The second meeting of the Enterprise Europe Network Hellas consortium was an effective follow-up to February’s opening meeting. Held on September 29-30, 2022 in Patras, it was supported by the Federation of Industries of Peloponnese and Western Greece and the Ionian Islands (SEVPEDE).
The Deputy Governor of Entrepreneurship, Research & Innovation in the Region of Western Greece Fokion Zaimis held an insightful speech. He referred to the region’s potential for development, highlighting not only the need to bridge research and entrepreneurship, but also the role that can be played by academic institutions and the research centres of Western Greece.
In his greeting, Nikos Kotsonis, Director General of SEVPEDE, welcomed the partners and pointed out the benefits of Enterprise Europe Network services in supporting small and medium enterprises. The president of SEVPEDE Kleomenis Barlos spoke of the productive collaborations that are carried out with the support of the Network, which are also solutions for further development of every business.
The contributions of the European Commission executives were particularly useful.
Muriel De Grande, Head of Sector-Enterprise Europe Network & EEN partnerships at the European Council for Innovation and Small and Medium Enterprises (EISMEA), online from Brussels, explained that many Scientific and Technological Hubs have been flourished in Greece, especially Patras.
She also informed participants about the Network’s new digital platform, an important customer management tool for small and medium enterprises - recipients of the Network’s services.
Makis Tikfesis, responsible for the monitoring of Enterprise Europe Network Hellas and Project Advisor at EISMEA, presented the current results of the Greek consortium in comparison to previous years and to other consortiums, explaining the promising image. Christos Skouras, EEN policy officer at DG GROW/D.2, referred to the service policies for small and medium enterprises.
In a particularly useful presentation, the consortium’s co-ordinator Dr. Achilleas Barlas examined in detail the advanced services of the Network and the properties of the Client journey.
Spyros Kellidis, Business & HR Consultant at ANKO Western Macedonia SA, gave directions for the compilation of business profiles of Greek SMEs who are looking for international partnerships.
The consortium’s Communication Adviser Panagiotis Frantzis of the side of the National Documentation Centre (EKT) featured key performance indicators, results and good practices.
Nikoleta Mouratidou, Marketing and Communications Officer at the Federation of Industries of Greece (SBE), reviewed the operational decisions for the Network’s capacity building.
The Network’s approach on sustainability was introduced by Constantinos Koutsogiannis, Sustainability Advisor at PRAXI Network.
Dr. Nikos Karampekios, Head of EKT’s Innovation and Networking Unit, provided an update on the services and good practices for resilience.
George Profitiliotis, Foresight Expert at PRAXI Network, presented the FUTURE PROOF tool.
Varvara Vasilaki, Innovation and Sustainability Expert at EKT, discussed the progress in the thematic area of digitalization.
The busy schedule concluded late in the afternoon of Friday 30th of September 2022, with the established team photo. Teamwork and exceptional co-operation, more than ever, is a critical factor for success of the Network in the new challenging conditions.
Enterprise Europe Network
The Enterprise Europe Network is the largest business support network in the world. It consists of 600 partner organisations, 3,000 specialised staff and 17 expert groups in respective industrial sectors, in more than 60 countries. Since 2008, it has helped 2.9 million businesses to innovate and grow internationally, while, to date, 475,000 small and medium-sized businesses have trusted the Network’s consulting services.
In Greece, the Enterprise Europe Network -Hellas consortium consists of 16 organisations recognised in the field of innovation and SMEs, including industry associations, research, technology and banking institutions, as well as chambers of commerce and industry.