The importance of science and technology parks in the South Baltic region as places offering SMEs access to facilities, flexible space and the ability to operate close to other innovation focused businesses is increasing. They are especially popular among small and medium companies because they allow creation of cooperation networks and transfer of technology among them. That is why the project focuses on intensifying cross-border relations between innovative SMEs and strengthening their economic potential and competitiveness through cooperation of science and technology parks and incubators. The project idea is based on promoting triple helix model. The cooperation of local authorities, academia and companies is the crucial factor in creating successful and innovative activities of the science and technology parks. The emphasis in the project is put on providing comprehensive conditions for growth in particular to SMEs and thus building up close relations among them in the region. The project is divided into 4 components covering all its aspects. The component 1 concerns management and coordination of the project . The second component promotes the project and its partners. Component 3 concentrates on supporting SMEs in the South Baltic region. Activities in the fourth component aim at creating conditions for providing cooperation for the future between science and technology parks in the territory co-financed by the programme. The work in the project encompasses the following activities: provision of an innovation-friendly environment for businesses in our Incubators / Science Parks as an essential step in eliminating the main barrier to investment in research and innovation. This will be implemented through harmonization, quick and efficient (service) standard setting to drive the marketing for innovative goods, intellectual property and fostering a culture which celebrates innovation and cross-border co-operation. The main activities applied in the project focus around two principle tasks: delivering strong lasting growth and creating more and better jobs. All taken actions will also include establishing the eTransfer Manager portal which will gather tools and guidance to support entrepreneurs raising funds. It will be a virtual meeting point for entrepreneurs, investors and innovation professionals. It will be also a platform for entrepreneurs searching for partners or financial support in other regions. Another activity will be the training of staff which is a fundamental part of improving the performance on any network in the provision of training for members of that network. Project activities will concentrate on preparing benchmarking for tenants of technology parks and for the technology parks themselves. It will be used as a tool to assist the identifiction of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and construction of the Strategic Market Entry Map. Common evaluation method for companies located in the technology parks will be also elaborated. Thanks to it companies will make sure that the hosting organization and the whole network are able to concentrate the forces to those who are able to enter the cross-border market. That method will also be available for other science and technology parks in the future. Activities conducted will provide better access to new markets for innovative products, services in the South Baltic area and the exchange of good practices as well as understanding of cultural differences.The project will also create a common management concept which will be a management-grid ensuring that companies get the right service everywhere. This will shorten time needed to enter market with new products and services. The network will install quality assurance mechanisms and specific process indicators. This will guarantee that partners in the consortium regularly work in line with quality standards. Incubators, science parks and clusters within and also outside the project partnership (in all the five countries of the Programme area) will be involved in the elaboration of the evaluation concept for SMEs, the benchmarking study and the common quality management. A contact list will be created at the beginning of the project implementation and made available on the website. Each project partner will be responsible for the search in their own region. These organisations will be sent 5 questionnaires throughout the project lifetime, with specific feedback requests related to the elaboration of the evaluation concept for SMEs, the benchmarking study and the common quality management, and then contacted individually. Incubators, science parks and clusters within and also outside the project partnership (in all the five countries of the Programme area) will also be targeted with all project dissemination activities. About 10 representatives from South Baltic incubators from outside the project consortium will participate in project activities.The result of the project will be stimulation and support to the internationalization of SME business activities and significant investment of SMEs and entrepreneurs abroad. The results of the project will be sustained in the future thanks to a cooperation agreement signed by the partners. This document will provide thematic and financial frameworks of cooperation between parks in future projects. Achievements: During the third reporting period of the Diske Project, one study visit combined with feedback seminar, training and steering committee meeting was organized in Videum Science Park in Sweden. Partners also successfully managed to organize international mid-term conference combined with a feedback seminar and training. The conference was organized as planned in October in the Technology Center of Western Pomerania. Apart from above Partners managed to prepare a joint meeting between two EU projects- Diske and Ibi-Net as part of the 10th German Polish Meeting. An official meeting took place at the Technology Center of Western Pomerania, where two Lead Partners of the projects, Riga Planning Region (IBI Net- Intercountry Business Incubators Network) and the City of Elblag (DISKE) signed a Letter of Intent for further project cooperation in order to seal the cooperation. Therefore, partners managed to complete additional activity “Number of cross border networks created based on formal agreements”. It must be noted that the prime minster of Mecklenburg Vorpommern and the Marshall of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship supported the Diske- Ibi-Net cooperation. Hence, signing the Letter of Intent between the projects will surely add extra value to the DISKE project especially that seventeen representatives from the South Baltic incubators were among the participants of the event. Moreover, partners decided to cooperate after the completion of the project Diske; Mario Kokowsky visited Lead Partner to officially discuss that matter. It must be mentioned, that Lead Partner organized two discussion meetings for the representatives of the Triple Helix Model. As a result, twenty representatives of SMEs were informed about the Project, and offered to cooperate with Polish and international companies. Moreover, at least thirteen press releases were published on various websites, and new promotional materials were designed and distributed. Project promotional and informational film was recorded, posted on the project website and distributed among all the parties of THM. GIC also prepared new sections of project website dedicated to Park's benchmarking and SME companies. The tenant benchmarking report was produced and handed over to all the partners and other parties involved. Moreover, Partner from TZV (Germany) produced the concept of common quality management. On the 30th December 2010 the 2nd Project Progress Report of the Diske Project was successfully approved and the requested amount of 118.893,32 EUR was finalized.Last but not least, on the 14th October 2010 public procurement for the service "Preparing methodology and benchmarking of the technology parks in the South Baltic Region” was successfully carried out. The contract was officially signed on 29th October 2010 and the works began as scheduled.During the fourth reporting period of the Diske Project one steering committee meeting and four study visits combined with trainings were successfully organized. As for the project promotional activities, partners effectively managed to publish 13 press releases concerning the project. The project was also promoted through the project website, facebook, youtube and during meetings with SMEs; 20 representatives of SMEs participated in the meeting concerning the project main aims and results. Promotional materials were also distributed during meetings with SMEs representatives, public officers, academia, representatives of other science-technology parks and also representatives from South Baltic incubators involved in project activities outside the project consortium. The purpose of those initiatives was to collect new partners from SB area, intensify cross-border relations between innovative SMEs, create networks between science and technology parks from SBR, promote international cooperation and Diske project main aims and results. During the meeting with representatives of South Baltic incubators partners discussed the idea of Association establishment. The association will gather incubators and parks from the South Baltic Region. It should be emphasized that this cooperation will surely strengthen the networks in the Baltic Sea Region and will be certainly a big advantage for SMEs to develop/strengthen their international contacts and foster innovative technology and solutions through transfer of knowledge and technology. Furthermore, partners also participated at prestigious IASP (Association of Science Parks) conference. Lead Partner purchased scientific literature, which will be surely of a great help for interested representatives of THM. The main purpose of this purchase was to foster innovation, transfer of knowledge& technology and also support for SMEs. Furthermore, the concept of common quality management was produced and all the works on "Preparing methodology and benchmarking of the technology parks in the South Baltic Region” were effectively and efficiently completed.During the fifth reporting period of the Diske Project, one steering committee face-to-face meeting, two steering committee online meetings and three project coordination online meetings were organized. Elblag Economic Forum and study visit in Lithuania were successfully organized. Both initiatives were combined with set of trainings. The purpose for those activities was to promote project main aims, results (benchmarking, future common directions etc), partners and foster transnational cooperation. Partners attended 3 international conferences. Partners also effectively managed to publish 16 press releases concerning the project and nine press articles in the most read newspapers. Project was promoted via project website, facebook, youtube and during various meetings with representatives of Triple Helix Model. Thirty-eight representatives of SMEs took place in official project events.What’s more, benchmarking methodology, benchmarking study of science and technology parks in the SBR ,parks` strategies and future common direction strategy were successfully accomplished. Project closing conference was successfully organized in the Elblag Technology Park. Cooperation agreement was created on the basis of the previous talks with partners and `Future Common Direction` document. The document was already signed by the partners from Elbląg and Greifswald. LP managed to organize two Steering Committee online meetings and nine Project Coordination Team online meetings. Two press releases were posted on the project website. Diske project was also promoted through facebook and youtube. Lead Partner also designed, created and distributed project information and promotional materials. All the materials were used and distributed during the project closing conference and additional meetings with representatives of SMEs in order to promote the Project/ Project idea and sustain recognizable visual identification of the Project. Moreover, project information and promotion materials were also distributed among representatives of the Triple Helix Model. Questionnaires directed to SMEs and Key Officers were conducted in Poland and Sweden. LP organized feedback seminar in Elbląg in order to summarize already conducted questionnaires. Project newsletter was created and sent to SMEs. Seminar combined with set of trainings was organized by TZV. Gdynia Innovation Centre project staff participated in meetings with groups of students from Gdansk University and Gdynia Martitime University, Parks' companies to promote Park and DISKE project. Moreover, other partners promoted project, project documents and indicators during various meeting with SMEs. Last but not least, Cooperation Agreement was signed in order to foster fruitful cooperation between partners.