EUROPEAN PROFILES S.A

TITLE OF PROJECT

Technical Assistance to Establish an SME Resource Centre

Country:

Russian Federation

Project Period:

01/1997 -10/2000

Project Value:

€ 1.550.000

No of Staff Provided:

190 Man Months

Origin of Funding:

EU-Tacis

Name of Client/ Beneficiary:

State Committee for Small Business, Ministry of Anti-monopoly

Description of Project:

Establishment of an SME Resource Centre (RC) with the objective to: (a) collect, process and diffuse information and resource material concerning the overall behaviour of the SME sector and (b) analyse matters of key significance to the SME sector and provide policy advice to competent government bodies. Project activities were:

• Setting-up the Resource Centre (definition of legal status, definition of structure and operational rules, drafting of statutes, selection and appointment of the staff, delivery of training and provision of equipment). The RC was established as an independent legal entity with shareholders the main stakeholders in the SMEs sector (Chambers, SMEs Associations, Economic Research Institutions, etc.) and became fully operational during the first three months of the project, with a permanent staff of six.

• Collection of SMEs statistical data, development of statistical SMEs indicators,

• Design and development of four databases with information and resource material concerning the SME sector,

• Elaboration of 6 pilot studies of the SMEs sector, based on field surveys,

• Networking with similar organisations in the NIS and in the EU,

• Organisation of one international, two national and four regional conferences on SMEs

• Publication of promotion and resource material

• Elaboration of a business plan for the future development of the Resource Centre and its promotion to an SME Observatory.

• Training of executives of the Russian Federal Ministry of Antimonopoly and Economy on SMEs taxation issues

The project was selected as Tacis "best practice" example in the SME sector.

Services Provided:

• Institution building,

• Policy advice,

• Sectoral studies,

• Training,

• IT applications

• Procurement of Equipment

Name of Partners:

• Euroconsultants SA, Greece

• London Business School, UK

• Institut für Gewerbe und Handwerksforschung (IfG), Austria