Enterprise Europe Network

EU policy for SMEs
Workshop – the power of ideas: innovation and
design thinking for growth
Nicola-Elizabeth Morris
DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Unit Enterprise Europe Network and SMEs Internationalisation
Brussels, 28 October 2015
COSME:
Programme for the Competitiveness of
Enterprises and SMEs
1st EU programme targeted to SMEs
• Promoting the creation and growth of SMEs
• Strengthening their competitiveness
Access to markets
Access to Finance
Improving framework conditions for business
Promoting entrepreneurship
2
Improving framework
conditions for business
 Reducing administrative burden and supporting
smart regulation;
 Promoting measures to improve SME policy
development;
 Stimulating the development of certain markets or
sectors (clusters, e-skills, KETs, tourism…).
3
Promoting entrepreneurship
 Developing of entrepreneurial skills and attitudes for new
entrepreneurs, young people or women;
 Mentoring schemes.
Examples:
• European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs;
• Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs;
• Education for entrepreneurship and self-employment at school
and university.
Improving access to finance
• Support those SMEs which would otherwise not
obtain financing (concept of "additionality");
• Overall target is to provide support to up to
330,000 SMEs; provide up to € 25 billion in
financing;
• Debt and equity financial instrument for SMEs:
 Loan Guarantee Facility (LGF)
 Equity Facility for Growth (EFG)
=> Both part of a single EU debt/equity financial
instrument for enterprises’ growth and R&I.
Improving access to markets
SME internationalisation is a core aspect of EU SME Policy
• 90% of future global growth will happen outside the EU
• Only 13% of EU SMEs export beyond EU borders
• SMEs face bigger challenges to enter third countries markets:
• less in-house expertise and financial or human resources
• Not enough specific information to locate/analyse markets
• Difficulty for finding possible customers or the right partners
• High cost of internationalisation, language issue and
compliance with foreign laws and regulations
Support to SMEs at EU level should complement measures in place
at national or regional level
6
Political actions for internationalization
• Regulatory approximation
• Economic Diplomacy
• SME Dialogues
SME internationalisation – firmly
integrated into trade policy:
New trade and investment strategy
• Highlights need to ensure that
•
European SMEs can take full
advantage of more open markets.
Commitment to include SME
chapters
in
future
trade
agreements (effective provisions
for SMEs)
7
Political actions for internationalization
• 1. Regulatory approximation
• Long term objective: to create a business-friendly environment
abroad by eliminating non-tariff barriers, approximating
standards and strengthening the rule of law.
• Giving SMEs the confidence to invest and do business abroad.
• 2. Economic Diplomacy
• Including initiatives such as trade missions and events
• Also building on:
• The Enterprise Europe Network's strong reputation in the area
of partnership, in countries where the network is present
8
Political actions for internationalization
• 3. SME Dialogues
• Listening to business stakeholders' views on EU SME policy,
including SME internationalisation, exchanging best practice.
• Bilaterally with the USA, China, Russia, and Brazil
• Multilaterally in the Eastern Partnership, the EU-MED
Industrial Cooperation and the enlargement countries.
Example: Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue on the textile and
clothing industry:
• launched in 2014
• platform for an exchange of experiences and information on
available instruments and initiatives to improve the
competitiveness of the textile and clothing industry across the
Euro-Mediterranean area
9
Supporting SMEs internationalisation
through dedicated actions (1)
 IPR Help-Desks
• free of charge, first-line support on IP and IPR matters to
EU SMEs involved in transnational partnership agreements
• Helpline service provides tailor-made and confidential
advice on specific IP or IPR query
• Training support (notably via webinars) and publications to
address main IPR issues for SMEs ("know before you go")
• IPR Help-Desks developed for Greater China (incl. Hong Kong
& Taiwan), ASEAN countries + Latin America
10
Supporting SMEs internationalisation
through dedicated actions (2)
 Business Centres
• Example of the EU SME Centre in China or the EU-Japan
Centre on Industrial Cooperation advising SMEs on how
to invest and seize business opportunities
 Trade Agreements
• Inclusion in all future EU Trade agreements of effective
SME provisions (example of ongoing TTIP negotiations)
11
Enterprise Europe Network
Advice, information and cross-border
partnership services for European SMEs
How do I get
How do I find a new
European funding?
market abroad?
I need a business/technology partner
Legal obstacles, administrative requirements
for exporting my products to….
Relevant standards…
How can I sell my innovative
ideas and technology?
What does this EU law
mean for my business?
Services to SMEs
• Advice, support & information
• Support for cross-border
business and technology
partnership
• Enhancing SMEs' innovation
management capacities
 (Key Account
Management services
for Horizon 2020 SME
instrument)
+ Feedback to the European
Commission on difficulties
encountered by SMEs
Thematic scope
• Internal market, innovation,
EU programmes…….
• Access to finance /
Improving SMEs' financial
knowledge
• Energy efficiency, climate &
environment (in-house
services or signposting)
Third countries: Business Cooperation Centres (services focus on partnership)
How the Enterprise Europe network operates
 Integrated services: consortium partners provide an
SME with a set of services to address its specific
needs (assesses needs, tailor made advice…):
Partnership
eg partner search, support for concluding
professionals partnership agreements, advice on relevant
legislation/formalities to help an SME expand to
Database
+ advice by experts new markets
13000 technology & Key assets of the Network:
commercial
• Experienced staff
opportunities
• Proven capability to network with partners
abroad to solve cross-border issues
Advice
Strong experience in
B2B
meetings
Company
missions
Business Cooperation Centres
Based in 3rd countries
Role: Partnership and country information to help EU
businesses benefit from opportunities on international markets
• Norway, Switzerland
• Armenia, Belarus 1, Georgia, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine,
• Egypt, Israel, Jordan 1, Tunisia
• Canada, USA
• Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru
• India
• Central China, East China, West & North China, Indonesia,
Japan, Singapore, S. Korea, Taiwan
• New Zealand
South-Africa
Erasmus for young entrepreneurs
• Helps new entrepreneurs acquire competence to manage an
SME
• Via a placement with an experienced entrepreneur in
another European country participating in the programme
Added vaue for the host business:
• Exchange of knowledge and experience
• Extension of network of contacts to another European
country
• New business contacts
• Access to foreign markets that are new for you
The stay is co-financed by the EU
Erasmus for young entrepreneurs
Obligations / responsibilities for the host business:
• Supports a high quality training experience: based on
experience and action for creating a viable business
• Establish good working relations
• Ensuring quality of experience
• Specific objectives and activities for each individual
placement defined beforehand.
Other design and innovation related
initatives
Design-Driven innovation: using design techniques and usercentric innovation strategies to:
- develop and market products or services
- improve market advantage and customer satisfaction
• A project "Capabilities for design-driven innovation in European
SMEs" running until Sept 2018 will build capacities of business
intermediaries to help SMEs implement this form of innovation
• The Enterprise Europe Network will have access to results
Workplace innovation: Various resources available on the EU
Workplace Innovation Network (http://portal.ukwon.eu/)
Including short films illustrating how some of Europe’s most
exciting companies are engaging employees in enhancing
performance, innovation and working lives
Other design and innovation related
initatives
• COSME includes a range of actions to promote cluster
excellence and international cluster cooperation (in Europe
and beyond), with special emphasis on cross-sectoral
cooperation to support emerging industries.
 The Cluster Excellence Programme
 Cluster internationalization programme
 Cluster observatory
Future initiative in the pipeline
 A pilot action to allow SMEs to formulate vacancies for
innovation-relevant skills which they cannot find on the
national labour market (2016).
Your Enterprise Europe Network partner will have further
information as soon as this is launched.
Specific initiatives for textiles
WORTH project financed under the previous EU
programme for SMEs (CIP):
 Supported transnational partnership between designers
and businesses (manufacturers, retailers, craftsmen,
technology companies) to create new innovative
products
 In the fashion, textiles, jewelry, shoes, optical industry,
furnishings and leather sectors
 Requirement to have partners from different Member
States (or other countries participating in the
programme)
 Likely that this will be re-launched in 2016 (dependent on
the adoption of the related work programme)
EU programmes relevant to textiles
Horizon 202O: Research and development:
Also includes specific SME measures:
• Emphasis on promising technological ideas with excellent
commercial potential.
• Support for the feasibility and innovation phases, and
advice/support for a third phase to signpost SMEs to other
sources of finance for commercialization
Eurostars
• Supports development of a new product, process or service
that will be rapidly commercialized
• Focus on research intensive SMEs (at least 10% of turnover
dedicated to research). SMEs do the research. Supported
by member countries
Thank you for your attention!
Nicola-Elizabeth Morris
Enterprise Europe Network and Internationalisation of SMEs
DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
[email protected]