The city of Reggio Emilia has been protagonist at international level on the occasion of the final event of the project “Compete In – competitive territories through internationalization: the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in globalized regions”, financed by the European Union through the Interreg Europe program with 1.4 million euros, and aimed at the development and internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises and the territories in which they operate.

The final webinar of the project took place on December 16, and it can bee seen on the Compete In Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/competein

The event has been organized by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, project Lead Partner, in collaboration with E35 Foundation.

The event was attended by representatives of project’s international partnership: Municipality of Gavle (Sweden), Agency for Entrepreneurship and Development of Upper Silesia and the Wielkopolska Region (Poland), the Institute for Business and Competitiveness of Valencia (Spain), the Leeds Beckett University (UK) and Art-ER Territorial Attractiveness (in house company of the Emilia-Romagna Region).

“Compete In project – said the Deputy Major for Welfare and Economic Development Daniele Marchi – confirmed the centrality of the Reggiane Innovation Park as a strategic hub for our city and for the economic system of Reggio Emilia. The project has given rise to exchanges of experiences which in the last years have produced new opportunities for our territory. On 16 December we have presented the results that have led us to a strategic positioning in terms of internationalization and attractiveness, offering new work trajectories for the future “.

The aim of the final event was to share the actions and activities implemented by the various European partners, to disseminate main results and successes that emerged in terms of “lessons learned” for the definition of new policies. The meeting was also an opportunity to share the main European perspectives on the role of regional policies for internationalization and the attractiveness of territories and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Compete In project, conceived and coordinated by the Research, Innovation and Internationalization Unit of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, which operates at the Reggiane Innovation Park, is aimed at strengthening local policies to support the internationalization of SMEs through the construction of paths that involve the main actors of the entire territorial system: not only individual companies, but also public bodies, universities and centers for research and innovation, trade associations, chambers of commerce, etc.

The project is based on a new way of approaching internationalization, leveraging on institutional international relations that cities and regions already possess. In this sense, internationalization can be conceived as a way to boost territories, attract investments and create international partnerships.

At local level, the project is implemented through the Local Stakeholder Group consisting of: E35 Foundation, Reggio Emilia Chamber of Commerce, Cna Reggio Emilia, Legacoop Emilia Ovest, Unindustria Reggio Emilia, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Children srl, Crpa , REI Fondation, Stu Reggiane.