Support to creativity and innovation:

The Enterprise Europe Network

Eurocapitales Brussels

19 September 2009

J-F AGUINAGAHead of Unit

European CommissionDG Enterprise and Industry

Business cooperation and Support network

The policy framework

SME Policy

Competitionpolicy

Internal Market

Tradepolicy

Regional policy

SocialPolicy

EnvironmentalPolicy

Fiscalpolicy

Consumer & healthprotection policies

R&DEducation

Policy

The Small Business Act for Europe (SBA)

• June 2008 3 main objectives:

• entrepreneurship, Think Small First, promote SME growth 10 policy principles + concrete measures, incl. 5 legislative acts

• Dec 2008: SBA Action Plan with 3 priority areas: access to finance; reducing administrative burden; access to markets.

The Enterprise Europe Network

• Lisbon agenda

• Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) Started: January 2008, until 2014 4 DGs involved: ENTR, TREN, INFSO, ENV Main activities:

• Financial instruments (EUR 1 bn)• Enterprise Europe Network (EUR 0.4 bn)

Today’s environment

• R-D-A = entrepreneurship & innovation Business life cycle accelerates… …Technology life cycle accelerates

• Oversupply of and global pressure on products & services

• The customer is :• Less loyal• Better informed

• Fragmentation in the service supply to SMEs, « me-too » syndrome, in a disorganised market…

• …& credit crunch crisis

What for an SME?

• Staying indifferent to the market is not an option

• Doing nothing = death !

Options for growth

• 3150+3150+ expertsexperts• 569569 local organisations• 2323 mio SMEs

• 2727 EU-member states• Croatia, FYROM, Turkey • EEA: Norway, Iceland• USA, Russia, China,

South Korea, Switzerland etc.

A unique network in 44 countries

3 types of service

A.

Information, feedback, business cooperation and internationalisation services

(47% of the budget)

C. Services encouraging the participation of SMES in FP7

(6% of the budget)

B.

Innovation, technology

and knowledge transfer services

(47% of the budget)

Key services at a glance

“No wrong door”

• Access to information on Community legislation and EU funding opportunities, support for participation in these programmes

• Feedback from SMEs on existing or forthcoming legislations• Expansion to new markets, finding cooperation partners, better

exploiting the opportunities of the internal market and beyond• Technology and knowledge transfer, partnership building• Innovation services and stimulation for innovation

Setting the scene 2008-2011 targets

Work Force Network

# Full-Time-Equivalents 1,400

Activity & Result I ndicatorsNetwork

3-Yr Targets

# First Company Visits 55,000

# Advisory Services delivered to Clients 115,000+

# Clients receiving Advisory Services 90,000 +

# Company Missions co-organised 1,500

# Clients participating in Company Missions 25,000

# Technology, Business and Research Profiles 36,000+

One year after launch…

Visibility

• The Network is very visible online: more than 32 million results from Google in September 2009 14 million in June 5 million in October 2008 2 million in March 2008

• Brand recognition

Strategic priorities 2009

• Keep marketing the Network (EU institutions and SMEs)

• Networking but also…. …..net-weaving (building trust, not just using common tools)

• Network governance Involvement of Host Organisations• Internationalisation

Success story

• Dressed for success with the Enterprise Europe Network Leo Pieter has a sports equipment business in

Ostrava Project: importing thermal sportswear Eva Bergerova at Ostrava’s Regional Chamber of

Commerce Moravia – Silesia (KHK MSK) for help The profile inserted into the cooperation database. An Italian provider of thermal underwear was

found

Success story

• Sniffing out partners for chemical sensor firm Owlstone UK developed a chemical detection

system Dr Billy Boyle looking for a partner for new

markets. Enterprise Europe Network at Business Link in

Cambridge: technology profile in Network's newsletters

IEE, one of Europe's leading suppliers of sensor solutions into the global automotive market.

First stage of the partnership: purchase by IEE of test quantities of Owlstone's sensors.

Info & Contacts

• Enterprise Europe Networkhttp://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu

• Your Europe Businesshttp://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/business

• SME Portal

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sme

• SBAhttp://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en.htm