Entrepreneurial Infrastructure
Entrepreneurial infrastructure in the Republic of Croatia includes entrepreneurial zones and entrepreneurial support institutions that enable entrepreneurial activities to be carried out in standardized conditions with high infrastructure equipment
The purpose of the law frame is to enable existing and potential users (entrepreneurs) to start and carry out entrepreneurial activities in standardized conditions with high infrastructure equipment within entrepreneurial zones and entrepreneurial support institutions and in a competitive and transparent system of incentive measures and incentives, both in the phase of initial investment and in the phase of expansion of the existing investment activities of entrepreneurs operating within the entrepreneurial infrastructure.Entrepreneurial zones
Entrepreneurial zones are infrastructure-equipped areas defined by physical plans, intended for the performance of certain types of entrepreneurial or economic activities.
The basic characteristic of entrepreneurial zones is the joint use of infrastructure-equipped and organized space by entrepreneurs who, by doing business within the entrepreneurial zone, are enabled to rationalize their business and use the available resources of the entrepreneurial zone with other users of the entrepreneurial zone.
A special subcategory of entrepreneurial zones are free zones established on the basis of decisions of the Government of the Republic of Croatia in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Free Zones, which regulates the establishment, management and operation of free zones in the Republic of Croatia.
Entrepreneurial support institutions
Entrepreneurial support institutions are legal entities aimed at creating a high-quality, user-oriented entrepreneurial environment in the Republic of Croatia and implement programs aimed at the development of entrepreneurship.
Categories of entrepreneurial support institutions:
- Development agencies (local, county or with specific activities) are responsible for the operational implementation of measures for the development of the economy and entrepreneurship, encouraging and attracting investments, and initiating and implementing projects to encourage economic development and entrepreneurship, unifying the work of economic entities, local and regional entrepreneurial institutions, and higher education institutions and knowledge centers.
- Entrepreneurship centers are responsible for the operational implementation of measures for the development and encouragement of entrepreneurship in the local and/or wider area (county, region) and represent centers of professional and educational assistance to entrepreneurs for the development of entrepreneurship in their areas. A special subcategory of entrepreneurial centers are digital innovation centers that provide support to entrepreneurs in the process of business digitization, digital transformation and development of digital skills, as well as mediation between service providers in the field of new technologies and users.
- Business incubators (entrepreneurial or for new technologies) are responsible for helping and supporting entrepreneurs in the early stages of developing entrepreneurial projects and provide professional, technical and educational assistance for starting entrepreneurial projects and companies and their rapid and sustainable development.
- Entrepreneurial accelerators are responsible for providing support to entrepreneurs in the post-incubation phase, i.e. in the phase of business development and expansion on the domestic and foreign markets.
- Business parks have physical spaces, land and resources for the accommodation of small, medium and large entrepreneurs on a commercial basis, with a special focus on attracting domestic and foreign investments.
- Science and technology parks are established to commercialize scientific results and encourage cooperation between scientists and businessmen.
- Competence centers carry out research projects of a developmental or production nature and develop competencies in certain areas, with which other business entities can contract research and development services for the purpose of strengthening certain industrial branches.
Founders and managers of entrepreneurial infrastructure can be individual legal entities or a consortium composed of the following legal entities: the Republic of Croatia independently or in cooperation with local and regional self-government units and bodies or other legal entities; local and regional self-government units and bodies; universities, scientific institutes and scientific organizations as well as professional and other associations and other legal entities as founders or managers of entrepreneurial infrastructure in the Republic of Croatia that are registered for activities that improve the development of entrepreneurial infrastructure and/or that deal with and/or promote research, innovation and technological development in the business sector.
The Integral Entrepreneurial Infrastructure Register
The law prescribes the establishment of the Integral Register of Entrepreneurial Infrastructure, a systematized database maintained by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.
Entities of entrepreneurial infrastructure are obliged, after the adoption of the founding act, to be registered in the Integral Entrepreneurial Infrastructure Register, as a prerequisite for using grants from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development for the construction of entrepreneurial infrastructure.
The basic issues of organizing business infrastructure are contained in the Entrepreneurial Infrastructure Improvement Act (OG 93/13, 114/13, 41/14, 57/18 and 138/21). In order to facilitate the registration process, the Instruction on the Unified Register of Entrepreneurial Infrastructure was adopted (OG, 45/22).
You can send all inquiries related to business infrastructure to Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development at javnost@mingor.hr.