STeP-IN - Sustainable Textile Cooperation for INnovation is a project funded by EUROCHAMBRE under the EU4B initiative of the European Union that aims at supporting sustainable economic development and job creation in the EaP (Eastern Partnership) countries.
The STeP-IN project is managed by the partner Unioncamere Del Veneto of Italy and the Institute of Regional Development of Lviv, Ukraine, involving local stakeholders, business support organizations and Enterprise Europe Network nodes.
The project intends to help EaP SMEs, belonging to Textile & Creation sector to grow, encouraging the development of cooperation with EU countries; increasing the presence on the markets, developing business relations and encouraging inward investments. STeP-IN project will act also on SMEs to improve the necessary skills and competences to work at best in the international markets and start negotiations with potential partners.
The project will implement a Business-to-Business matchings action, supporting SMEs of T&C sector to develop partnering processes in business and commercial cooperation, technology transfer and innovation and collaboration fostering R&D activities in order to create link and cooperation between EaP and EU SMEs, especially at the “filière” level.
The activities included in Business-to-Business matching action are:
- PREPARATORY PHASE during which participant SMEs will attend mentoring and coaching activities
- B2B MEETING PHASE where SMEs can organise meeting with potential foreign counterparts
- FOLLOW-UP PHASE after B2B organisation for collecting SMEs experience within the project.
