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http://www.smetrai.net/ STATUS: 3 year‘ s project (Oct. 2008 - Sept2011), monitored by WIFI, Austria, financed and audited by LdV, Austria. Objectives: Promoting and supporting entrepreneurship and SMEs is a political priority in all European member states and also of the European Commission DG Enterprise & Industry. There is no structured and holistic support provided to still young but already established SMEs (i.e. entrepreneurs already operating since more than 2 years), whose businesses develop successfully and would have the potential of growth. This often does not happen as for the growth stage specific skills are required, which is the case especially in the services sector. ICPE has started to progressively build the stakeholder network in the framework of this project in Slovenia by fostering the dialogue between European young businesses/ SMEs operating especially in the services sector. In the future the European guidance / reference and training providers will be available in order to improve the current training and support structures to the target group of young businesses and SMEs. With the approval of the lead partner of WIFI ICPE focuses on the support to franchise businesses, which was agree upon at the kick-off meeting in Vienna last November. Products: 1. Final research report summarising the results of key national studies on SME support 2. Summary of good practices in training and support for growing SMEs 3. Concept defining methods, approaches and structures to cope with the identified sector-specific/ country-specific needs (summarising the results obtained by the national workshops and working groups in national languages and translated into English) 4. Conference handbook / compendium, summarising the results of the first conference, including the results of the research on training and support structures for SMEs, the identified best practices at national level and their transferability. 5. Final conference handbook/ compendium which summarises the main results of the final conference such as working group results about current sector-specific challenges at national and European level and strategies to cope with these, good/ best practice examples in the different European countries and strategies how these best practices could be transferred into other European countries. So far No. 1 and 2 have been completed. ICPE was assigned the tasks of developing and communicating the methodology of the research that included identifying and researching best practices in individual VET sectors and in VET in general. The key parts of the research study mentioned under point include o mapping the franchise development activities in Slovenia o analysis of such activities and recommendations to improve them o presentation cases of good practices especaially in the area of service franchising, where a condensed know-how and technology transfers are used See the enclosed table of contents of the research which covers 165 single spaced pages (Annex 2) Activities in 2009 a) The fist workshop of two national workshop was organized in cooperation with the American Department of Commerce / the Embassy of the US in Slovenia and the Slovenian Franchise Association / Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia with the support of the European Franchise Federation attracted three key target groups: b) the existing and would be franchisors c) would be franchisees d) some major stake holders in SME development who dispose with major understanding on the role of franchising in SME development were also included The target groups b) and c) were involved as the real and potential players in the franchise industry – with their interest in functioning in the healthy economic and social environment suitable for growth of franchising. The target group d) extended their support and presented their experience which will be further examined at the second ICPE workshop which is scheduled for November 25, 2009 after the consultation at the Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia on the same day. At the project meeting in Izmir the specific components of the workshop 2 emerging out of workshop 1 will be presented and discussed with other partners. The major parties in the workshop will be again all three target groups, while the major goal for the last target group that will have a special session this subject will be the key parameters of the strategy in using franchising as a tool for SME development on the national level. The following two important achievements of the first workshop have been a) participation of a project member of the Mediterranean project on Women and franchising as tool for SME development in our Workshop No.1 which is implemented by the Regional Chamber of Economy of Ljubljana, and b) an invitation of the national Centre for vocational education to the coordinator of the project Mr. I Pavlin to introduce the topic of franchising as a tool for SME development in the face of the economic crisis to a group of 30 trainers in the Slovenian VET institutions. The Workshop on this subject was organized at the Centre for Business Education of the Chamber of Economy and the third one at the Chamber of Economy in Maribor. The following institutions have been invited expected to contribute to the ICPE project, and participate in the second ICPE workshop mentioned above a. JAPTI - Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments b. Chamber of crafts and small business c. Gea College for Entrepreneurship d. Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia e. Slovenian Franchise Association - SFA f. CEED Slovenia: Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development g. Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology h. Economic Business Faculty, University of Maribor i. Entrepreneur (Podjetnik), journal, monthly Other activities in 2010 and 2011 2 conferences on SME support, one in Lahti, FL and another in Warsaw, Poland in addition to two project team workshops Annex 1 ADDRESSES OF PROJECT PARTNERS Contact person at the lead partner Name: Adriana Gluhak Adress: Wiedner Haupstraße 63 Vienna AT-Österreich Telefon: +49 (0)89 3270 5668 Fax: +49 (0)89 3270 5669 E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Partner 1 Name: International centre for promotion of enterprises - ICPE Region: Slovenija Land: SL-Slowenien Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage http://www.icpe.si Partner 2 Name: ABIGEM Region: Izmir Land: TR-Türkei Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage Partner 3 Name: The Centre for Development Programs EMI-ECO Region: Eesti - Tallinn Land: EE-Estland Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage http://www.emieco.ee Partner 4 Name: Consortium Employment and Environment Region: Lazio - Rome Land: IT-Italien Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage http://www.galileo.it Partner 5 Name: Lahti University of Applied Sciences Region: Väli-Suomi Land: FI-Finnland Organisationstyp: Universität/ Fachhochschule/Akademie Partner 6 Name: Hamburg Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses Region: Hamburg Land: DE-Deutschland Organisationstyp: Kammer Homepage http://www.hwk-hamburg.de Partner 7 Name: Ami-Foundation, Amiedu Region: Väli-Suomi Land: FI-Finnland Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage Partner 8 Name: EMC European Management Centre Region: Sofia Stolitsa Land: BG-Bulgarien Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage http://www.emc-bg.org Partner 9 Name: Edupoli Region: Väli-Suomi Land: FI-Finnland Organisationstyp: Weiterbildungseinrichtung Homepage Partner 10 Name: POLISH CRAFT ASSOCIATION Region: Warminsko Mazurskie - Warszawa Land: PL-Polen Organisationstyp: Gewerkschaftsorganisation Homepage http://www.zrp.pl Partner 11 Name: Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Presov Regional Chamber Region: Prešov Land: SK-Slowakei Organisationstyp: Kammer Homepage http://www.po.sopk.sk Annex 2 ICPE Desk research for the project »SME-TraiNet« - Slovenia Table of contents II. Introductory marking the framework for entrepreneurship in Slovenia a. Legal framework for entrepreneurship in Slovenia b. Entrepreneurship in Slovenia (GEM study, M Rebernik, P Tominc, K Pušnik) c. The national occupational qualifications and current education and training arrangement in Slovenia (S. & I. Pavlin) III. Focus on franchising – existing researches on the subject a. Franchising in Slovenia (I Pavlin) b. Franchising and entrepreneurship development (I Pavlin) c. Entrepreneurial Transformation: Conversion of a voluntary chain into franchise operation in Slovenia (I Pavlin) d. Proposal of a training course on franchising for potential franchisees/franchisors IV. Institutions on the national level involved in the VET supporting young businsesses (chapters prepared by I Pavlin and M Bizajl) a. JAPTI - Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments b. JAPTI Entrepreneurial portal c. Chamber of crafts and small business d. Gea College for Entrepreneurship e. CEED Slovenia: Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development f. International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) V. Entrepreneurship press and entrepreneurship promotion activities (chapters prepared by I Pavlin and M Bizajl) a. Entrepreneur (Podjetnik), journal, monthly b. PODIM - Annual international conference on entrepreneurship and innovation c. International Trade Fair, Celje, MOS – focus on SMEs d. Gazelles VI. Research on the franchising as a tool for SME development a. Survey of the development of selected companies through franchising (I Pavlin, M Bizajl) b. Interview with the franchisor Bushi (children items) c. Comparative study of Linea Snella and Hipoxi-Aktivita VII. Annexes a. The total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) b. Statement on the financial crisis 
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