March 19 (SeeNews) - Serbia's development agency RAS said on Monday it plans to launch a pilot start-up acceleration project this spring to improve the access of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to sources of financing.
The main objective of the project is to introduce appropriate public policy instruments, develop practical solutions and implement strategic frameworks to support the development of accelerators, RAS said in a statement.
The programme targets innovative micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Serbia which have limited access to capital, especially in the early stages of development.
An important target group of the project are also business support organisations, which will provide new and improved acceleration services, the government agency said.
The development agency started implementing the project "Developing accelerators to provide better access to innovation finance for SMEs", which is part of the Danube Transnational Programme (DTP), in January 2017.
The objective of the project is to enhance access to innovation finance through improving the institutional framework conditions and related policy instruments by developing the practical solution of acceleration services and influencing the concerned strategic framework at partner’s regions and programme level.
DTP is part of Interreg, one of the cohesion policy instruments of the European Union (EU), and intends to develop coordinated policies and actions for innovation, energy, environmental, cultural and social responsibility in the Danube region. All countries in Southeast Europe (SEE) participate in the programme.