INNOREF Partners: Friuli Venezia Julia (It) Umbria (It) Western Greece (Gr) Hranicko Region (Cz)

aim The operation aims at achieving a higher added value by improving the use of local resources, setting up and promoting sustainable product lines, establishing cooperation between different sectors (e.g. agriculture and tourism) and suitable regional marketing structures.

methodology These objectives will be reached through a participatory process aimed at developing resources efficiency and innovation & establishing operational strategies and common methodologies among other participating regions. Local people, enterprises and institutional bodies will be involved at the very first stage with the presentation of the operation, this way starting the participation process of civil society

Organisation 1 Professional Service Centre (PSC); this structure has the function of supplying free technical assistance and help desk services, thus offering competences and advises to sub- project proponents, communities, enterprises and single persons. The PSCs will also support the regional co-operation and marketing in the fields of tourism and regional products and it will work closely together with other institutions and regions in and outside the country.

Organisation 2 The Regions will involve a pioneer network which is the core of the stakeholders groups; within these, the trainer and the moderators will discuss with the stakeholders at workshops in order to initiate and support co-operation and increase income opportunities in different sectors within networks.

Subprojects 1 the Steering Committee will launch public calls to select sub-projects integrating the 3 sectors of sustainable development (social/cultural, economic and environmental). The expected results will be the following: sustainable process through a bottom-up approach which will allow the region to develop a self-supporting economy, increase of local initiatives, attraction of external investments, reinvestment of local capitals, increment of professional knowledge and competences, positive attitude and image.

Subprojects 2 Within the sub-projects two strategic ones will have to be selected: one concerning institutional building in regional management, in a comparative interregional perspective and one focused on challenges and opportunities deriving from the EU enlargement within regional mangement assuring in this way the transnational character of the project.

Contact for Greece Nikolas Petropoulos Head international Co-operation Nick Papatheodorou Project Director Region Western Greece 28 Patron Athinon Patras mobile: Tel: