ECONOMIC CHAMBER OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Their core work

The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia is the national business chamber representing companies across the Macedonian economy. In EU research, they focus on two areas: supporting SME innovation capacity through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and promoting energy-efficient construction skills. They act as a bridge between EU-level innovation programs and Macedonian businesses, particularly in transferring knowledge about sustainable energy practices to the construction sector workforce.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their H2020 journey started with pure SME innovation support through the EEN network (2015-2016), with no specific sector focus. From 2018 onward, they began coordinating their own projects and narrowed into energy-efficient construction skills — a clear shift from generic business support to sector-specific capacity building. The progression from participant to coordinator in the energy-construction space suggests growing confidence and domain expertise in that niche.

Moving from general business support toward leading projects on workforce skills for sustainable construction — expect continued focus on green building competencies in the Western Balkans.

How they like to work

They split evenly between leading and following: coordinating 2 projects while participating in 4. The EEN projects are recurring network-based engagements rather than open consortium calls, meaning their participant roles are institutional by design. When they do lead (TRAINEE, SEEtheSkills), they work with modest-sized consortia. With only 12 unique partners across 5 countries, they maintain a tight, regionally focused network rather than broad European reach.

A compact network of 12 partners across 5 countries, likely concentrated in Southeast Europe. Their coordination of two construction-skills projects suggests strong ties with training institutions and construction sector bodies in the Western Balkans region.

What sets them apart

As a national chamber of commerce, they offer direct access to the Macedonian business ecosystem — particularly SMEs — which is rare among H2020 participants from the Western Balkans. Their dual track of EEN business services and energy-construction skills means they can mobilize both employer networks and workforce training channels. For any consortium needing a partner to handle dissemination, business engagement, or skills validation in North Macedonia, they are an obvious choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRAINEE
  Their first coordinated project (EUR 183,244), marking a transition from EEN participant to project leader in energy-efficient construction skills.
• SEEtheSkills
  Second coordination role (EUR 97,388), running until 2024 — their most recent and longest project, focused on making sustainable energy skills visible and validated.