Accordingly, the special GINOP mentoring project comprises two parts, which differ in their rules of procedure and the applicable grounds for aid. The first part of the project aims to support SMEs taking part in the training programme implemented through international cooperation, while the second is to set up a programme supporting the preparation of SMEs for the stock exchange and going public.
In the first half of the project, the development to be implemented by the BSE will focus on launching a cooperation programme providing European training and mentoring services and conveying that to target group enterprises in line with international practice. The companies participating in this international cooperation can take part in a complex training/mentoring programme where they can learn from the most prepared advisors and extend their network of relationships. The programme also aims at international integration, which provides participating SMEs with the means necessary for further growth and for expanding their operations to export markets. In addition to that, the programme also allows enterprises to find the financing method most favourable for them, whether through loans or equity financing (even through the BSE).
Thus, the target group consists of fast-growing medium-sized companies which are suitable in terms of strategy and financing and who are motivated to take the next step towards competitive corporate status. The BSE takes the view that training of entrepreneurs could turn out to be one of the most important factors in the performance of the SME sector in the long run. By implementing this project, the BSE also contributes to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises showing outstanding growth potential by:
- improving their financial literacy,
- enhancing their ability to raise third-party financing on their own,
- promoting their international networking skills,
- allowing them access to international markets,
- and strengthening the presence on the stock exchange.
According to the preliminary plans, several enterprises can complete the two-year training course in the areas supported by GINOP by the end of the first part of the project.
The goal of the second part of the project is to support medium-sized enterprises in their preparation for the stock exchange and to encourage them to raise funds via the capital market if there is no or only insufficient financial funding available on money markets. This target group includes those more mature medium-sized companies which are ready to operate transparently (a requirement which traded companies must fulfil), but who have not yet begun the preparations for the stock exchange launch process due to a lack of skills or financing. The overall project focuses expressly on those enterprises which show the potential to be suitable for listing and/or to be an attractive investment option for Hungarian institutional or private capital investors after the preparatory period.
The GINOP mentoring project is the preparatory phase for the National Stock Exchange Development Fund. As a result of the activities to be completed, domestic SMEs can become stronger and more prepared.
In 2017, the professional cooperation between the BSE and NGM also included the involvement of the Central Hungarian region into the implementation of the professional content of the GINOP project. As a result of the consultations held and the preparatory materials drafted to that end, on 8 November 2017 the Ministry for National Economy endorsed the BSE request for a Central Hungary Operational Programme intended to extend the mentoring program to companies operating in Central Hungary.