either self employed or employing less than 10 people (nearly 95%). Besides, we can notice that the quality and the access to the first line support system for first time entrepreneurs is not entirely satisfactory because it exists a big fragmentation of the business support services for these new entrepreneurs. It is necessary to provide them with opportunities for testing their business ideas in the best conditions. We need to know what advisory support service regarding entrepreneurship and SMEs competiveness is working in practice.

Based upon the lessons learnt from the project, we envisage improving the Entrepreneurs Provincial Plan through the “Granada is province” agreement programme which is the tool by which the County Council materialises in municipal programmes and actions the strategies defined in the framework of the Entrepreneurs Provincial Plan. For example, we could define new agreement programmes with our municipalities designed to promote measures assisting entrepreneurs based on the innovation, the “smart” concept and the social enterprise.

The Granada County Council will consider to introduce new or modified measures for support services to first time entrepreneurs in the Entrepreneurs Provincial Plan on the basis of the lessons learned from the project.


Which partners are working on this?
  • PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF GRANADA

There is a need to upgrade the aforementioned mechanisms of the OP in the way that would
really meet the challenges. Especially, we see that traditional measures are not fitting the start ups  needs (lack of innovative services, innovative measures, lack of access to finances, lack of access to modern technologies). Additionally, there is significant number of startups searching the opportunity in the area of innovative services and products. Unfortunately, existing support measures can't meet their needs. While we are facing the lack of entrepreneurial culture, there is also a need to upgrade support to young generation, which so far can't  fully access to knowledge in the area of  entrepreneurial and innovation skills while preparing for future adult life as future entrepreneurs.

BSC Kranj and the regional stakeholders will improve implementation of mentioned priority by preparing new projects and initiatives based on policy learning inspired by the experiences from the partner regions. These will focus engagement in and contribute to improvement of measures for SMEs in the countryside.

We intend first of all to try to improve the policy instrument by modifying the addressed priority and object to better accommodate the needs of new entrepreneurs. BSC Kranj is member of the west cohesion region management board, where decisions regarding the change of Operational Program take place.

We intend to influence min. 500.000 EUR as a pilot of innovative services. Additonally we will develop and implement projects (at least 1) that will improve the support environment for start ups in our region.

Which partners are working on this?
  • BSC, Business support centre Ltd., Kranj

The objective is to strengthen research, cooperation between business, science and technological development, innovation and also strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs and startups. The priority aims at creating a business environment conducive to research and innovation. Key elements include strengthening the activities of research and innovation and improving knowledge transfer between public and private sectors, supporting SMEs and new startups. Investments will focus on its efforts to implement the results of R & D, innovation, higher added value and productivity and in this way to expand and internationalization.

 Podkarpackie Region is one of the regions with the lowest level of economic development. It is caused by  limited access to external sources of financing for those wishing to start a business. Additionally Podkarpackie Region border directly with The Ukraine and in the region there are many migrants from this country (especially from the war territories: Donbass region, Luhansk and so on). The development of financial instruments, possibilities and motivation for starting a business by people especially endangered with social exclusion (including migrants) will have a positive impact on the level of entrepreneurship in the region.

On the basis of a Regional Strategy for Podkarpackie Region 2014-2020 were identified the following needs to improve:
• the need to enhance regional innovation economy
• support low level of entrepreneurship (measured in the number of companies in relation to the number of inhabitants), including SMEs and for new startups
• increase the level of cooperation between relevant stakeholders such as regional development agencies, regional and local authorities, enterprises, R&D centers, universities and technology and business incubators, manifested by a small number of joint projects of innovative
• insufficient cooperation of institutions dealing with supporting for the development of a smart, inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurship at local-regional level
• the need to create tailor-made ecosystem for startups
• lack of knowledge, know-how, skills, technical knowledge, procedures, methods in the field of technology transfer in research institutions and universities
• weak Podkarpackie’s ecosystems of supporting new business

Which partners are working on this?
  • Rzeszow Regional Development Agency
  • Regional Centre of Social Policy