Why InnoService project and what is its aim?

South-East Slovakia and North-East Hungary belong to the poorest European regions with low economic performance and high unemployment rate. The companies established in the area are often characterised by low labour productivity and competitiveness. The reasons can be found in using of out-of-date technologies, low innovativeness of companies and lack of R&D infrastructure but also in unavailability of efficient and easy-to-use services provided by institutions dealing with support of entrepreneurs.

Project InnoService aims at improving several of these areas. Firstly, it aims at strengthening and improving cooperation capacity and efficiency among Slovak and Hungarian Chambers of Commerce and Industry by increasing their staff members’ knowledge and experiences in the specific innovation services provided for entrepreneurs.

Further, through a newly developed on-line tool „Cross-border Innovation Service Portfolio“ www.inno-service.eu the chambers will gather and provide all information on R&D infrastructure and innovation services in the area of South-East Slovakia and North-East Hungary at one place available 24 hours a day for anyone interested. The project will also provide an opportunity for Slovak and Hungarian companies and knowledge providers to meet personally and discuss possible cooperation. In this way, the chambers stimulate innovation-oriented cross-border cooperation among entrepreneurs and knowledge providers in effective way by using modern ICT solutions as internet and mobile phone applications as well as by personal contacts and discussions.

About the project

Project aims:

The overall project objective is to contribute to the increased social and economic cohesion and smart and sustainable growth of the Slovak-Hungarian cross-border region through:

  • strengthening and improving cooperation capacity and cooperation efficiency among Slovak and Hungarian Chambers of Commerce and Industry;
  • ensuing smooth cross-border flow of information through newly developed ICT solution that will improve cross-border service provision in the area of innovation;
  • increasing cooperation capacity among Slovak and Hungarian businesses and knowledge providers and establishing new cooperation initiatives.

Project activities:

  • Management;
  • Communication;
  • Mapping providers of innovation infrastructure and services in the partners regions;
  • Development of innovation services portfolio – a modern software solution providing overview of all innovation infrastructure and services available in the partners’ regions;
  • Thematic workshops for staff members of the partners’ Chambers of Commerce and Industry focused on: Intellectual Property Rights, technology transfer and start-ups, internationalisation, new product or service development and innovation strategies;
  • B2B meetings for entrepreneurs and providers of innovation infrastructure and services, each of them focused on different sector: forestry and wood processing, information technologies, metal-working industry, machinery and IT systems for machinery and automotive industry.

Duration of the project: 16 months (1st October 2017 – 31st January 2019)

Financing: the project is co-financed from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Slovak-Hungary cross-border program Interreg V-A Slovakia-Hungary.

Total budget of the project: 162 174,60 EUR

out of that ERDF co-financing is 137 848,41 EUR

Project partners

Lead partner:

Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Banská Bystrica Regional Chamber,
Address: Nám. Š. Moysesa 4, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Contact: Ing. Marína Spírová, PhD., tel. +421 48 4125 633, marina.spirova@sopk.sk
Web: http://bb.sopk.sk/

Other partners:

Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Košice Regional Chamber,
Address: Bencúrova 13, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Contact: Monika Kočiová, M.A., tel.  +421 55 6220 640, monika.kociova@sopk.sk
Web: http://ke.sopk.sk/

Nógrád Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Address: Alkotmány 9/A, 3100  Salgótarján, Hungary
Contact: Andrea Nyerges, tel. +36 32 520 868, mkikmszt@nkik.hu
Web: http://www.nkik.hu/hu/

Heves Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Address: Pf.440, 3301 Eger, Hungary
Contact: Márk Becskei, tel. +36 36 429 612 114, mark.becskei@hkik.hu
Web: http://www.hkik.hu/hu/

Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Address: Szentpáli str.1, 3525 Miskolc, Hungary
Contact: Ilona Szécsiné Bányai, tel. +36 46 501 097,  szecsi.ilona@bokik.hu
Web: http://bokik.hu/hu/