Project Promotion

Promotion of the Project “Bulgarian – Macedonian Cross Border Cooperation

for Capacity building for Competitiveness and Innovation”

30 – 31 Mach 2017, Kyustendil, Bulgaria

Project: “Bulgarian – Macedonian Cross Border Cooperation for Capacity building for Competitiveness and Innovation” CB006.1.31.158

Duration: 15 months

Budget: 109.101,24 euro

Partners:

Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA) – Lead partner
Foundation for small and medium enterprises development Kumanovo – Partner 2
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Partner 3
Chamber of commerce and industry of Kyustendil – Partner 4

Main aim of the project: Increasing capacities for competitiveness and innovativeness of local businesses and administration of North-east Macedonia (6 municipalities) and the District of Kyustendil (9 municipalities)

On March 30, 2017 in Kyustendil representatives of project teams of four partners in the project “Bulgarian – Macedonian Cross Border Cooperation for Capacity building for Competitiveness and Innovation”, together with their associates held a working meeting.

The meeting was held in Kyustendil:

Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA) – Lead partner

Members of the project team:

Academician Taki Fiti, Project manager
MA Marica Antovska, Project coordinator

Associates in the project:

Dr. Radmil Polenakovik
МA Bojan Jovanovski

Foundation for small and medium enterprises development Kumanovo – Partner 2

Members of the project team:

Dimitar Tashevski, Project manager

Associates in the project:

Sladjana Jovanovska Bekarova

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Partner 3

Members of the project team:

Prof. Dr. Mitko Dimitrov, Project manager

Associates in the project:

Prof. Dr. Stojan Totev
Prof. Kiril Todorov

Chamber of commerce and industry of Kyustendil – Partner 4

Members of the project team:

Ivona Stoyanova
Ralica Mitreva

Associates in the project:

Cvetelina Stoyanova
Docent Dr. Kostadin Kolarov
Jordan Belovodski
Valentin Hristov

A retrospective of the so far completed activities was made on the meeting, different procedures and rules in the project were discussed and was defined the dynamics of the future activities for the successful achievement of the project purposes.

On March 31, 2017 in Kyustendil was held an initial meeting, a press conference and panel discussion, which officially promoted the project titled “Bulgarian-Macedonian border cooperation for capacity building for competitiveness and innovation,” co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg -IPA Cross-border Program Bulgaria – Macedonia CCI No 2014TC16I5CB006.

The meeting was officially opened by Mr. Yordan Belovodski representative of the Commercial-Industrial Chamber of Kyustendil. Then welcome speeches were made by Acad. Taki Fiti, president of the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences and professor. Dr. Mitko Dimitrov, a representative of the Economic Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

At the press conference, Mr. Dimitar Tashevski, director of the Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprises Development Kumanovo, with extensive presentation outlined the main purposes, activities and the expected results of the project.

The main focus of the panel discussion was concentrated on the key aspects of the project, related to the encouragement of cross-border cooperation, innovation and competitiveness of local companies and administration in the selected border regions of the both countries.

In the panel discussion participated: Acad. Taki Fiti and prof. dr. Mitko Dimitrov on the subject “Measures to increase cross-border cooperation, innovation and competitiveness of local companies and administrations in the Northeast region of Macedonia and the region of Kyustendil in Bulgaria” and prof. dr. Radmil Polenakovic, a hired expert for the project by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, who spoke about the innovation potential of the Northeast region of Macedonia and the activities and analyzes in the field of innovation and competitiveness in the selected region that will be implemented in the project realization.

On the project promotion, which was media followed too, besides the representatives of the four partners project teams, attended also numerous reputed professors and experts from the academic community in Macedonia and Bulgaria, representatives of the business and public sector and institutions for support of small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation and competitiveness from both countries.