CHAMBER OF ARKADIA

Their core work

The Chamber of Arkadia is a regional chamber of commerce in the Peloponnese, Greece, that serves as a local node in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). Their core function is helping Greek SMEs access EU innovation support instruments — particularly the SME Instrument and Fast Track to Innovation. They provide innovation management advisory services and Key Account Management (KAM) to guide small businesses through the process of applying for and benefiting from EU funding programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2016), the Chamber focused on building foundational innovation management capacity and establishing its EEN role, with emphasis on Key Account Management services. From 2019 onward, their scope broadened noticeably to include promotion of specific EU instruments — SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation, and FET-Open — suggesting a shift from general advisory toward targeted instrument matchmaking. The progression shows a maturing EEN node moving from capacity-building to active deal-making for SMEs.

They are evolving from general innovation advice toward targeted brokering between SMEs and specific EU funding instruments, making them increasingly useful as a regional gateway for businesses seeking EU support.

How they like to work

The Chamber of Arkadia exclusively participates as a partner — never as coordinator — within what appears to be a recurring Greek national EEN consortium of around 12 partners. Their collaboration pattern is highly stable: the same consortium structure repeated across four successive grant agreements. This suggests a reliable, low-risk partner that fulfils its regional mandate within a well-established national network, rather than an organization that actively seeks new or diverse partnerships.

Their network consists of approximately 12 partners within a single country (Greece), reflecting a nationally-oriented EEN consortium structure. There is no evidence of direct international consortium-building beyond this domestic network.

What sets them apart

As a regional chamber in the Peloponnese, they offer ground-level access to SMEs in a less industrialised part of Greece that larger innovation agencies may not reach effectively. For anyone looking to engage Greek SMEs in the Arkadia region — whether for technology transfer, pilot testing, or market validation — this chamber is the established institutional contact point. Their value lies in local trust and networks rather than technical depth.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ENHANCEMENT 2015-16
  The founding project that established the Chamber's role in the Greek EEN, building initial innovation management capacity from scratch.
• Enhancement SGA4
  The most recent and broadest iteration, covering SME Instrument, FTI, and FET-Open — showing the fullest scope of their advisory services.