Lisbon, 13th November 2007
Conference
“ICT Uptake for SMEs Competitiveness”
Panel 1 – Transnational Cooperation
in e-Business Initiatives
Action ENT/MAP/06/1.3
“Reinforcing synergies between public policies
in support of e-business for SMEs”
“Service Network to support SMEs”
Speakers:
• Ms Claudia Poles
• Mr Maurizio Mancini
EU co-financed project
From Confartigianato – The
Association of Crafts and SMEs
of San Donà di Piave, Venice,
ITALY
“Service Network to support SMEs”

Coordinator:
The Association of Crafts
and SMEs of San Donà di
Piave (ITALY)

Partner:
The Chamber of Crafts
and Trades of the Istrian
Region in Pula (CROATIA)
“Service Network to support SMEs”
DURATION
6 months
“Service Network to support SMEs”
OBJECTIVES
The project aims at carrying out a study to transfer the System of
Integrated Services of the Confartigianato Association of the Eastern
Veneto to the Istrian Region, analyzing its adaptability to its territory
through benchmarking actions.
The final goal is to network the Croatian and the Italian
enterprises as well as the professional associations through the
realization of a Web portal.
15.000 companies in
Veneto, associate
members of
Confartigianato
9.000 companies in
Istria, associate
members of the
Istrian Chamber
“Service Network to support SMEs”
TARGET
The project is in support of
enterprises since there is the
need to assist in particular the
SMEs to identify e-Business
opportunities and to
implement successfully their
transformation towards eBusiness
“Service Network to support SMEs”
EXPECTED RESULTS
THE REALIZATION OF
A NETWORK

will
draw
enterprises
closer to e-business

will allow them to expand
their company limits, thus
broadening the traditional
market and allowing them
to explore new markets at
low cost and in real time

will permit them to have
new
marketing
and
communication chances,
new
customers
and
suppliers
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
1. Best practices exchange from Confartigianato’s
system of integrated services to the Chamber of
Crafts and Trades of the Istrian region
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
2. Study and analysis of the “territorial economic
systems” of the Eastern Veneto and the Istrian
Region through direct contacts, telephone surveys
and questionnaires addressed to enterprises
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
3. Realization of a communication portal for
enterprises, so that they are enabled to receive
integrated services (www.partenariato.it)
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
4. Vocational and information courses to draw the
companies closer to the use of the computer network
and to the state of the art ICT by best adapting the
use of the technology to their needs and
development requirements
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
5. Dissemination activities for the whole project, in
order to diffuse and promote results both in Italy and
in the beneficiary country, as well as to transfer it in
other geographical areas
International Partnership
Agreement
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT FOR THE REALIZATION
OF A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
FOR RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
TO SUPPORT SMALL ENTERPRISES,
COMPETITIVENESS, INNOVATION AND LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
FOR THE REALIZATION OF A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
FOR RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
TO SUPPORT SMALL ENTERPRISES, COMPETITIVENESS, INNOVATION AND LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT
ART. 1 - PURPOSE, INTENTIONS AND OBJECT OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
What we intend to pursue with the present Partnership Agreement is a punctual application of the principles in
the "European Paper for Small Enterprises". The purpose is the realization of a Centre of Excellence for
research and high quality training to support the territorial social-economic system and particularly small
enterprises. The Centre would represent an authoritative reference specialized in the analysis, the study and the
research on the themes of local development, considered as strategic resources aimed at promoting scientific and
technological innovation and competitiveness.
Objectives to be realized through this Partnership Agreement are specifically the following ones:
a) to make the public and private sectors aware of the systemic competition and innovation in the
productive process of the different economic sectors;
b) to define the strategic directions and the mid to long term operative objectives of material and
immaterial investments in the European regions;
c) to put at researchers disposal the logistic structures in order to enable them to develop projects from
advanced research and superior specialist training;
d) to facilitate and sustain every initiative for the raising of public and private financial resources necessary
for the realization of different system projects.
ART. 2 - SEAT AND LOGISTIC STRUCTURES
The Parties agree that the Lead Institution is the Confartigianato, the Association of Artisans and Small
Enterprises of the district of San Donà di Piave, in the province of Venice, and the seat of the Centre of
Excellence is established in the registered office of the Confartigianato Via Perugia 2, San Donà di Piave (VE).
The subjects that join in this Partnership Agreement commit themselves to supply structures and places
complete with relative furniture and equipment where conventions and courses of superior specialised training,
programmed by the Centre of Excellence, will be held.
At the moment there are 45 partners from 10 European
Countries: universities, technologic parks, public
authorities, development agencies, chambers of
commerce, professional associations and credit
institutions
ART. 3 - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES
For an effective and efficient management of the project at issue, the Parties agree to avail themselves, when
required, of the activity of other organisations and companies that will be from time to time individualized on
the basis of their professional competence.
ART. 4 - DUTIES OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES
Parties that agree to the present Partnership Agreement undertake to participate in the community, national and
local programmes that aim to the affirmation of small enterprises as part of the social and cultural fabric in
Europe and to cooperate in supporting the European social-economic system.
Moreover they commit themselves to create a network of connections between the Centre of Excellence, the
local productive fabric, territorial bodies, public and private firms and scientific and cultural Institutions for the
promotion of synergies, partnership projects, formative stages, experimentations and applications of the results
of the activities carried-out by the partners of this agreement.
They also undertake to publicise the results achieved by the Centre of Excellence with adequate communication
campaigns.
Open to other organisations!
ART. 5 - DURATION
The present Partnership Agreement has a duration of 7 (seven) years from the date of signature.
International Partnership
Agreement
OBJECTIVE:
THE CREATION OF CONNECTIONS BETWEEN
THE “WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE ” AND THE
“WORLD OF ECONOMY”
Knowledge is the heart of the Lisbon Strategy: economic activities
operate and expand through the creation, the dissemination and the
use of knowledge
GERMANY
International Graduate
School Zittau
ITALY
Confartigianato of San Donà di Piave
Chamber of Commerce of Venice
“Ca’ Foscari” University of Venice
Veneto Innovazione S.p.A.
CRACA - Regional Centre for the Crafts
Assistance and Cooperation
UPA - Provincial Crafts Union
CO.FIDI Veneziano
CGIA - Jesolo
Confartigianato Services Centre of the
Eastern Veneto
Cassa Risparmio di Venezia - Group
Intesa/San Paolo
Banca Popolare Friuladria - Group Credit
Agricole
Banca S. Biagio of the Eastern Veneto
CISL - Italian Confederation of Workers
Union of the Eastern Veneto
ITIS “Volterra”, Technical High School of
San Donà di Piave
ITIS “Luzzatto”, Technical High School of
Portogruaro
Confartigianato of Portogruaro
Confartigianato of Riviera del Brenta
Footwear Polytechnic Institute of Strà
SLOVENIA
Regional Development Agency of Nova
Gorica
Technological Park of Nova Gorica
University of Nova Gorica
University Incubator of Koper
Koper Bank
CZECH REPUBLIC
University of Pardubice
POLAND
Technical University of
Lodz
SLOVAKIA
University of Kosice
ROMANIA
Mehedinti County
Council
University “Transilvania”
of Brasov
University of Craiova
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
University of Banja Luka
University of Zenica
ZEDA - Regional
Development Agency of
Zenica
City of Zenica
SERBIA
Association of Entrepreneurs
and Industrialist of Serbia
International Entrepreneurship
Academy of Belgrade
CROATIA
University of Split
Entrepreneurs Association of Rovinj
Chamber of Crafts and Trades of Istrian
Region in Pula
City of Rovinj
University of Rijeka
T
H
E
N
E
W
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
www.partenariato.it
“Service Network to support SMEs”
WEB PORTAL – www.partenariato.it
Search engine
for enterprises
To search business
partners
and
to
internationalize
the
enterprises’ activity, to
build stable business
partnerships and to
share
e-business
practices
“Service Network to support SMEs”
WEB PORTAL – www.partenariato.it
Services and
information
To provide information
concerning
the
EU
Programmes, initiatives
and instruments to face
the process connected
with the enterprises
internationalization
“Service Network to support SMEs”
WEB PORTAL – www.partenariato.it
Business audits
To carry out “Business
audits”
through
direct
contacts with entrepreneurs
with
the
aim
at
understanding how the
firms
produce
their
competitive knowledge, at
drawing enterprises closer
to innovation and research,
at favoring the interaction
among different realities
“Service Network to support SMEs”
PROJECT RESULTS
FROM THE PROJECT END ONWARDS
The use of the website
The request from
enterprises for direct
or on-line assistance
in the field of ebusiness or
internationalization
Creation of
synergies between
enterprises of the 2
countries
Cooperation with
Croatian/Italian firms
The use of the information technologies and Internet by
enterprises for e-business and internationalization activities
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Slides created by
MS CLAUDIA POLES
and
MR MAURIZIO MANCINI