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2008-02-26
Enterprise Europe Network
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EDGE - is a network of professionals working in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen launched previously "Enterprise Europe Network," a new and powerful European support network for enterprises. All major players of the business support community in Europe have united to offer a one-stop service to assist especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop their full potential and innovative capacity. The Enterprise Europe Network includes more than 500 contact points for entrepreneurs in Europe. They provide a full range of support services in close proximity to SMEs covering the whole EU territory and going even beyond.
The new Enterprise Europe Network is a milestone in the Commission's integrated policy for promoting entrepreneurship and growth of enterprises in Europe. I call on all entrepreneurs in the EU and beyond to use it to the best of their needs. Entrepreneurship is the key for Europe to facing the challenges of globalisation, creating new jobs and innovation. Therefore is the launch of this Enterprise Europe Network an important step in the right direction.
Enterprise Europe Network combines the strengths of the previous Euro Info Centre with the Innovation Relay Centre networks. With the new network, business receives ‘Business Support on Your Doorstep’, as the slogan suggests. The ‘No wrong door’ principle will apply for the whole network and for each network partner. All SMEs will receive information and a personalised service tailored to their needs, making best use of modern technologies and from every organisation in the new network.
More concretely, the Enterprise Europe Network offers the following services:
1. Assisting companies in going international
* An estimated one million European SMEs could be involved in cross-border trade and
investment. The Enterprise Europe Network will help develop exchanges between
enterprises, trigger new ideas, nurture potential partnerships and stimulate firms to develop
beyond their initial horizons. One-to-one match making meetings will be organized to help
identify trustworthy partners.
* Building technology partnerships between SMEs based on the transfer of innovation is
another way to ‘go international’ and generate return on investments in research. The
network is assisting SMEs to identify partners and make the contractual arrangements with
them.
2. Innovation, new products and grasping opportunities in the single market
* Help small businesses with technical issues such as intellectual property rights, standards
and EU legislation, as it can be difficult for companies to remain abreast of changes in EU
related opportunities.
* Promoting innovation: The Enterprise Europe Network encourages SMEs to become more
innovative as sharing the results of research can trigger new ideas/opportunities. Amongst
other, collaboration with clusters bundling different innovation related activities will be
improved. Ensuring access to innovative technology will help SMEs face global competition.
3. Accessing EU projects and funding
* The Enterprise Europe Network aims to overcome the knowledge gap regarding different
sources of EU financing and ensure companies are aware of the possibilities available. SMEs
will in particular be encouraged to participate in research programmes.
4. Providing feedback to the Commission
* The Enterprise Europe Network will act as a two-way street between entrepreneurs and the
Commission, relaying views in both directions to ensure that the policies and initiatives the
Commission prepares will be helpful for SMEs and do not mean additional administrative
burden.
The new Enterprise Europe Network is part of the Commission's integrated policy for promoting entrepreneurship and growth of enterprises in Europe. It will support SMEs from all sectors to take greater advantage of the opportunities of the Single Market. |
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