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Cross-border
economic
development 28 Practical guide : promoting projects
The purpose of the Tandem
project spearheaded by POM
West-Vlaanderen (economic
development agency of the West
Flanders Province) and NFID
(Nord France Innovation and
Development), was to create and
develop “tandems” between French
and Flemish clusters through the
implementation of joint initiatives,
notably in the areas of research and
services.
More details may be found in the factsheet on
the project.
Thematic seminars provide
opportunities to go deeper into
an issue, compare approaches
on either side of the border,
identify the similarities
and advantages of each
system, and find solutions to
incompatibilities.
E x a m p l e :
“Cross-border Project
Café” seminars have been
launched by Start Hop (a French
cooperative based in Strasbourg
and Offenburg that provides advice
on setting-up new businesses).
The seminars bring together
aspiring entrepreneurs and heads
of businesses. Some of the topics
addressed are:
financing; client development;
establishment; web marketing
and social media; creativity
and innovation and student
entrepreneurship.
More details may be found in the factsheet on
the project.
Networking events covering one
or more sectors were organised
between heads of businesses,
academics and researchers as part
of the “Towards Top Technology
Clusters” project financed by the
Euregio Meuse-Rhine programme.
More details may be found in the factsheet on
the project.
Roundtables are events
that provide a company,
research institution, etc. with
an opportunity to present its
objectives, activities and skills to
an audience.
E x a m p l e :
The French-German-Swiss
cluster BioValley organises two-
hour roundtables (Stammtische)
several times a year for groups of
20 to 70 participants.
Matchmaking tools
Matchmaking initiatives (bringing two or more economic players together to create a
partnership) complement the approaches mentioned above, especially for economic players
that wish to bring their cross-border project ideas to fruition.
The aim of mentoring is to
pair economic players together
to enable the transfer of
knowledge. For instance, it is
possible to team up a business
that has already had a cross-
border experience with another
that wishes to embark on one;
or a young entrepreneur on
one side of the border and an
experienced company head on
the other side of the border, etc.
B2B (business to business)
meetings aim to connect two
companies, with the ultimate
aim being the cross-border
exchange of goods and
services.
E x a m p l e s
The CTE GO-KMO (Cross-Border
Centre for Businesses) on the
French-Belgian border organises
“business speed-dating” days for
companies in Flanders, Wallonia,
Brussels and the North of France,
with each B2B meeting lasting
between 20 and 30 minutes. The
last event was in October 2014 -
SYNERGY DAY.
B2B matchmaking sessions
and brokerage workshops to
facilitate relationships between
prospective partners were
organised as part of the “TTC – Top
Technology Clusters” project.
More details may be found in the factsheet on
the project.
Bihartean regularly organises
B2B meetings on different topics:
tourism, innovation, high-tech, etc.
More details may be found in the factsheet on
the project.