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FIN-URB-ACT kick-off conference in Aachen (D)

Edited on

23 January 2009
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The FIN-URB-ACT network was having its kick-off meeting on 21 to 23 January 2009. Under the titel "Join forces in favour of SMEs-Partnership for fostering and financing local enterprises" the FIN-URB-ACT  project invited European, regional and local key actors with political, administrative and economic background to jointly discuss strategies and measures to strenghten the existing potentials of the inovative enterprises and to implement their access to financial sources. 

Support structures for the local economy are not only addressed by European and national actors in times of financial crisis but are permanent topics asking for long-term partnership especially on local level.

In many European  cities and also higher administrative levels various stakeholders are actively supporting their local innovative enterprises and start-ups - especially to ease their access to finance. In some cases these support efforts already became coordinated structures and integrated approaches. But this is by far not praxis in all European cities and there remains strong demand to strengthen the existing offers.

The European network "FIN-URB-ACT - Integrated urban actions for fostering and financing inno´vative economies and SMEs" will - within a partnership of 11 European cities - elaborate strategies during the next 2,5 years on how to facilitate and foster access to finance for innovative SMEs and start-ups. Special focus will be laid on the role the cities might take over in this framework.

Mare information about the kick-off meeting in Aachen, agenda, participant list and presentations can be found under the section events. The thematic paper of the meeting are available inthe outputs section for download.