As the year 2024 comes to a close, the PROSME team within MSP takes a moment to reflect on our activities carried out and the impact we have had on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the community. It has been a year full of challenges and achievements, and what we have accomplished cannot be captured in just a few words. However, we invite you to delve into the world of the PROSME Project and discover how we have dedicated ourselves to supporting SMEs in their transition to more sustainable, innovative, and competitive businesses.
What is PROSME?
The project “Promoting SMEs through Enterprise Europe Network” (PROSME) aims to support the transition of businesses towards more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable practices, while fostering digital innovation and increasing resilience, so that they can be competitive in the European Single Market and global markets.
MSP plays a decisive role as a partner in the PROSME consortium, providing support, expertise, and useful resources for entrepreneurs to adopt new business models, such as:
• advice on internationalization, innovation, digitalization, or accessing European funding programs, including for research, development, and innovation;
• assistance in identifying European and international business partners or development projects;
• training and information activities;
• supporting SMEs in expressing their views in the European policy-making process.
The year that is ending has inspired us to want to become more competitive, and this has allowed us to initiate and successfully complete numerous innovative activities that have had a significant impact on the business environment. Therefore, we take pride in:
- The organization of the Go Global by EEN event – Types of strategies in business internationalization, held on July 23, 2024, at STUP – Bucharest, Romania, took place with a ‘full house.’
Over 50 representatives from the business environment, consultants, researchers, and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs were eager to hear, directly from the guests, success stories about the internationalization of products and services, especially in the US & UK markets.
𝐈𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐯𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮 – co-founder of FieldOS, guided us through FieldOS’s journey in the international market, discussing the entrepreneurial differences between the US and Romania, emphasizing the importance of partnerships and networking. S𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐚 – founder of Kotys Tech, highlighted the importance of connections through events and networking, and the choice of partners should be made after an analysis to avoid potential conflicts. 𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐧 – co-founder of KFactory, emphasized the importance of developing references when the goal is to enter the UK market.
2. Organizing the event ‘Responsible Digitalization of SMEs – Support for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises‘, together with the UEFISCDI partners, on August 2, 2024, at Stup, Bucharest, Romania.
The event confirmed that ethical and responsible digitalization is a important aspect for the success of SMEs. Participants had the opportunity to discuss:
• The challenges faced in integrating cutting-edge technologies;
• Ways to promote an organizational culture that respects ethical principles in the use of data and technology;
• Strategic partnerships that can help SMEs achieve their growth objectives.
Words such as education, attitude, addressing needs, efficiency, mindset, regulation, and ethics were the common thread of the dialogue.
3. Participation in the fifth edition of the Sibiu Innovation Days 2024 conference, an event that has established itself as a significant landmark on the map of innovation in Romania, taking place on October 24-25, 2024, in Sibiu, Romania.
This conference has played an essential role in promoting collaboration between industry experts, public administration, and the academic research community. Under the theme ‘Emerging Technologies: Engines of Digital Transformation in Business and Education,’ I addressed the topic – ‘Funding Opportunities for Scaling Deep Tech Startups’ during the panel Innovative Partnerships.
It was an extraordinary and inspirational experience that provided us with the opportunity to contribute to relevant discussions and connect with passionate professionals from various fields, thus stimulating collaboration and innovation for the development of the business ecosystem in Romania.
4. Participation in the South Eastern European Innovators Challenge 2024 (SEEIC2024), held on October 27-29 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The event aimed to promote innovation and technology transfer in Southeast Europe by supporting entrepreneurship and stimulating collaboration between the scientific and innovative ecosystems in Southeast Europe, thus supporting the development of innovation and technology in the region.
An important aspect highlighted was the need to build an ecosystem that supports and includes collaboration between authorities, the academic environment, and the private sector. The best example is the newly established ‘Alliance of Science and Technology Parks and Innovation Ecosystems in Southeast Europe’ (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Turkey).
The competition featured the most important startups from Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Romania, and Greece, which gathered in Sofia.
We are proud that the teams we brought to Sofia represented Romania with honor at the #SEEIC 2024 competition, with Irisphera receiving the special award from Sofia Tech Park.
5. Participation in the 𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 (#EENAC2024) on 6-8 November 2024, in Budapest, Hungary.
There were 3 exciting days at #EENAC2024 for #Networking, #Innovation, #BusinessGrowth, #GlobalVision, #BusinessSupport and #Collaboration, at the event themed `Boosting the Potential of European SMEs ‘, focused on how EEN can assist SMEs in navigating a complex economic landscape, with an emphasis on industrial transformation, expansion, and innovation.
The conference addressed four key themes:
• Effective strategies for building regional networks and developing essential skills to achieve significant, sustainable impact throughout Europe
• Critical needs of SMEs for success, covering everything from intellectual property management to scaling operations, while providing attendees with actionable insights.
• Major issues such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, and resilience, emphasizing how SMEs can adapt to change and maintain competitiveness in a rapidly evolving environment.
• Guidance on navigating the EU Single Market and expanding globally, equipping SMEs with the confidence to enter new markets.
As the conference wrapped up, we left Budapest with fresh ideas, valuable contacts, and new strategies to support SMEs. See you next year in Denmark!
6. Participation in the GoTech World 2024 on November 12-13, Bucharest, Romania.
The participation of the #MSP team from the PROSME project at GoTech World 2024, as a ‘Business Transformation Networking Partner’, represented a valuable opportunity to interact with industry leaders, explore technological innovations, and exchange ideas with other professionals. The event was an excellent occasion to showcase the solutions developed within the community, participate in networking sessions, and learn about emerging trends in technology. This year’s edition brought together over 120 experts and 100 exhibiting companies, with artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and their impact on the future being the main themes of the event.
We created a specific networking area for the project, showcased representative solutions from the MSP community at our stand, alongside FIA Integra SRL, INCDFM, INFLPR, SeedPods SRL, Irisphera SRL and Syndical SRL, and organized a series of interactive activities dedicated to ambitious companies and the business people behind them.
Additionally, we were present on the Business Transformation stage with the session ‘Empowering Growth: Leveraging deep tech innovation for transformative change in emerging markets,’ which explored the significant role of advanced technological innovations – such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and biotechnology – in driving progress in emerging markets.
This panel, held to a full house, focused on how deep technology can address specific challenges in these regions while highlighting strategies and best practices for leveraging these technologies for economic growth, improving quality of life, and sustainable solutions.
Special guests on the panel included Todor Mladenov (Member of the Management Board and Executive Officer at Sofia Tech Park JSC, Sofia, Bulgaria), Derya ÇAĞLAR (General Manager at OstimTeknopark, Ankara, Türkiye), Tasos Vasiliadis (CEO, Institute of Entrepreneurship Development/Founder & CEO, JOIST Innovation Park, Larisa, Greece), and Roxana Lupașcu (Innovation & Business Development Expert at Magurele Science Park, Bucharest, Romania), discussed about the opportunities and challenges that collaboration brings to various industries and how we can achieve strategic objectives with a greater impact.
Understanding the challenges and aspirations of companies seeking international expansion, we were pleased to co-organize European events within the EEN network, such as:
- SlovakiaTech 2024: THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY – held on September 24-25, 2024, in Košice, Slovakia, was a mix between an international professional conference and an innovation and technology fair. The objective of the event was to bring together experts in innovation, industrial technology, transport and logistics, energy, environment, and education, as well as to showcase the innovation potential of companies.
- The Applied Artificial Intelligence Conference 2024 – AAIC24 – took place on October 17 in Vienna, Austria, with a record physical attendance. It was a great opportunity to learn about the latest trends and innovations, discover new ideas, and create visionary artificial intelligence concepts for business transformation. The event’s agenda included presentations from international experts, engaging panel discussions, comprehensive sessions, and one-to-one virtual meetings with over 1,000 participants from around the world. The stated goal was to unite innovators in the field of artificial intelligence from corporate and startup sectors, along with venture capital investors.
3. The Innovating Health Together conference, held on October 15-16, 2024, in Porto, Portugal, connected startups, SMEs, and technology developers working on SmartHealth and eHealth technologies with key players in the healthcare ecosystem, including healthcare service providers, end users, buyer representatives, and investors. It was designed to facilitate interactions that will drive SmartHealth and eHealth solutions, promote strategic partnerships, and discover new business opportunities.
4. The DroneTech World Meeting exhibition took place on October 25 and online, on October 28 and 29, 2024, in Torun, Poland, for the 9th time and demonstrated its experience in bringing together an international group of investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and enthusiasts of the latest unmanned technology.
At the end of the year, we strive to expand our activities and create sustainable partnerships. We invite you to be part of our project! Whether you are an entrepreneur seeking support, a potential partner, or a stakeholder interested in promoting SMEs, collaborating with PROSME can bring significant benefits. Thank you for being with us this year! Together, we can continue to take important steps towards a more sustainable and innovative future for all SMEs. Stay connected with us and celebrate our common achievements!
