Baltic States – CIS, Education and Science, Estonia, Financial Services, Good for Business, Markets and Companies, Russia

The project will encourage and support business start-ups which are using cultural heritage in their high-quality products to increase the competitiveness and entrepreneurial spirit among the artisans and craftsmen of Voru County and the Pskov region, spokespeople for the Voru county government said.

The specific objectives of the project are to increase the competitiveness of border areas and entrepreneurial culture among artisans and craftsmen, preserve local culture heritage and present it in useful products, as well as improve the entrepreneurial environment.

The beneficiaries of the project are foremost young starting or active entrepreneurs who need additional support in developing their business and creative activity. As part of the project, a former workshop building next to a school in Voru's city center will be transformed into well-established facility for creative artisans, offering facilities such as a felting room, a room for pottery works and ceramics, a sewing studio for clothing designers, as well as space for visual and graphic design, the project's website says.  

The plan of activities also includes training programs for the target group as well as learning trips to Estonia and Pskov. 

The lead beneficiary of the project is the city of Voru. The partners are the Pskov Business Incubator and Pskov State University, while associated partners include the Development Center of Voru County, Voru Institute, and the Voru Gumnaasium high school.

The total cost of the project is 522,500 euros, of which co-financing makes up 470,250 euros. Activities in the city of Voru stand to get altogether 275,082 euros, and the duration of the project is 27 months.

The project is co-financed by the Estonia-Russia Cross-Border Cooperation Program.

The Estonia-Russia CBC Program 2014-2020 aims to foster cross-border cooperation across the borders between the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation.