Competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises is a key issue for EU objectives
Through this axis, the Programme aims to promote the competitiveness of the cross-border area through the creation and strengthening of Sicilian and Maltese micro, small and medium enterprises and encouraging labour mobility
Thanks to a bottom-up approach with regards to projects (smart communities and smart cities), as well as the activation of public and private subscription of protocols between the centres for employment and orientation of Sicily and Malta, the program yearns for increasing competitiveness within areas of "environmental protection" and "quality of life and health of citizens”
Within Axis 2, Investment Priorities 3a and 8e are integrated in order to increase the impact and the effectiveness of the actions funded so to contribute to the achievement of the thematic objectives
TO3 Promoting competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises
TO8 Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility
Thematic Objective 3:
Promoting competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises
Investment Priority 3.a):
Promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, even through business incubators
Specific Objective 2.1:
To promote the creation and the enhancement of enterprises (micro, small and medium) in the intervention field of the cooperation area
Expected Result:
Increased number of employed people and of enterprises activating commercial operation at cross border level
Beneficiaries:
SMEs and micro-enterprises, either alone or in association, also of new constitution; clusters/districts, Universities, public and private research centres, science parks, innovation centres, associations.
Through Axis 2, SO 2.1 will be directed towards sustaining the following initiatives:
• cross-border services related to diagnostics, the commercial positioning of products, the compilation of business plans, the creation of tools to enhance the commercial area of SMEs e.g. E-invoicing, tracking, e-tendering, etc.;
• creation and strengthening of co-working spaces, fab-lab and other forms of social innovation in support of new and old enterprises;
• aids for the start of “innovative start-ups”.
Under Priority Axis 2, pertaining the OS 2.1, 2 projects have been financed through Public Notice 1/2016, namely
Thematic Objective 8:
Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility
Investment Priority 8.e):
Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting workers’ mobility via the integration of cross-border job markets, including cross-border mobility, joint local initiatives in favour of employment, information and consultancy services and joint training
Specific Objective 2.2:
To promote the mobility of the workers in the cross border area through the creation of operative networks
Expected Result:
increased number of employed people participating in cross-border mobility initiatives
Beneficiaries:
national and regional research institutes; public administrations; schools of higher education (technical high schools); businesses, also newly established ones; consortia and associations of SMEs, industrial and technological districts
With specific reference to the mobility of workers in the fields of environmental protection and the quality of life and health of citizens, the program will support initiatives to:
• finance the strengthening/creation of cross-border consultancy centers to support cross-border mobility and job searching via the provision of joint services (information, coaching, tutoring, crossborder job fairs, the creation of platforms and web devices, etc) to meet the demand and supply of labor;
• implement pilot actions for cooperation between centers for orientation employment in Sicily and Malta for the establishment of joint protocols;
• creating networks between Sicilian and Maltese schools and institutions of technical and professional training (e.g. Activating internship of young people and high school graduates, disbursement vouchers etc.).
Under Priority Axis 2, SO 2.2, 1 project has been financed through Public Notice 1/2016
and 3 projects have been financed through Public Notice 2/2019