PECS-BARANYAI KERESKEDELMI ES IPARKAMARA

Their core work

The Pécs-Baranya Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a regional business support organization in southern Hungary that helps local SMEs access EU innovation services. Their core work under H2020 has been delivering Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) services — coaching SMEs on innovation management, connecting them to EU funding instruments like the SME Instrument and EIC Pilot, and providing key account management for high-potential companies. More recently, they have expanded into facilitating SME participation in manufacturing and advanced materials innovation projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2014 to 2019, the Chamber focused almost exclusively on delivering EEN innovation management services to Hungarian SMEs — a repeating annual mandate centered on key account management and SME Instrument coaching. Starting in 2020, while continuing EEN work, they branched into applied industrial topics: Better Factory brought them into manufacturing digitalization, and AMULET (their largest project by far) moved them into advanced materials, lightweight structures, and decarbonisation. This shift suggests a deliberate move from pure advisory services toward deeper involvement in technology-specific innovation projects.

Moving from generic SME advisory toward sector-specific industrial innovation support, particularly in lightweight manufacturing and sustainability — expect future involvement in green manufacturing consortia.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — they join consortia rather than lead them. With 50 unique partners across 21 countries from just 7 projects, they operate in large, pan-European consortia (especially the EEN network projects and AMULET). This makes them a well-connected regional node rather than a project driver — useful as a local partner who can mobilize Hungarian SMEs and provide on-the-ground business support services.

Broad European network spanning 50 partners across 21 countries, built primarily through large EEN consortium projects. Their geographic reach is wide but driven by network membership rather than bilateral research partnerships.

What sets them apart

As a regional chamber of commerce with sustained EEN experience, they offer direct access to the SME ecosystem in southern Hungary (Baranya county, Pécs region) — an area not covered by many other H2020-active intermediaries. Their combination of long-running SME advisory work and newer involvement in manufacturing/materials projects means they can bridge the gap between research consortia and local industrial SMEs who need technology transfer support. For consortium builders, they bring regional business networks and practical SME engagement capacity rather than research expertise.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AMULET
  Their largest project by far (EUR 104,375) and a thematic departure — advanced materials and lightweight manufacturing for decarbonisation, signaling a strategic shift toward industrial innovation.
• Better Factory
  First project outside their traditional EEN mandate, entering digital manufacturing support with a focus on growing SME manufacturing businesses.
• INNO-HUN2019
  Marks the transition point where their EEN work expanded to reference FET, FTI, IHC, and IMP3ROVE assessment tools — broadening beyond basic SME Instrument coaching.