CONCENTRO AZIENDA SPECIALE DELLA CAMERA DI COMMERCIO

Their core work

Concentro is the specialized agency of the Pordenone Chamber of Commerce in northeast Italy (Triveneto region), dedicated to helping local SMEs grow through innovation support and access to EU funding. Their core work involves providing key account services to small businesses — guiding them through the H2020 SME Instrument, building their competitiveness, and connecting them with European opportunities. They operate as an intermediary between the EU innovation ecosystem and the regional SME fabric of the Triveneto area (Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Concentro's focus has remained remarkably stable across its entire H2020 participation (2015–2021). The initial MAKEOVER project (2015–2016) established the template — SME innovation support and competitiveness services — and the three successive KAIROS projects (2017–2021) continued and refined exactly the same mission. There is no meaningful thematic shift; rather, this shows a deepening commitment to one specific niche: being the regional gateway for SMEs to access EU innovation funding.

Concentro is a steady-state operator — expect continued focus on regional SME support rather than thematic diversification, making them a reliable long-term partner for SME-facing initiatives in northeast Italy.

How they like to work

Concentro has always participated as a partner, never leading a consortium. With 16 unique partners across 4 projects but collaboration recorded in only 1 country, they appear to work within a stable Italian network — likely a recurring consortium of regional chambers of commerce and enterprise support agencies delivering the same program across iterations. This makes them a dependable, low-risk consortium member for SME support actions, though they are unlikely to drive project design or scientific direction.

Concentro has worked with 16 unique partners, but all collaboration appears concentrated within Italy — likely a network of peer chambers of commerce and enterprise agencies across the Triveneto and broader Italian regions delivering coordinated SME support programs.

What sets them apart

Concentro's value lies in its institutional mandate and direct access to the SME ecosystem of Pordenone and the broader Triveneto region. As a Chamber of Commerce agency, it has a built-in network of local businesses that pure research organizations or consultancies cannot easily replicate. For any consortium needing to reach Italian SMEs — whether for technology adoption, pilot testing, or dissemination — Concentro provides a credible, publicly backed entry point into a specific regional economy.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MAKEOVER
  The founding project (2015–2016) that established Concentro's role in EU-funded SME innovation support, serving as the blueprint for three subsequent KAIROS iterations.
• KAIROS
  Ran three consecutive editions (2017–2021), demonstrating sustained EU Commission confidence in the SME key account services model for the Triveneto region.