BackgroundThe RFO 'TouriSME - Strengthening of SMEs and Tourism for sustainable and balanced development' is based on the results of a common SWOT analysis of the participating regions which shows similar strengths and weaknesses of their socio-economic profiles and a joint need to address two main areas: SME support and tourism development. As regards SMEs, the regions have identified problems such as high insolvency rates, low productivity, lack of training opportunities and lack of innovation. In terms of tourism, the partners have identified problems relating to the quality of tourism services and joint potential for services in the field of rural environment and historic heritage.ObjectivesThe overall objective of this RFO is to develop and test inter-regional solutions for sustainable development and provide input in the form of good practices as well as new ideas and methods for the programming and implementation of Structural Fund measures in the participating regions. Sub-objectives are to benchmark and strengthen SME-policies, develop and test new approaches for SME-policies and new SME-related services; benchmark and strengthen tourism-related policies; develop and text new approaches for effective and sustainable tourism development, quality management - training measures and development of sales cooperation with SMEs, especially in the area of services for tourism and marketing of regional products.ResultsTouriSME leads to improved SME support and tourism development policies in the participating regions and to better and more effective services in the two thematic areas chosen, including measures envisaged within the region's Structural Funds mainstream programmes.Subprojects help to transfer good practices and jointly develop new approaches for the partner regions' development. Subprojects selected so far focus, among others, on cluster-management in the automobile suppliers sector, in the chemical industries and in the food processing sector, new and optimised products for cultural heritage sites, quality management for protected areas and on holding a European SME congress and a SME support seminar.