Grant Map EU

Through globalization SMEs are facing the challenge of increased competition from developed and emerging economies. In order to transform this challenge into an opportunity, clusters can act as facilitators and “springboards” to help SMEs internationalize. Cluster support can thus help SMEs secure access to global value chains and develop long-term strategic partnerships. Previous studies (in 2014-2015) showed that although clustering initiatives and measures are found in many ways and forms but there’s the lack of very practical, active regions organized measures, advisory days, the steps sequence and mentoring to encourage enterprises to form clusters. Quite many maritime SMEs have heard about clustering initiatives, but much of them, especially SMEs, do not understand clustering benefits, meaning, do not know how to organize these processes and the benefits expected. Much of SMEs willing to enter foreign markets and clustering allows this in most efficient and safe way, but lack of information and risks reduce the wish and maritime SMEs remain to be regionally oriented. The need for information on this topic is huge, but SMEs are physically unable to take the work-time to strategies and other primary documents, which are usually contained in international legal terminology, more detailed analysis of this process for understanding and be skilled in that. The idea of project will help blue and green SMEs to set realistic actions and measures and required information to form a clear concept of clustering and through trainings – maritime SMEs representatives will gain more skills to engage in clustering processes/initiate that independently. Thus the transfer of innovation for the benefit of blue and green sector SMEs through joint cross-border actions will be realized. Seed funding is needed to make deeper analysis of current challenge proximity and terms also gain most actual information in changing environment for serving SMEs with most efficient and useful way.