The new support for the promotion of the entrepreneurship outside Harjumaa and Tartumaa was opened yesterday

On 29 July, Enterprise Estonia opened the programme from where the support can be applied for the development of competence centres outside Harjumaa and Tartumaa.

Through the competence centres to be created in cooperation with the business, education and local public sector the top-level knowhow can be taken to the districts to promote the existing environment and develop the physical environment needed for that purpose.

"The programmes with similar objectives have for several years have helped to increase the mutual benefit of business, research and education in Tallinn and Tartu. Now the regional colleges of the universities, entrepreneurs and all other promoters of the regions can assemble their forces with the help of the support and find mutually beneficial future solutions," Monica Hankov, the Director of the Business Environment Division of Enterprise Estonia, said.

The support prepared in cooperation with the Minister of Internal Affairs and Enterprise Estonia was created upon the sample of the Nordic countries, where by developing the local preconditions - human and natural resources, infrastructure and knowhow- integrally the outstanding results have been achieved in the social and economic development of the regions.

In the first stage of the support the conceptual designs of the competence centres planned by the end of October this year are expected. The designs can be submitted by the vocational schools and institutions of applied higher education, also research and development institutions, business organisations, foundations and non-profit organisations. The conceptual designs are received and processed by Enterprise Estonia.

As a result of the evaluation of the conceptual designs the potential applicants will be specified. Since 2010 the applicants can apply for the support for training and acquisition of equipment, but also for construction and other activities.

In the frames of the programme co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund up to 300 million kroons will be directed to the development of the competence centres up to the year 2013.

The terms and procedure of the applying, also the information of the information day introducing the programme is available on the website www.eas.ee/kompetentsikeskused.