Region
| Bretagne (FR) | Navarra (ES) | Puglia (IT) |
| Flanders (BE) | Nyugat-Dunantul (HU) | Schleswig-Holstein (DE) |
| Lower Austria (AT, lead partner) | Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur (FR) | Wielkopolska (PL) |
Puglia (IT)
A region in southern Italy lying along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Apulia (Puglia) extends on a surface of 19.363 KM2, has about 4 millions inhabitants an scores a GDP per capita equal to the 73% of the EU27 one.
Apulia is a Convergence region and manages for the period 2007-2013 about 2.7 M€ of the FESR programme and 640 K€ of the FSE programme plus other funds coming from interregional and national programmes.
Among the strengths of the regional productive system is the relatively high productivity of the agricultural sector, a number of sectors (agro-food, sofas, chemicals, non-metallic minerals) which are oriented towards non-local markets, a strong local private entrepreneurial climate (97% of firms are privately owned), and the tourism sector. On the other hand, the region also faces a number of challenges including poorly developed business services, a low rate of development of intermediate industry, the predominance of family-owned small enterprises (95% of firms have less than 20 employees), low rates of exporting firms, and a low level of integration of the agro-food chain. Sectors experiencing difficulties include basic engineering, construction, steel, chemical and textiles.
The regional innovation system comprises four public universities and a private one, about 30 private and public research centers and 30 intermediary organizations.