As part of the project Regional growth through rural and economic development – ReGERD Agency for Cooperation, Education and Development – ACED Banja Luka has successfully implemented the survey of over 300 companies from the key sectors identified in the municipalities of Gradiska , Kozarska Dubica , Laktasi and Srbac.
ReGERD project is funded by the EU and implemented by the Agency for Cooperation , Education and Development – ACED , Banja Luka , together with its partners : the Municipality of the region Sava Garden ( municipalities Gradiska , Kozarska Dubica , Laktasi, Srbac ) Local Development Agency of Kozarska Dubica , Local Action Group – LAG Savus and entrepreneurial University Center Banja Luka . Support was provided by the survey process and the German Society for International Cooperation ( Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ GmbH ).
The project started with the implementation of the first of January 2014, and in the next two years the project will strive to encourage and facilitate cooperation between the private and public sectors, as well as to encourage and improve the economic activity of small and medium-sized enterprises target region (municipalities Gradiska, Kozarska Dubica, Laktasi and Srbac). The total value of the project is ReGERD 1,168,878 KM, of which 84% provided by the European Commission, and the remaining 16% of ACED and other partners in the project. One of the key activities of the project is the establishment of sustainable Center for Economic and Rural Development (CERD), which will serve the region, and beyond, as a one-stop-shop for business development, innovation and attracting investment to the local entrepreneurial initiatives. Within CERD will develop and offer a full range of business services for SMEs with potential or already focused activities on growth and development. Special attention will be given to SMEs in the field of agriculture, food and other key rural economic activities.
Some of the services will CERD offer SMEs are : promotion of innovation and new technologies , product development , support for the introduction of quality standards , support in the business , financial and export planning , business connections with the market actors , connecting with Financial Institutions , branding , provision of advisory services and different types of education for which it is established that there is a need .
In order to identify the real needs of business entities for the services of CERD , the necessary forms of support as well as the opinions and positions of economic entities in terms of changes in local economic policies implemented mentioned survey on a sample of over 300 economic entities operating in the territory of 4 municipalities.
The research included issues relating to the current status and development plans of the company , the degree of satisfaction of local labor administration , the general economic environment that is present in the territory of each of the municipalities, the greatest problems that the economic operators are facing in business , as well as issues of development policies can improve the current situation in the public and private sectors .
Agency for Cooperation , Education and Development – ACED Banja Luka , together with its partners , by the end of the year plans to bring together interested economic operators from the area of 4 municipalities , in order to presented the results of the research and the mutual dialogue with all stakeholders and project participants have defined the most effective forms of support to SMEs , which would be supported by follow-up activities on the implementation of ReGERD project .