KRAJSKA HOSPODARSKA KOMORA MORAVSKOSLEZSKEHO KRAJE

Their core work

The Regional Chamber of Commerce for the Moravian-Silesian Region is a Czech business support organization that helps SMEs access EU innovation funding and commercialize research results. As a node in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), they provide innovation management advisory services, guide companies through the SME Instrument and EIC Pilot application process, and connect local businesses with European technology partners. Their home base in Ostrava places them at the heart of Czechia's industrial Silesian region, where heavy industry is transitioning toward cleaner energy and advanced manufacturing.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2015 to 2018, the organization focused on foundational innovation management services and building its EEN advisory capacity through successive BISONet iterations. Starting in 2019-2020, the scope broadened to include EIC Pilot coaching and key account management — signaling a shift from generic SME support toward more personalized, strategic advisory for high-potential companies. The evolution is incremental rather than transformative, reflecting the steady professionalization of a regional business support function.

Moving from broad SME advisory toward selective, high-touch support for growth-oriented companies navigating EU innovation instruments like EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — never a coordinator across all four projects, which is typical for regional EEN partners operating under a national consortium lead. They work within a small, stable network of just 5 partners in a single country, suggesting a tightly integrated Czech EEN cluster rather than a broad European network. For potential collaborators, this means they are a reliable local delivery partner rather than a consortium architect.

Works with 5 partners exclusively within the Czech Republic, forming part of a national EEN consortium. Their network is domestically focused, built around delivering EU-funded innovation services at the regional level rather than cross-border collaboration.

What sets them apart

Their value lies in deep roots in the Moravian-Silesian industrial region — Czechia's traditional steel and energy heartland now undergoing economic transition. For EU projects needing a Czech regional partner with direct access to industrial SMEs in a coal transition region, this chamber offers pre-existing relationships and trust that outsiders cannot replicate. They are a gateway to the Ostrava industrial ecosystem, not a research or technology organization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BISONet PLUS4 ENH
  Most recent iteration (2020-2021) that added EIC Pilot coaching and key account management, showing the program's evolution toward more strategic SME support.
• BISONet PLUS ENH
  The founding 2015 project that established the Czech EEN innovation management service line, setting the template for three subsequent iterations.