The border area in both countries, Greece and Bulgaria, is often characterized by difficulties in access to finance, limited access to the know-how of businesses, weak formal and informal access to mainstream information, lack of support services for the development of competitive products/services, insufficient development of human resources and skills and a poor performance in internationalization.
The CO-WORKING project aspires to overturn these facts by creating an innovative ecosystem in the cross-border region between Greece and Bulgaria, aiming to encourage business creation. The implementation of the system is based on the establishment of two support mechanisms for the pre-incubation of businesses based in the two countries respectively.
The project aims at accelerating early-stage teams to develop a business idea under real-life conditions, before taking an entrepreneurial risk, with the goal to transform initial ideas into viable proposals that go beyond the so-called “valley of death”.
The border area in both countries, Greece and Bulgaria, is often characterized by difficulties in access to finance, limited access to the know-how of businesses, weak formal and informal access to mainstream information, lack of support services for the development of competitive products/services, insufficient development of human resources and skills and a poor performance in internationalization.
The CO-WORKING project aspires to overturn these facts by creating an innovative ecosystem in the cross-border region between Greece and Bulgaria, aiming to encourage business creation. The implementation of the system is based on the establishment of two support mechanisms for the pre-incubation of businesses based in the two countries respectively.
The project aims at accelerating early-stage teams to develop a business idea under real-life conditions, before taking an entrepreneurial risk, with the goal to transform initial ideas into viable proposals that go beyond the so-called “valley of death”.
Alexander Innovation Zone SA (Head Partner)
The Head Partner of CO-WORKING is the Alexander Innovation Zone SA, the entity that has undertaken the management and development of the Innovation Zone of Thessaloniki. The role of AZK is to strengthen and promote innovation in the wider area of Thessaloniki, with emphasis on purposes of public interest. The Alexander Innovation Zone SA has the necessary experience, know-how and capacity in the planning, management and coordination of EU-funded projects as it has participated in many EU-funded projects under INTERREG.
Website: https://www.thessinnozone.gr/
Special Account for Research Funds of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Special Account for Research Funds (SARF) is the university body created to meet the specific needs of the research activity of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. More specifically SARF facilitates the distinction between teaching work and the allocation of external funding for the management of research and research-related activities. It boasts experienced researchers and academics, experts in economics, development, business etc. The staff of the department has participated in several EU-funded projects such as INTERREG A, B, and C, ESPON, INTERACT, FP, HORIZON etc.
Website: https://www.auth.gr/en/rc-en/
Greece and Bulgaria, two neighboring countries with a rich past, since the end of the 1990s have entered an era of closer co-operation, due to the INTERREG Programme “Greece-Bulgaria”.
The main idea behind “INTERREG” is that countries have issues which can be better solved if they work together with their neighbors than if each one remains confined within its borders. So for this reason, in our Programme we promote activities that bring our people closer.
The Cooperation Programme “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020” was approved by the European Commission on 09/09/2015 by Decision C(2015)6283.
Del. 4.2.1_Bootcamp _ Lean Startup.zip
This webpage has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.
The contents of the webpage are sole responsibility of Alexander Innovation Zone SA and can in no way be taken
to reflect the views of the European Union, the participating countries, the Managing Authority, and the Joint Secretariat.