| Brief description | The project supports medium-sized companies in the car and electronic industries to participate in high-technology networks. |
|---|---|
| Region | Internal EU borders |
| Countries | Austria (AT) – Slovakia (SK) |
| Location | AT: Region of Lower Austria
SK: Region of Trnava |
| Type of project partners | Regional government units Chambers, business associations |
| Size (total budget including EU grants) | Over € 500,000 |
| Main themes | Competitiveness, business and SME development, trade and investment |
| Keywords (Types of Activities) | Study visits, exchanges and networking Education and training Research and studies Development or acquisition of software |
| Keywords (Aspects of Good Practice) | Genuine cross-border dimension Innovative Efficient Good dissemination Good sustainability |
| Background and Objectives | The regions of Lower Austria (AT) and Trnava (SK) appeal to global enterprises due to an efficient educational system, outstanding expertise in the field of research, development and innovation, as well as social stability and business friendly fiscal politics. In the past years, location decisions for the establishment of new production sites have increasingly favoured these regions, especially with regard to the car and electronics industry.
A number of entities in these regions – companies, public institutions, employees, citizens, financial services, educational and research establishments face great challenges. Therefore, Lower Austria and Trnava have cooperated under the name of DUO**STARS to realistically and purposefully contribute to the cooperation between these entities. In the medium term these partnerships became the starting point for new approaches and the model to solve problems that arise in the cooperation of small and medium-sized companies, industrial enterprises that operate globally and political decision-making units. The objectives of the project were: Establishing innovative networking facilities |
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| Main activities | The project activities’ included the following:
Establishing and operating a project office – Recruiting networking coaches, making profiles and contact details of selected enterprises available and hosting recurrent cooperation meetings with clusters in Trnava and Lower Austria. |
| Main results | The project, through the real partnership structure it created, achieved to successfully transform the regions of Lower Austria and Trnava into a high-technology cross-border region. As a common denominator both regions aimed to manage change together and thus succeeded to participate in global knowledge-based high technology networks.
With the DUO**STARS Network initiative a new business relationship for industrial companies has been achieved, raising the exposure to global markets resulting in a rise in sales and sharpening of competition. The initiative DUO**STARS Virtual Lab resulted in know-how transfer; an acceleration of build-up and dissemination of expertise in the rapidly evolving high technolgy field. |
| Aspects of good practice | The project has demonstrated good practices across the board; being particularly innovative and with excellent dissemination. Through the real partnership structure it created, it achieved to successfully transform the regions of Lower Austria and Trnava into a high-technology cross-border region. The two initiatives that the project set up, the “DUO**STARS Network” and the “DUO**STARS Virtual Lab”, have ensured a long-term sustanability of benefits to the cross-border region. |
| Start and completion dates: | Octber 2008 – August 2011 |
| More information | http://www.duostars.eu |
| Partner | LOWER AUSTRIA: Dr. Ewald Kloser Commerce of Lower Austria Landsberger Straße 1 A-3100 St. Pölten T 0043 2742 851-19250; 0043 2742 851-19250 Email: industrie.referat4@wknoe.at |
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| Partner | Dr. Christian HELMET STEIN Industrialists Schwarzenberg Platz 4 A-1031 Vienna T 0043 1 71135-2370; 0043 1 71135-2370 Email: c.helmenstein@iv-net.at |
| Partner | Mag Stefan GRATZL Commerce of Lower Austria – Industrial Division Landsberger Straße 1 A-3100 St. Pölten T 0043 2742 851-19240; 0043 2742 851 -19240 Email: industrie.referat4@wknoe.at |
| Partner | Angela FORCE Commerce of Lower Austria – Industrial Division Landsberger Straße 1 A-3100 St. Pölten T 0043 2742 851-19241; 0043 2742 851-19241 Email: industrie.referat4@wknoe.at |
| Partner | Mag Zuzana MICEKOVA Trnavsky samospravny kraj Starohajsky 10 SK-91701 Trnava T 00421 33 55 59 653; 00421 33 55 59 653 Email: micekova.zuzana@trnava-vuc.sk |
| Partner | Ing Oskar Bereck Dolny Bar 30 SK-930 14 Dolny Bar T 00421 55 131 31 05; 00421 55 131 31 05 Email: d.barbereczk@realmail.sk |
