1. UpGradeSME PROJECT Gilda Lidia NICULESCU
Head of Development Department
26th June 2017  Annual meeting EEN MAMAIA

2. GENERAL OVERVIEW Project financed through Interreg EUROPE Program
General objective: Improving policies in the field of SME competitiveness development
Project value: Euro, SMRDA Euro
Implementation period - 5 years, 1st April 2016 – 31st March 2021

3. PARTNERSHIP 8 Partners - 6 countries
Pannon Business Network Association (HU)
South Muntenia Regional Development Agency (RO)
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FRIESLAND FOUNDATION (NL)
MUNICIPALITY OF LEEUWARDEN (NL)
Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH (DE)
ADRAVE – Regional Development Agency of Vale do Ave (PT)
San Sebastian SocioEconomic Development Agency Ltd. (ESP)
Ministry for National Economy (HU)

4. UpGradeSME project 6 policy instruments to be analysed and improved
Implementation
6 policy instruments to be analysed and improved
Active involvement of the Managing Authorities and intensive partners collaboration
Increased role of Local Stakeholders
Improved Policy instruments in form of Action Plans

5. IMPLEMENTATION PHASE 1 PHASE 2
(Interregional learning phase) Monitoring the implementation of the Action
- Analysis - work shops, study visits, peer reviews, Plans
staff exchange actions
- In – depht analysis of the Policy Instrument
- Preparatio of the Action Plans
- Preparation of the policy recommendations

6. Analysis of the Policy Instruments
4 ISSUES 1. METHODOLOGY
2. IMPACT
3. COMMUNICATION
4. INTEGRATION
RESEARCH PAPER INTERNATIONALIZATION

7. Analysis of the Policy Instruments
4 ISSUES 1. METHODOLOGY
2. IMPACT
3. COMMUNICATION
4. INTEGRATION
RESEARCH PAPER INTERNATIONALIZATION

8. RESEARCH PAPER INTERNATIONALIZATION - PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
Proposed objective
Comparison of Core and Peripheral regions with regard to SME internationalization
- How the decisions are made?
- What are the objectives of internationalization?
- What are target countries and entry modes selected?
How governments could help SMEs seeking to internationalise
Peripheral regions – Hungary, Romania, Portugal, Spain
Core regions – Germany, Holland
Growing the global economy through SMEs, Edinburgh Group
The copyright belongs exclusively to the UpGradeSME partnership

9. Proposed methodology
Validation of the theoretical model on the Core – Peripheral split by case studies
Is there a difference by origin?
What are the characteristics?
How should support measures approach to it?

10. Preliminary findings

11. International background

12. Target countries
Peripheral countries are more German and EU-oriented than core ones

13. Reason to go abroad

14. Targeted segment

15. Forms of going abroad

16. THANK YOU!