Project Title: “Internationalization of V4 Start-ups”
Grant No: 21720279 supported by the International Visegrad Fund (www.visegradfund.org)
Name of the lead partner: The University of Dąbrowa Górnicza (Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu w Dąbrowie Górniczej)
Address: ul. Cieplaka 1c, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland
Coordinator of the project: Ewelina Widerska
E-mail: ewiderska@wsb.edu.pl
Objective
The main objective is to start international cooperation between V4 startups. Through identification of common V4 smart specialization and development of strong ties between V4Startups, SME’s, NGO’s, HEI’s, authorities, working in a field of smart specializations. This goal will be achieved by making regional stakeholders more reliable on international level and sharing reliable stakeholders database among startups interested in international cooperation.
Context
Each Visegrad country has described national and regional smart specializations. Startups mostly cooperate on national level in a field of specific smart specializations. People don't know smart specializations of other Visegrad countries so they are not able to cooperate internationally on that field and build an effective network and i.e. write mutual proposal for funding international projects. They don't have clarified information about common smart specializations in Visegrad region. They don't know organizations fromVisegrad countries to cooperate with. Nowadays a few websites and platforms related to smart specialization exist on European level. There is no platform dedicated to Visegrad region. Existing platforms are not well known within startups. They don't use it. None database with data of Visegrad organizations assigned to specific smart specialization.
Solution
This project will build strong ties between Startups and SME’s, NGO’s, local authorities interested in international (Visegrad) cooperation in a field of smart specializations. Firstly, common smart specializations for Visegrad countries will be identified, described and postered on Map of Visegrad smart specializations (during international workshop in Poland with attendance of national experts and project partners). Secondly on regional meetings (SK,CZR,HU,PL) project partners will encourage local Startups, SME’s, NGO’s and local authorities to develop international (Visegrad) cooperation in a field of smart specializations. Main output of these meeting will be online database of V4 organizations interested in international projects. In database organizations will be assigned to specific smart specializations in a field of which they are working and want to cooperate internationally.
Regional relevance
Regional smart specializations are identified in Visegrad countries. All regions involved in this project developed its own smart specializations strategies. The main problem is that authorities promote smart specializations strategies only on local, regional or national level. There is no international approach on this topic related to development of Visegrad Startups. Startups owners don’t know reliable partners to cooporate internationally. Existing international databases consists of data of specific institutions (mainlySME’s) but people don’t know if they are working in the field of the same smart specializations with organizations listed in these databases. Promotion of Visegrad smart specializations is required to start international (Visegrad) cooporation between Visegrad startups and other stakeholders.
Target groups:
Startups, Entrepreneurs (SME's), NGO's, Higher Education Institutions and R&D organizations, Local authorities, Local development agencies, Citizens of V4 region.