Create4compete

The project «Create4compete - Creativity for Boosting Competence and Competitiveness», Nu.ILPR1/010/120 is designed to contribute to the competitiveness and cross-border co-operation of SMEs and business support structures in Marijampole and Kaunas, Lithuania and Kaliningrad region, the Russian Federation. This is one of the first projects that will invest people’s effort to the development of SMEs in the frames of the Lithuania-Poland-Russia ENPI Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013. The project is implemented by 4 partners from 2 countries: Marijampole Branch Office of Kaunas Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (Lithuania), Kaunas Regional Development Agency (Lithuania), Kaliningrad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Russia), Fund “Victoria” (Russia).

The project duration:

10/09/2012 – 10/09/2014

Specific objectives include strengthening of business support organizations, raising the business competitiveness and entrepreneurship, enhancement of cooperation among SMEs and business support organizations of the project areas.  

 

Following activities will be undertaken within the project in order to achieve the abovementioned goals:

• Measures aimed on raising the competence and creativity of business support organizations including training and coaching events.
• Actions focused on improving the material base of the partners’ organizations in order to provide better intermediary support services for SMEs. 
• Activities which will strengthen the capacities of entrepreneurship and competitiveness of SMEs in the project areas of Lithuania and Russia.
• Strengthening capacities of innovations and creativity of SMEs which are interested in starting the cross-border business cooperation between Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad region). 
• Creation and development of networks between the partners’ organizations, SMEs’ and coachers with use of newly established thematic Internet portal.
• Strengthening of cooperation between business representatives in order to develop common ideas for starting the cross - border business. 

 

Target group of the project consists of SMEs and intermediary business support structures for SMEs in Marijampole, Kaunas (Lithuania) and Kaliningrad (Russia) regions.

The Partners of the Project will achieve the following objectives and results:

• 4 business support organizations in Marijampole, Kaunas and Kaliningrad regions are strengthened.
• One new innovative business support infrastructure (BSO-EXT coachers) for SME’s is created and tested.
• 130 SMEs’ are coached in order to raise their competitiveness, entrepreneurship and improve cooperation.
• 20 SMEs’ knowledge on innovations and creativity is strengthened.
• The competitiveness of 20 companies having capacities to start a cross-border business is strengthened.
• 3 networks for benefits of SMEs in the regions are created and tested.
• 2 groups of SMEs’ representatives are trained and coached to start and develop a cross- border business and cooperation.

 

Expected impact of the project activities in Marijampole, Kaunas and Kaliningrad regions:

• Improving Business Competitiveness and Increasing Economic Growth, thus solving problems of both internal and external economic character.
• Labour Market Development and Encouragement of Entrepreneurship.
• Promotion of Culture Inspiring Innovations and Creativity.
• Improving and Strengthening of Infrastructure of the Organisations.
• Internationalisation and Cooperation Development.
• Business, Science and Authority Cooperation.
• Increasing Competitiveness of the Regions and States.

 Project funding

Total budget of the project makes approximately 395 thousand euros from the ENPI CBC Lithuania-Poland-Russia Programme funds.