The implementation of the RTP projects by means of their inclusion into the Operational Programmes of the 2nd Community Support Framework and relevant Community Initiatives presupposes that their usefulness and feasibility must have been documented. For this reason, detailed feasibility studies were conducted for all the projects in the Action Plan.

The studies were conducted by agencies in Central Macedonia which possessed experience in the organisation and management of similar projects, and they provide a complete picture and full documentation for each project. The studies were compiled using set specifications and a common thematic structure consisting of ten units: (1) Objectives of the project; (2) Description; (3) Services offered by the project; (4) Demand in Central Macedonia for the technological services offered; (5) Phases in the implementation of the project; (6) Time-schedule; (7) Budget; (8) Implementation agency; (9) Method and criteria for evaluation, and (10) Viability. The studies conducted and the individuals responsible for compiling them have already been listed in the Introduction and are presented in a separate volume.

Feasibility studies are an important step in the application of the Regional Technology Plan since they make it possible to decide whether or not to include the projects immediately in a funding and implementation framework. Furthermore, it was decided to begin implementation with the seven lead-projects shown on Table 16.1, and that the projects which are in a state of greatest readiness would then follow.

Table 16.1 Commencement of implementation and lead projects

1. Funding Businesses for Technological Modernisation: Financial support for Central Macedonia firms for technology audits and modernisation. 2. Foreign Direct Investment and International Technology Co-operation: Opening of an office for the purpose of attracting, supporting and encouraging local co-operation with multinational investments. 3. Employee Technology Training: In-house training and professional orientation in horizontal technologies. 4. Technology Transfer Department at the Thessaloniki Technology Park: Development of a new service for technology transfer and the provision of business services. 5. Textile Institute of Northern Greece. Creation of a management and technology support mechanism for the textile firms of northern Greece. 6. Association for Industrial Information Technologies: Creation of an association including research units of the universities, technical institutes, and information technology local providers. 7. Expansion of the RTP Observatory: Extension at the level of Prefectures of an innovation monitoring and information system.

Application of the Plan and implementation of the projects is expected to be a long-term process. In effect, it will be an open-ended procedure leading to the formation of the mechanisms of a Regional Innovation Support System, with a specific institutional capacity and organisational form. It is the ambition of the Regional Technological Plan in Central Macedonia that it should serve as the starting-point for the formation of that mechanism.