Annual Conference of the Enterprise Europe Network - world's largest SME support network meets in Vienna

At the Annual Conference of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the world's largest network for small and medium-sized enterprises with international ambitions, will meet in Vienna. At the invitation of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Austrian EEN partners and the European Commission, around 800 experts from 60 countries are expected at Messe Wien from 23 to 25 October 2018. The conference under the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU will focus on how support and services for innovative SME need to look like in the future and how the network can support enterprises even better so that they can take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the European Internal Market. The EEN is the European Commission's SME flagship project and can look back on ten successful years: Since 2008, around 2.6 million SMEs have benefited from the EEN; in Austria around 73,000 SMEs have received substantial support.

 

The event will be opened by Irmfried Schwimann, Deputy Director General (DG GROW, European Commission). The Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ) is represented by Vice President Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG by Managing Director Henrietta Egerth. Matthias Tschirf, head of the section responsible for enterprise policy, will represent the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW). Paul Hughes, founder of the Circle of Growth, will give a keynote speech on "Collaboration: The Difference that Makes the Difference".

 

What kind of innovation services will Europe's businesses need in the future? How do European companies assess their activities in the Internal Market? And how should the Enterprise Europe Network be further developed in the next EU financial period to meet the needs of SMEs in Europe and beyond? These are just some of the questions that will be discussed at the EEN's tenth Annual Conference. 

 

The Enterprise Europe Network is funded by the European Union's COSME programme. Within the EEN, 3,000 experts work in some 600 organisations (chambers, research promotion agencies, business associations, universities) in more than 60 countries. The EEN offers comprehensive services such as  the initiation of international cooperations, advice on EU laws and the Internal Market, innovation support as well as the introduction of technologies in new markets.

 

The Austrian Enterprise Europe Network Consortium consists of eleven partners coordinated by WKÖ and FFG.

 

For further information please contact:

Staff Department EU Coordination

Iris Marlovits, Mag.

Phone: +43 5 90 900 4320

iris.marlovits@wko.at