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Project

ICTr

ICTr: Innovative participatory sustainable business model for cycling along the Iron Curtain Trail

The project develops an innovative tourism product along the long-distance cycling route that crosses the CE territory from northern PL and DE to HR (9 countries, 3.000 km). The trail bears a significant historical and cultural meaning and overlaps with European Green Belt. The project addresses the lack of innovation capacity, lack of awareness on impacts of tourism and its potential benefits, lack of international cooperation and tailor-made business education. Such challenges affect in particular SMEs and sectoral agencies from regions along ICTr who cannot afford to adopt the needed green and digital solutions. To change this, cooperation is central to creating a joint international innovative ICTr network linked by one product supported by the innovative participatory business model.

This is why working together in an experienced partnership based on the quadruple helix principle will bring global R&I to peripheral CE areas. Establishing this we will strengthen the innovation capacities of SMEs and other stakeholders in the tourism value chain by providing them tailor-made digital solutions and mentoring.

Firstly, we will develop the innovative ICTr international cycling product and participatory business model. We will then work on the development of the impact measurement system and ICTr Good Impact valorisation programme for NGOs. At the end, we will elaborate transferring the solutions to all EuroVelo routes and mainstreaming them.

As a result, SMEs and public organisations will gain innovation competences, start using new tools, improve quality of their offer and enter international markets leading to their improved competitiveness. In 3 years of cooperation, we expect that SMEs, tourism boards, regions and NGOs along the whole ICTr will participate in joint innovation network and successfully minimize negative and stimulate positive tourism impacts to foster overall sustainability appeal and economic prosperity of the territory.

Policy objective: Cooperating for a smarter central Europe (PO1)

Total budget: 2.671.820 EUR

EU Funding: 2.137.456 EUR

The project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE program with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund and the Hungarian State.

Project name: ICTr-CE – “Innnovative participatory sustainable business model for cycling along the Iron Curtain Trail”

Project identification number: CE0100401

Partners:

Westpannon Regional and Economic Development Public Nonprofit Ltd., Lead Partner, Hungary www.westpannon.hu

CROST Regional Development Nonprofit Kft. Hungary

Active Iskriva, Institute for Development of Local Potentials https://www.iskriva.net/

Slovenia https://www.iskriva.net/

University of Primorska Slovenia www.upr.si

Trail Angels GmbH PP Austria www.trail-angels.com

Public benefit company Partnerstvi Czech Republic www.partnerstvi-ops.cz

Marshal’s Office of the West Pomeranian Region www.pot.gov.pl

City of Gdańsk Poland,