Preliminary Call for Interest "Business Clusters - Clusters“: General Characteristics and Results of the Call“

Timotheos Rekkas

Deputy Head of Financial Institutions and Training Department

Directorate for SMEs

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

Hellenic Ministry for Development General Secretariat for Industry

Directorate for SMEs

Barriers to Cluster’s development in Greece according to the experience from the past

-Lack of the appropriate culture for mutually benefited collaboration between Greek entrepreneurs.

-Lack of cluster’s organizational skills.

-Law rate of information regarding cluster benefits and cluster policy initiatives.

-Failures of cluster policy initiatives during the past (mainly because of non attractive incentives and prerequisites).

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

Forms of Clusters in Greece so far

-Networks in certain production sectors: Exhibition Centers of Furniture Producers, Crete Oil Producers Network.

-Retail networks in sectors such as food and beverages, electric goods.

-Supply chain networks for retailing of goods, medicines, hotel services.

-Clusters for the provision of common services: Thematic tourism in the fields of conferences’ organization, sea or mountain based holidays.

-High technology clusters.

-Industry Clusters: General Secretariat for Industry initiatives

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

General Secretariat for Industry: Cluster initiatives

- EU Co-funding programmes and actions for the creation/development of industry clusters: Up-down approach, policy development from the top without taking in mind the real industries’ needs, heavy prerequisites, non attractive forms of cluster enterprises. Successful cases: “Solarnet” (solar energy), Fur Cluster, Recycling Cluster.- 2011 Call for Interest for potential cluster facilitators: Bottom-up approach, policy development while taking seriously in mind the real industrial needs, significant response by private sector. - Main characteristics of 2011 Call for Interest: At least 8 participants including the facilitator, 2/3 of the participants should be industry firms, 1/3 of the participants could become from retail and services sector, fulfilled cluster regional dimension, various forms of firms accepted (capital based enterprises, joint ventures, collaborations based on a strict contract with certain obligations for each member of the cluster during the project), combination of state-aid regimes (EU Regulations 1998/2006 and 800/2008), obvious cluster result with permanent perspective.

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

General characteristics of the Call for Interest

- A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

- Published: 4-5-2011- Deadline for proposals: 29-6-2011- Texts published: Summary of the Call, Questionnaire in the form of a short business plan, FAQs (www.ggb.gr). - A short description of a cluster included in the Summary of the Call: “A cluster is a form of cooperation between enterprises and other agencies (universities, research institutions, cambers, business agencies) for the promotion of innovation and competitiveness of SMEs, having the following characteristics as regards the participants: Independence, equality, mutually gained benefits, geographical proximity, common objectives”.

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

General characteristics of the Call for Interest

-Aim of the program: To develop business clusters in order to stimulate the Greek manufacturing sector.

-Rules for participation: A cluster should contain at minimum eight (8) participants subject to the following conditions: Manufacturing firms should constitute the two thirds (2/3) of the participants in the cluster. The other one third (1/3) of the participants could be enterprises of the trade sector and the services sector.

-Eligibility: Enterprises and Agencies from the private and public sector.

-EU’s state-aid regulation: 1998/2006 (De minimis), 800/2008 (General exempting regulation)

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

General characteristics of the Call for Interest- The call responded to potential coordinators of the clusters.

- Potential coordinators could be local government agencies, chambers, business agencies, universities and research agencies or private sector enterprises with relevant experience.

- Potential clusters should be geographically concentrated in one of the 13 Regions in Greece.

- Forms of cooperation: Companies with a shareholder structure (S.A., Ltd) Joint ventures Participation’s Agreement containing certain roles and responsibilities for every member of the cluster, under the rules of the call.

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

Results of the Call for Interest- 48 proposals received. - Estimated total budget of the proposals: 88 m. Euros- Estimated Co-funding budget (ERDF – NPIP): 10 – 15 m. Euros- The majority of the proposals (30) satisfied the eligibility criteria.- 20 proposals became from the research and development sector, focused on innovation in a variety of actions (aerospace, bioclimatic infrastructure, water treatment and waste water, pharmaceuticals).- 10 proposals focused on manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, aluminum, metals, food and beverages, clothes), satisfying one of the basic aims of the program which was to fill the gap between research and production and to promote innovation to the late production stages and furthermore to commercialize it.- The majority of the proposals contained extroversion actions.

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

Results of the Call for Interest

- Although, exclusion criteria applied, all kinds of proposals are acceptable during the Second Phase of the program (Proclamation – Call for Proposals).

- The Call for Proposals will be published when appropriate sources will be released from the Operational Program “Competitiveness- Entrepreneurship 2007-2013”.

- Otherwise the Call for Proposals will be published during the Next Programming Period (2014 - 2020) in the framework regarding the EU’s Structural Funds and following the rules of the upcoming Partnership Agreement between Greece and the EU.

Results of the Call for Interest   REGIONS  

1 CRETE 1

2 ATTICA 18

3 SOUTH AEGEAN 2

4 EAST MACEDONIA - THRACE 2

5 CENTRAL MACEDONIA 6

6 IPEIROS 1

7 WEST MACEDONIA 7

8 THESSALIA 2

9 WEST GREECE - IONIAN ISLANDS 2

10 MIXED REGIONS 7

  SUM: 48

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

EU Co-funding programmes and actions scheduled and implemented by Directorate for SMEs (General Secretariat for Industry)

Ongoing:• “Youth employment”: Budget 106,9 million Euros - 1.383 beneficiaries.• “Women employment”: Budget 84,6 million Euros - 1.154 beneficiaries. • “Infrastructure under new circumstances”: Strong industry dimension – Budget 412,2 million Euros - 1.754 beneficiaries.• “Textiles and footwear”: Budget 4,3 million Euros- 39 beneficiaries.• “Extroversion – Competitiveness of enterprises”: Budget 97,1 million Euros - 746 beneficiaries.• “New Innovative Entrepreneurship”: Budget 63,1 million Euros - 439 beneficiaries.Upcoming:• “Extroversion – Competitiveness of enterprises – Phase II”• “New Innovative Entrepreneurship” – Phase II• “Clusters” – Phase II

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr

Thank you very much

for your attention!

name: Timotheos Rekkasadress: 117, Mesogeion Avenue, P.O. Box 101 92state: Athens, Greececontact: rekkas_t@ggb.gr