Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)
IPA Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme in Croatia
The Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme supports small and medium enterprises, and helps to improve economic conditions in Croatia's less developed regions. IPA funds support business services, strategic cooperation between companies, strengthening of entrepreneurial skills in academia, business and investment, and business-related infrastructure.
1. Priorities and Measures
Priority 1: Improvement development potential of lagging behind regions. This priority targets ten counties that are relatively less economically developed than the rest of the country.
The measure 1.1 Business Related Infrastructure aupports setting-up and expanding small enterprises by providing quality business infrastructure.
Priority 2: Enhancing the competitiveness of the Croatian economy. This priority aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Croatian overall economy and in particular to enhance growth of SMEs.
Under the measure 2.1 Improvement of business climate assistance focuses on assuring that quality business advisory services are more accessible to SMEs, improving business and investment climate, encouraging cooperation between businesses through development of clusters, and on developing e-business.
Measure 2.2 Technology transfer and support services for knowledge-based start-ups supports cooperation of business and education and research sectors and encourages technology transfer.
Priority 3: Technical Assistance. This priority aims at ensuring sound and efficient implementation of the programme, by providing support in areas of programme management, monitoring, evaluation, control and communication, as well as helping to prepare sectoral studies and the development of new projects.
2. Financial Table
| Priority | IPA Contribution | National co-financing | Total funding | Co-financing rate |
| (a) | (b) | (c) = (a) + (b) | (d) = (a)/(c) | |
| Priority 1 – Improving the development potential of lagging behind regions | 19,823,500 | 3,498,268 | 23,321,768 | 85 % |
| Priority 2 – Enhancing the competitiveness of Croatian economy | 38,903,500 | 6,865,326 | 45,768,826 | 85 % |
| Priority 3 - Technical Assistance | 5,222,750 | 921,664 | 6,144,414 | 85 % |
| Total (2007-2011) | 63,949,750 | 11,285,258 | 75,235,008 | 85 % |
3. Major Projects
Biosciences technology commercialisation and incubation centre (BioCenter). The centre, established on the campus of the University of Zagreb, facilitates cooperation between the university and the world of industry. Students and researchers are trained for careers in industry or in business as company managers (EU contribution EUR 14 million).
4. Contact & Links
• Operating Structure
Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
Ulica grada Vukovara 78
10 000 Zagreb
www.regionalna-konkurentnost.hr