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Empowering the green and digital transformation of SMEs

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The manufacturing industry – a sector mainly built on SMEs – is a strong asset for the European economy and an important driver of employment and prosperity. However, it is also energy intensive, responsible for one fifth of EU greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing advanced digital technologies will lead to more circular processes and efficient and flexible products.

The COVID-19 crisis has sped up the adoption of digital and advanced technologies in companies, leading to a new industrial revolution. Advanced digital technologies can lead to more efficient and flexible products that replace less resource-efficient technologies and circular economy processes that optimize resource sharing, circulation, and longevity. Moreover, the geopolitical situation and recent developments in energy prices have highlighted the need to accelerate this change.

However, the EU SME Strategy for a Sustainable and Digital Europe outlines that only 17% of EU SMEs have successfully integrated digital technologies into their businesses, compared to 54% of large companies. The uptake of advanced technology solutions by manufacturing SMEs remains a challenge. Most SMEs have limited capacities and capabilities to enable the business transformation towards more competitive and sustainable business models. Challenges include a lack of know-how and skills, organizational capacity, collaboration, and cooperation.

Many SMEs are not aware of the potential benefits of interacting with existing EU support networks and initiatives due to the fragmentation of these support schemes. Moreover, the transition to advanced technology also presents socio-economic challenges for SMEs. Social innovation should be integrated as a tool to enable sustainable business transitions and maximize mutual benefits.

To overcome these challenges, the MANTRA project will directly support a group of 50 manufacturing SMEs in the form of a €50,000 grant, with a dedicated process in which they learn and unlock their digital and technological potential within a sustainable business model. This ‘transformation journey’ has been designed to overcome the main socio-economic challenges and current barriers for the uptake of advanced technologies and social innovation, empowering SMEs to reap the benefits of the digital and green transitions.

“MANTRA will launch a scalable capacity building programme to provide manufacturing SMEs with the financial and technical support needed to become more sustainable, competitive and resilient.” -Miriam Miranda, project coordinator from Zabala Innovation

 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HADEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

SECPhO is a cluster based on Spain that brings together more than 180 organisations that promote technological innovation through deep tech in all sectors of our economy. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Rina-C is a global network specializing in energy transition, ESG, and digitalisation, based in Italy. They are responsible for providing assessment and advisory services to the selected SMEs undergoing digital and technological transformation. This includes due diligence assessments, matchmaking tech-savvy and traditional SMEs, share best practices in co-creation labs, and offering tailored solutions and recommendations for practical implementation as part of the advisory services.

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Babele is a social enterprise based in Romania, that acts as a catalyst for systemic innovation, uniting a global network of universities, corporations, NGOs, and social entrepreneurs to co-create impactful solutions to address global issues such as climate change and poverty, while fostering resilience in the face of its effects. They are responsible for developing, building, and managing the digital platform for SME recruitment, overseeing the capacity-building and support program, and connecting innovation communities, EU networks, and SME support initiatives. The platform will function as a hub for knowledge exchange and a community of practice.

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Greenovate! Europe is a not-for-profit network of organisations dedicated to sustainable innovation. It develops sustainability projects and provides innovation support to researchers, companies and policymakers. The project partner based in Belgium, is responsible for the communication and dissemination activities of the MANTRA project. Their goal is to maximize the project’s impact by raising awareness, building a stakeholder community, and sharing open project results in a way that ensures they are actionable and exploitable by stakeholders.

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INES TEC is a research & development institute located on the campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, located in Portugal. They oversee the role of identifying the needs and barriers of SMEs to create the most favorable capacity-building support services. They will connect European specialised business support structures, networks, and organizations to build-up an innovative value-added support ecosystem for SMEs.

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EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe. They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe.
They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

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Cetim is a technological accelerator dedicated to industrial transformation. It brings the best of research to French industries and offers a comprehensive solution combining consulting and engineering services. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Zabala Innovation is an international consultancy firm specialising in consultancy services for both R&D and Innovation management, based in Spain. As project coordinators for MANTRA, Zabala ensures smooth project management and defines the criteria to select and prioritise the manufacturing SME projects that will be funded through the project to unlock their digital and technological potential and build sustainable business models.

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