Regional Actions To Innovate Operational Programmes (RATIO)

In the current European context SMEs located far from urban areas meet the challenge not only to grow but also to survive. The improvement of their innovation capacity is essential to promote the regional economical  development. As for rural areas innovation will bring a development possibility, RATIO project focuses its activities on how to make innovation a reality in rural areas and find the way to improve the implementation of regional development policies and programmes (Investment for Growth and Jobs) that support the delivery of innovation. RATIO aims to identify the innovative potential of SMEs and help them to grow through a learning process to implement and manage innovation. 

Covid -19

Following the implementation of the RATIO project, the project partners received approval under the 5th Interreg Europe call for additional activities to jointly seek solutions to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the SME sector in rural areas.

The Covid-19 crisis has hit Europe and the world hard. The Covid-19 pandemic and its constraints have hit hardest in sectors such as tourism, hospitality, retail, cultural and creative industries that have direct contact with customers and audiences. These industries need innovative mechanisms to help them recover, adapt their business to these new changes (consumer behavior, market trends, new ways of working and communicating, health constraints).

Although the country has taken innovative steps to help prevent the crisis, learning from other regions is a great opportunity to help SMEs overcome the crisis caused by the pandemic and innovate.