Area Science Park with North Macedonia to foster development

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 16 OTT - A Republic of North Macedonia delegation came to Area Science Park for a three-day exchange of best practices and networking as part of the Eu4eg "Eu for economic growth" project.
    The project, which began two years ago, aims to develop and strengthen the economic system of North Macedonia for greater competitiveness and growth, particularly on the innovation front, through a total funding of about 9.5 million euros and is developed in three steps.
    The first will be the mapping of entrepreneurial ecosystems, identifying the availability of support services in the territories, and creating a 'capacity building' program aimed at business support organizations to enable them to provide new services to Macedonian SMEs and start-ups. The second step is launching four business acceleration programs to support the growth of selected groups of start-ups.
    The third point is constructing a financing program for business innovation and renewal projects.
    Among the results of Eu4eg is the funding of 27 joint projects between Macedonian SMEs and business support organizations.
    "With the Balkans, we plan to develop a robust dialogue on the possibility of building together, of studying and designing, research infrastructures," said Caterina Petrillo, president of Area Science Park.
    "We are talking about an intervention in Balkan countries where the number of research infrastructures is deficient. There is a technology gap that we can help fill with our expertise, even to prepare the access of these countries into the European Union." To create this collaboration, according to Petrillo, "when we start with a coordinated action, to build these infrastructures, the key element is training. We have to take charge of this, too," she added. (ANSA).