SHARE’s lead partner is Sviluppumbria, the multipurpose agency of the Umbria Region, which plans and implements programmes, projects and tools to support competitiveness and economic growth in the region, both through regional and national funding, and within the framework of EU structural funds. 
Sviluppumbria’s activities aim to
• Support the creation and development of companies;
• Support the development of smart specialisation, technological and social innovation, and processes of internationalisation for global competitiveness;
• Create a favourable environment to attract direct, foreign and inward investments and qualified human capital;
• Support the strategies of Integrated Tourist Promotion;
• Strengthen international cooperation and networking;
• Promote and highlight regional real estate, including infrastructure.
Departments
To pursue its objectives, Sviluppumbria’s specialist staff works in three departments serving the Region and its residents: Services for businesses, International activities, Heritage and Territorial Marketing, and Tourism and integrated promotion.
Services for businesses runs the Innetwork programme, aimed at Umbrian companies and knowledge providers to participate in Research and Innovation 
platforms at European and national level, with particular focus on the Region’s RIS3 key enabling technologies. Innetwork’s communications activities include presenting seminars both for all enterprises, as well as for specific target groups, on issues of particular interest, with connections to specialized technological platforms, the National Technological Cluster and technology transfer actions, and publishing newsletters on topics of innovation, research and technology transfer. Other support services include access to credit, financial incentives for hiring, financial engineering, activities to encourage and support new entrepreneurs, with incubators at the Terni and Foligno sites.
International activities, Heritage and Territorial Marketing initiatives include managing the grant application process for exporters to exhibit at international fairs; technical support for legal, taxation and contracting aspects; market intelligence and support for market entry activities such as certifications and Customs procedures; and support for registering trademarks and patents. It also organises workshops, promotional events, B2B meetings and visits and welcomes incoming economic and institutional operators in Umbria. The department also supports the internationalization activities of the Umbria Aerospace Cluster and Umbria Nautical Cluster. It manages some real estate assets belonging to the Region and handles sale by auction of properties. The department provides services of the Enterprise Europe Network to Umbrian entrepreneurs and researchers.
Tourism and integrated promotion organizes and manages an ambitious schedule of events and initiatives (40 in 2017) both abroad and in the region, to promote Umbria: target countries include the UK, Germany, Holland, the USA, and China. The department works to strengthen the regional offer through development of itineraries and products such as the St. Francis Way, cycling trails and horseback riding itineraries; and manages online communications including the Region's official tourism portal, and social media. To perform its tasks, it maintains relationships with thousands of small businesses providing tourism services in Umbria, with hundreds of journalists and tourism professionals in other countries, and with the Italian National Tourist Board around the world. This department is also responsible for scouting for opportunities for EU cooperation projects and is home to SHARE and the staff working on it.
European and international cooperation projects
In addition to its role as lead partner of SHARE, Sviluppumbria is also
• Lead partner for an Interreg Adrion project, BIOECO-R.D.I.
• Lead partner for an Interreg Med project, Prominent MED
• Head of a public-private grouping implementing a technical cooperation project to strengthen the support system for SMEs and start-ups in Tunisia
• Exclusive node for Umbria of the Enterprise Europe Network
Sviluppumbria led the Interreg IVC project ZEN (2012-2014), which studied ways to reduce the environmental impact of large events, and which helped inspire the idea for SHARE.
ERDF Region Umbria ROP 2014-2020 Direct Beneficiary and Intermediary
The agency is direct beneficiary of an ERDF line for activities performed by the Services to companies department, such as Action 1.2.1., which implements the Innetwork programme, and is intermediary organism for 3.1.1.
The Internationalization department carries out initiatives for the Region to promote export activities under ERDF Action 3.3.1, as an intermediary.
The Tourism and Integrated Promotion department is the direct beneficiary of the ERDF line Action 5.3.1, under which it works to promote the Region as a tourist destination.
