Regional Analyses

This accompanying evaluation of the implementation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-20 in Austria involves a consortium of six partners, and applies a broad evaluation design.

From the variety of methodologies applied in this evaluation, the Austrian Institute for SME Research implements, apart from some qualitative analyses, a conditional difference-in-difference to investigate the impact of ERDF subsidies on enterprises.

The private corporate sector as well as the institutional framework conditions for entrepreneurial activities are still underdeveloped in Kosovo. The project “Market Access and Business Development Services for Kosovo Companies” financed by the Austrian Development Agency aims at improving these conditions. A set of measures will be developed that are directed at improving the access to regional as well as national markets for SMEs in Kosovo and that will improve the access and the quality of support and consulting Services for these enterprises. Also, in the course of the Project the institutional capacities of funding agencies and associations will be strengthened. The Austrian Institute for SME Research supports the project with analyses as well as the design of the intervention and monitoring.

The Austrian Institute for SME Research has provided assistance to the government of Upper Austria in redesigning their labour market strategy with a focus on supply of skilled labour. This includes an analysis of the regional labour market (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats); the development of possible future scenarios, a system of strategic objectives and an impact model of the strategy; the definition of corresponding indicators; and the development and testing of a monitoring system.

This evaluation aims to analyse the portfolio of Upper Austria’s funding and support measures provided to companies. At the centre of this exercise is the analysis of the interplay of different measures with regard to their conceptual and design-based orientation towards additionality and broadness/specificity. Based on the results, the evaluation will develop recommendations for the client’s future funding and support policies after 2020.

This research project analyses territorial patterns and performance of SMEs in Europe and investigates factors and driving forces for SME development at regional level. To this end the research utilizes comprehensive statistical data as well as in-depth case studies of diverse territories in the EU. The study then looks at what can be learned in terms of effective territorial strategies fostering SMEs in different types of regions.

This study aims to develop an up-to-date inventory of the ICT sector in Vienna and to identify opportunities to advance the region to an “innovation leader”. Methodologically, the study is based on analyses of secondary statistics, a company survey, expert interviews and interactive methodologies.

As a result, the study produces an assessment of employment, growth and development potentials as well as of the respective economic strengths and competences of the Vienna region’s ICT sector. These are transformed into recommendations for the regional economic policy.

This project analyses and assesses the labour market situation and development (labour demand and supply) at the level of occupations and qualifications in the regions of Upper Austria. This is done based on an in-depth analysis of regionalised labour market and educational data, and regional focus groups. The results serve as a basis for policies and initiatives to improve matching on regional labour markets.

This technical assistance project contributes to the development of the SME sector in Kosovo through a set of specific support actions:
a) strengthening and capacity building of the local SME Support Agency for a more effective SME policy;
b) promoting and professionalising SMEs through a voucher scheme for management consulting Services; and
c) developing a credit guarantee scheme for SMEs to facilitate access to finance.

This study investigated the development prospects of the Salzburg region up to 2025.

Based on comprehensive analyses, key factors influencing the regional economy and relevant trends were identified. This is used to frame different development scenarios for Salzburg. Eventually the main fields of action for government, social partners and other stakeholders are carved out.