Why is the participation of SMEs in the EU projects low? Why is the exploitation of the EU projects' results insufficient?

What are the key elements of these issues? What should be changed, improved? Let us know your opinion, be a part of the discussion! Write as at info@b2bloco.eu

SME's in Croatia are occupied with their everyday's struggle at markets, home and abroad and do not have enough capacity to dedicate some time and people to projects. I guess that SME's should be involved through some organizations like chambers and associations and simmilar in connection with these matters. People working on projects must permanently inform and educate people about benefits and advantages of projects and all imapcts that they bring and could bring to SMEs today and in future. I'm talking about Croatian companies trying to survive at market and to internationalize their business activities in our very competitive transition period.

- Dubravka Maras, B2B LOCO Consultation Board Member, Croatia

What are the reasons of low participation, or results utilisation? – Often many FP projects have actually no practical need from the practitioners side, and have been initiated by the researchers themselves. The subjects are not interesting to SMEs, and they can not utilise the results in their business models.
What should SMEs do to improve this? – SMEs do not have much understanding about FPs, and their resources to initiate or participate such projects are limited either. SMEs are fighting their issues in ways they know, meaning Business Management best practices. SMEs would be happy to use results of useful for them FP projects. Fortunately there are many good case studies available about successful SME implemenations of the FP project results (for example Hupac etc).
What should EU do to improve this? – Most critical need is to establish a common database of all FP projects with detailed information about the problem, research and results. Today not only SMEs, but also the researchers themselves are unable to find information, what has been achieved over the years by numerous FP projects completed. Such a database should be even wider, covering also the results of Interreg, ESF and ERDF projects etc.

- Illimar Paul, B2B LOCO Consultation Board Member, Estonia

Efforts spent for short (profit) and long term objectives (sustainable growths) have to be in balance for every SME. Unfortunately EU projects are oriented to support long term oriented efforts and objectives mainly.

- Andris Spulis, Latvia

Usually, results of an FP project are used among the consortium partners who are in the role of Business Cases, and dissemination on results towards external entities is also limited for the project duration. The exploitation of reached results, and thus new opportunities, should follow also after the project duration and beyond the project consortium, maybe using also other tools than only FPs.

- Eva Gelova, Czech Republic

There are many reasons explaining the scarse effective participation of companies in EU initiatives, programmes and projects.
First of all the lack of understanding, know how and experience related to the complexity of ‘Brussels’ rules, programmes, tenders, procedure and funds. Often what is unknown becomes not interesting. And this is a mistake because to miss opportunities means to hamper the growth.
In many cases resources to initiate or participate in projects are limited. There is also a general reluctance to change; a conservative approach which tends to prefer to keep running the business as usual without having to seek for external support or cooperation. This is often linked to a groundless fear to share information or waste time or even worst collaborate with others for common targets.
Take for instance the Marco Polo programme which is specifically intended to help cover initial losses of new intermodal services and logistical innovations. We are talking about something tangible and real. It is worthwhile to take this programme into consideration. A total of 450 million euro is available until 2013 for start-up subsidies for projects with viable business plans. But the truth is that many operators dont even try to apply for funds, even when in the market there are highly qualified companies with vast experience in EU projects that also provide, like the I³ Group (www.i3group.eu) or NEA (www.nea.nl), services for grant applications in support to other companies less familiar with the 'EC World'.
Often there is also distortive vision towards EU project opportunities; companies dont need to change their day to day business in order to be suitable for responding to a tender. That would be a mistake. EC opportunities should be seen as an additional mechanism to do better what companies intend to do every day. A support to sustain growth and reach the targets.

The questions now are: Do you want to explore business opportunities in the 'EU World'? Do you want to enlarge your vision, turn your requirements into appropriate solutions and your ideas into tangible business?
If the answer is yes, then be aware there is a great variety of opportunities offered by the EC and embracing all fields of business and tailored to any kind of stakeholder, spamming from universities to industrial undertakings.

- Dr. Walter Vassallo, Italy