Fernandes, JoanaPires, LuísNogueira, Sónia P.2023-11-092023-11-092023Fernandes, Joana; Pires, Luís; Nogueira, Sónia P. (2023). The importance of touristic collaborative networks for peripheral regions: the CRECEER project. In Desarrollo Compatible Experiencias en Europa e Iberoamerica. Pamplona: Aranzadi. p. 173-184. ISBN 978-84-1163-615-5978-84-1163-615-5http://hdl.handle.net/10198/28875This chapter describes a specific project that was coordinated and implemented by a Higher Education Institution (HEI), the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) to increase regional competitiveness. The project named “Creation of business cooperation networks in rural cross-border regions between companies in the gourmet agri-food and tourism sectors”, with the Portuguese acronym CRECEER, was implemented in two regions, Douro and Terras de Trás-os-Montes. In order to increase the competitiveness of companies located in peripheral regions, the project focused in enhancing the quality of their supply, their visibility, the development of a common framework for online business, and the creation of a collaborative network that jointly commercialized gourmet products and touristic services. The implementation of the project, the activities developed, and the results obtained through the creation of a regional collaborative network with different participants, will be described.engBusiness cooperationCollaborative networkGourmet productsAgri-food sectorTourism sectorRural regionsbook part