"Shartec" aimed at facilitating cross-border cooperation in research and innovation between producers of components for the car, aviation, energy and medical devices industries in north-western Slovenia and north-eastern Italy.

The EUR 5m-worth project which was largely financed with EU funds brought together five partners from Slovenia and Italy, including two universities and two chambers of commerce.

As part of the project, an English-Italian-Slovenian technology dictionary with around 1,000 entries was compiled and a map of technological competences and innovative strategies in the region drafted.

Several workshops were held focussing on know-how in new technologies, mechanisation and development trends. The partners also tried to establish a lasting network of business and research partnerships.

Eighty-five percent of the funds came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Slovenia-Italy 2007-2013 cross-border cooperation programme, with the rest being contributed by the national budget and the partners.

The Soča Valley Development Centre, the leading partner of the project, hopes to further upgrade the Shartec project as part of projects within the EU's new budget for the 2014-2020 period.