Growth in Europe and in Italy passes largely through support to the fabric of small and medium-sized enterprises, including through field assistance to promote innovation and help them compete in the global market. The activity of the Enterprise Europe Network fits into this line, the European Commission's support network for SMEs to promote their internationalisation, innovation and research, now called upon to play a crucial role in facilitating companies' access to new EU programmes, respectively Horizon2020 for research and innovation and COSME to support competitiveness. These are the themes at the center of the annual meeting of the network, inserted among the events of the Italian semester of Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which has gathered over 800 delegates from over 50 countries in these days in Turin, at the Pala Alpitour members of the network, representing around 600 organisations.
The balance of the activity carried out so far by the network, referred to the whole network, appears positive. From 2008 to 2013 about 1.350. 000 operators took part in the events organized by EEN, about 230.000 specialist services on internationalization and innovation were provided to SMEs (patents, technological audits; business reviews; market surveys; funding research, etc.), over 137.000 participants in BtoB and entrepreneurial missions organized by the network for a total of around 350.000 one-to-one meetings between operators. In the same period, thanks to the assistance of EEN, a total of 11.467 international partnership agreements between operators were concluded, of which 3.490 in the commercial field, 3.717 in technology transfer and 4.280 in research.
Also with reference to our country, in a context of persistent difficulties for small businesses as a result of the crisis and due to restrictions in access to credit, the data seem encouraging. EEN Italia ranks among the first places in Europe in terms of results obtained and services provided to SMEs in the period 2008-2013: 1.084 agreements concluded between Italian and foreign operators, thanks to the assistance provided, of which: 291 commercial, 264 technological, 529 of research. And again from 2008 to 2013 around 9.546 specialist services in the field of internationalization and innovation provided to SMEs (patents, technological audits; business reviews; market surveys; funding research, etc.), over 15.600 participants in BtoB initiatives and organized business missions from the network for a total of around 41.694 one-to-one meetings between Italian operators and foreign partners. It is therefore time for balance sheets and new challenges for the network. Present in over 50 countries (the 28 EU Member States and other countries, both European and non-European, including many emerging economies) with around 4.000 experts, the Enterprise Europe Network represents the largest network of free services to businesses globally.
In our country, organized territorially into 5 consortia (Alps, BRIDG€conomies, Cinema, Friend Europe, Simpler), EEN Italia has over 50 members, including: chambers of commerce, entrepreneurial organizations at local level (including Confindustria, Confcommercio , Confesercenti), research and innovation promotion centers (such as CNR, ENEA, APRE), universities, territorial development bodies. Enterprise Europe Network offers SMEs, and the organizations that collaborate with them (Universities, Research Centers, business incubators), a wide range of free services ranging from the identification of potential partners for commercial, research and technology transfer purposes ( also through its own dedicated database which has around 19.000 profiles); to the organization of B2B business meetings and entrepreneurial missions, to timely information on programmes, funding, calls for tenders and opportunities in the European Union. The network also provides assistance and updates on market access procedures, patents, trademarks, legislation and European standards.
A sort of compass to guide the opportunities offered to SMEs in the EU to innovate and compete in international markets, specifically aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises that more than others struggle to take advantage of the tools and programs available at European level. A role also recently recalled by the European Commissioner for Industry Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, who in his speech at the Assembly of European SMEs in Naples in recent weeks spoke of a strengthening of the network and added "we are trying to improve the functioning of the network Enterprise Europe Network on which we aim to inform companies ever more and better about the opportunities reserved for them both in the EU market and in third countries” The first 2014 years of EEN activity ended in December 7 and a new composition of the EEN began in January network that will operate for the next 5 years. The moment therefore appears propitious to sum up and start a reflection on the results achieved. During the Turin conference, awards will be given to members of the network who have distinguished themselves in their services to businesses, for the important results achieved. In this regard, the Italian candidates are worth noting: Aster and the other members of the Italian Network for the communication sector, Veneto Innovazione for the commitment given in business services from 2008 to 2013, Innovhub of the Milan Chamber of Commerce for partner research.
Also in her speech at the SME Assembly in Naples, Commissioner Nelli Feroci also recalled the need "for this Network to team up with the territory, creating synergies with all those operators who can then inform businesses". It is the effort that sees the various members of Entrerprise Europe Network engaged at a local level and in the future it will be necessary to improve teamwork more and more to better develop the potential of the Network. On the other hand, a widespread presence in the territory through points of contact represented by individuals who have long been active in business services and consolidated international relationships are some of the main strengths of the Enterprise Europe Network. Just an Italian research on EEN, conducted by the Department of Enterprise Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata , a member of network, highlights the ability of the network to create a system for sharing innovation and knowledge, which proves to be resilient to changes in the economic system. The study also observes for the period 2011-2013 how Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and Poland have played the role of hub in this system. The network shows an organization in cohesive communities characterized by a considerable overlap that facilitates and supports the sharing of knowledge. The presence of such communities allows members to strengthen ties through the effect of trust, skills, competences and reputation, mitigating the consequences of any asymmetries. This new type of internal organization leads us to reflect on how we can fully benefit from the strength of the networks that represent a driving force for innovation, spreading the results and improving their quality.
