From 2 to 4 July 2025, the first meeting of partners on the project Enhancing policy instruments fostering innovation-oriented business cooperation of rural SMEs (InnoCoop) was held in Kaposvár (Hungary), which is implemented within the framework of the Interg Europe programme.

The meeting was hosted by the Somogyi County Entrepreneurship Center Foundation, the lead partner of the project, with the support of CROST Nonprofit Ltd. as a project partner.

The meeting was attended by representatives of partner organizations from six European countries – Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Poland – including the Regional Development Agency of Bačka as a partner from Serbia. In addition, the meeting was also joined by representatives of relevant stakeholders from Serbia – the Regional Development Agency of Belgrade and the Regional Development Agency of Zlatibor.

The attendees were greeted by Tímea Kárpáty, Deputy Mayor of Kaposvár, welcoming the partners and emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in the field of innovation in rural areas. During the first day, the InnoCoop project was presented, including all planned activities and objectives, and each partner had the opportunity to present their organization and contribution to the project.

Particularly interesting was the presentation of the city of Kaposvár on investment promotion activities, as well as the presentation of the “B Light” project, which is implemented within the framework of the Hungary-Croatia cross-border cooperation program, and aims to support the innovative development of the SME sector in border regions. The project was presented by Márton Szűcs, Head of the Secretariat, while György Márton, Director of CROST, shared the experiences and results of the project during the previous programming period 2014–2020.

The second and third days of the meeting were dedicated to visiting examples of good practice in Somogy County. The participants visited the Barc and Surrounding Entrepreneurs Association, as well as the company Szige-Mix Ltd. (Barcs) and Büttner Ltd. (Nagytád). They also visited the Star Park – Zselíci Csillagpark in Zselíci Szentpál, as well as Katica Tanya – a family activity center in Patca, which stands out for its values ​​of sustainable development and environmental care. At the end of the visit, the innovative wine brand Balaton Bor, created as a result of cooperation between local winemakers in the Balatonlelle region, was presented.

During the three-day program, partners had the opportunity to learn about a number of potentially transferable examples of good practices that can contribute to strengthening innovation in rural areas and which will be further analyzed within the project.

The objective of the InnoCoop project is to develop and improve public policies that encourage innovative cooperation between SMEs in rural areas. The project aims to identify and exchange good practices in this area, with a focus on international cooperation and strengthening the competitiveness of rural economies.

More information about the project:

InnoCoop