touriSME
During the past three years North East England and three partner regions in the European Union have collaborated on a series of 12 projects designed to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and tourism.
An important aim has been to increase inter-regional co-operation and to share knowledge and best practice between the SMEs and other participating organisations. This, in turn, helps to promote sustainable and balanced development in the regions. Furthermore, the lessons learned and new knowledge gained can be shared with other regions in Europe, as a contribution towards enhancing economic and social cohesion within the EU.
The projects - collectively brought together under the RFO-touriSME initiative - were devised by North East England with the help of a host of delivery partners and organisations. These were approved in September 2004 and March 2005.
RFO-touriSME itself has been carried out as part of the INTERREG IIIC Programme, which is one of three strands of the European Community initiative INTERREG III. INTERREG III is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion across the EU by promoting co-operation in three strands - cross-border (A), transnational (B), interregional (C). The RFO-touriSME activities, therefore, formed part of the third strand.
The other regions involved with North East England were: Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, Valencia in Spain and Limburg in the Netherlands. The 12 projects have focused on the chemical, automotive, food and tourism sectors, as well as on a number of business support activities such as succession planning and internationalisation.
A key result of the projects has been the involvement of a large number of SMEs, who are now benefiting from the knowledge, experience and skills they have acquired through their participation. Barriers that previously inhibited co-operation have been overcome. New regional and inter-regional networks have also been established between businesses, development agencies, support organisations, universities and research institutions involved in the projects.
The aim now is to build on the progress that has been made through the projects. With the forthcoming transnational programmes due to start in 2007, North East England is keen to collaborate on these with existing and new partners to ensure the good work is carried on.
For full details of all the projects, access the pdf brochure by clicking on the download below.
Access the TouriSME website for more information on the programme.
touriSME projects in North East England [pdf]
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