TourINN-Act
TourINN-Act tackled the post-pandemic recovery of the tourism sector by offering over 90 ready-to-deploy digital and sustainable solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe.
Regional Impact
The project targets three transition regions: Western Macedonia (Greece), Centru (Romania), and Southeastern Bulgaria. These areas face the dual challenge of economic restructuring and fossil fuel phase-out.
COALition strengthens local ecosystems, builds capacity, and helps secure funding, laying the foundation for sustainable growth and job creation in emerging sectors like renewables, hydrogen, and energy efficiency.
Market Context
Coal regions across Europe are under pressure to phase out fossil fuels while preserving economic stability.
Despite their challenges, they also present major opportunities — with estimates of up to 314,000 jobs created through clean energy investments by 2030.
EU policies like the Green Deal, Just Transition Fund, and Hydrogen Strategy support this shift, yet local coordination, strategic planning, and skills development remain key barriers.
Beneficiary
Primary beneficiaries include workers in coal-related industries, regional and local authorities, innovation ecosystem stakeholders, academic institutions, and SMEs in the energy and tech sectors.
Broader beneficiaries include residents of transition regions, future investors, and the extended EU innovation community focused on clean energy and climate neutrality.
Stakeholder Network
COALition is implemented by a diverse consortium of partners from Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria, including public institutions, universities, regional agencies, private companies, and NGOs.
Key members include CERTH (leader), Iceberg Plus, UMFST Târgu Mureș, Sofia University, Mureș County Council, Stara Zagora REDA, and many more.
Helping 60+ Tourism SMEs go digital with €600,000 funding from EU
Through a dedicated matchmaking platform and €10,000 innovation vouchers per SME, the project enabled fast-track digitalization and adoption of green technologies.
SMEs accessed curated solutions such as e-commerce platforms, renewable energy integration, and smart tourism tools.
Regional Impact
TourINN-Act directly supported 60+ SMEs in 6 countries: Italy, Spain, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, and Portugal. The initiative helped reduce digital disparity across regions by empowering local tourism businesses to embrace innovation.
With regional training, testing, and funding mechanisms, the project contributed to a more resilient and connected European tourism ecosystem.
Market Context
Emerging from the shadow of COVID-19, tourism SMEs faced limited access to innovation and heightened pressure to go digital. TourINN-Act was designed as a response to these systemic vulnerabilities—offering structured support to accelerate green and digital transformation.
The program aligned with EU priorities for tourism recovery and sustainability under the COSME framework.
Beneficiary
- Primary beneficiaries were European tourism SMEs—particularly accommodation providers and tourism intermediaries—seeking to digitalize operations and improve sustainability.
- Participating companies received technical guidance, financial support, and access to a pan-European solution marketplace tailored to their needs.
Stakeholder Network
TourINN-Act was delivered by a transnational consortium of 6 partners. Iceberg+ led the effort in offering innovation services and funding support for SMEs. Through its expertise in EU financing mechanisms and innovation programs, Iceberg+ coordinated the matchmaking and funding operations, helping more than 60 SMEs access digital solutions via €10,000 innovation vouchers.
The project also included partners such as KiNNO (GR), UpProject (IT), JO Group (IT), Eurosuccess Consulting (CY), and Brașov Municipality (RO), along with over 40 solution providers.
Results
2021
Research & stakeholder engagement with 100+ SMEs across Europe
2022
Open call launched; 40+ providers and 90+ digital solutions onboarded
2023
€600,000 in vouchers allocated, training modules launched
2024
Implementation phase: SMEs deploy solutions, digital ecosystem operationalized
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