In an increasingly competitive economic environment, a company’s development no longer depends solely on the quality of its products or services. Access to new markets, the implementation of digital technologies, and sustainable business models are becoming increasingly important. Therefore, actively seeking support opportunities is becoming a strategic advantage rather than merely an additional opportunity.
One of the instruments offering a genuine opportunity for such development is the Scaling the Regions (RESCALE) project, which builds on the traditional approach to business support by offering a consistent development model. The project begins with an analysis of the actual needs of each company and gradually moves towards capacity building, access to new markets, international partnerships, personalised expert services, and support for joint innovation between companies from Bulgaria and Serbia. In this way, companies are given the opportunity not only to participate in individual initiatives, but also to follow a comprehensive growth strategy.
The focus is on four areas that define business competitiveness today – internationalisation, digitalisation, the green economy, and tourism. Whether a company is looking for new export markets, planning a digital transformation, working to improve resource efficiency, or developing tourism services, RESCALE provides practical tools and expert support to help achieve these goals.
An additional value of the project lies in its analytical component, which will be implemented together with the World Bank and will focus on studying economic trends, value chains, and opportunities for business development in the cross-border region.
The project will be implemented through six consecutive stages. In the initial stage, up to 100 companies from Bulgaria and 100 companies from Serbia will participate, with opportunities to take part in international exhibitions, trade missions, business delegations, and to receive specialised support for the development of innovative products and solutions.
Companies that actively pursue development opportunities and make use of available European support instruments are better positioned to build competitive advantages and establish a sustainable presence both in the Bulgarian market and internationally.
*The project is implemented by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), together with its Serbian partners, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Science Technology Park Niš, under the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027, co-funded by the European Union.
