Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand internationally through innovative projects have been able to rely on the support of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for the past 15 years.
EEN, created in 2008, is co-financed by the European Commission and by its member organisations as part of the programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs, COSME.
Approximately 4,000 experts in more than 67 countries provide businesses with information, advice on European law and support for development throughout their innovation and internationalisation projects.
Partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Skilled Crafts
In Europe, SMEs play a crucial economic role, representing 99% of all European businesses. They are potential sources of employment and economic growth, forming the backbone of the EU’s economy and driving economic development and competitiveness.
Since 2008, nearly 3 million SMEs have been supported by the European network and able to establish business relationships through one of the 280,000 networking events organised.
In Luxembourg, the EEN consortium is based on a strategic partnership between the Chamber of Commerce (the national coordinator), the Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Luxinnovation. These three organisations work together to best serve businesses in their internationalisation, R&D and technological innovation efforts.
“One Team, Client Centricity – Integration”
In 2022, the three Luxembourg partners renewed their commitment for the period 2022-2025 and committed to expanding their actions and services, with a greater focus on SMEs.
Under a new motto, “One Team, Client Centricity – Integration,” the team is more attentive than ever to the needs of local SMEs while remaining aligned with national and EU policies that guide their actions.
As a result, the national EEN network supports the true acceleration of small and medium-sized enterprises by assessing their innovation potential and expanding advisory services related to EU financing access.
In partnership with other local economic actors, it also provides a range of European services to support SMEs in their triple transition towards digitalisation, sustainability and greater resilience.
The EEN network is a tremendous opportunity to support SMEs with international ambitions. (Rémi Grizard)
Finally, Luxembourg’s EEN consortium continues its mission as a facilitator between the local economic fabric and the European Union, stimulating active participation by national companies in European projects and the process of shaping European legislation and policies.
Nearly 300 companies supported in 15 years
“The EEN network offers a tremendous opportunity to support SMEs with international ambitions,” explains Rémi Grizard, Senior Advisor – SME Performance at Luxinnovation and EEN contact point within the national innovation agency. “Our work includes facilitating technology transfer or partner search, assisting SMEs in structuring their innovation processes or enhancing their digital maturity, and supporting the implementation of sustainable development initiatives. We also encourage SMEs to participate more in collaborative R&D programmes at the European level.”
Support for companies by EEN Luxembourg can take various forms at each key stage of development: preliminary project analysis, identification of the most relevant international partners, promotion of tangible results, and more.
Since its establishment in Luxembourg in 2008, nearly 300 companies have benefited directly from services provided by the EEN network and received help to set up partnerships or advisory services.