GROW RUP

The outermost regions (ORs) have to deal with a number of difficulties related to their geographical characteristics, such as remoteness, insularity, small size, climate, which have usually acted as a constraint on their development. In addition to these structural features, the economic crisis from which Europe has suffered in the last years has further jeopardised their economic growth. GROW RUP fits in this framework in two ways:

• boosting SMEs competitiveness and entrepreneurship and targeting long-term unemployed people in the ORs
• supporting green and blue growth with a view to deliver more resource efficient and sustainable economy activities in those territories

The project will allow partner organisations to exchange experiences, practices and ideas among them, as well as with relevant stakeholders, and thereby find solutions to improve their regional approaches. 

What we will do?

Interregional learning process

A key element of the project are interregional site visits, where project partners share strategies and experiences on specific themes and brainstorm with policy-makers and stakeholders to select a number of best practices.  Following interregional site visits, partner regions organise workshops for organisation staff and local stakeholders to present to the results of the site visits, validate the best practices selected and develop guidelines for the drafting of the action plans. GROW RUP learning process is conducted during 2017-2019, after which the findings are collected, analysed and compiled into regional action plans and into the GROW RUP compendium.

Follow-up process

GROW RUP is about working together across borders and organisations, with the support of stakeholders, to find the best solutions for regional business creation and growth In 2019-2021 GROW RUP will move from learning to implementation. Regional actions plans are put into practice and their progress is closely monitored.  Project recommendations and results will be widely disseminated to the other ORs not involved as partners in the project, as well as other EU regions to provide them with the chance to take and replicate the lessons learnt.