The Use of Structural Funds for Enterprise Competitiveness Growth in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The competitiveness of enterprises depends not only on their strategies and operations but also on the macroeconomic and microeconomic environment in which they operate. The various instruments for business support can be found in industrial policies of EU member states, which were often successful due to co-financing from EU structural funds. The Operational Programme Industry and Enterprise uses the structural funds as the main financial source of the Czech national strategies for industry development in 2004-2006. The paper summarizes the main policies for both business environment and enterprise competitiveness development in the Czech Republic which focus mainly to the infrastructure for industrial research, innovation, industry clusters, human resources and business development.Structural funds; competitiveness; enterprise development; innovation