What options for the upcoming Industry Policy of the EU, and which needs that SMEs have in the particular field of digitalisation, were the core topics of two events that our Managing Director, Mr. Stefan Moritz, participated in during the last month.
First, on Oct. 7th at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and in cooperation with the German Association of Municipalities and Cities DStGB and BREKO Broadband-Communications Association, he discussed, in the panel about the High-Speed Access for all SMEs and the Digital Service Package, a proposed directive, and its meaning for SMEs.
Then on Nov. 6 th at the Regional Representation of Hesse he was invited by the German Promotional Bank KfW to represent Europe’s SMEs in the discussion about competitiveness and access to finance for digitalisation and innovation together with representatives of the European Commission and the European Promotional Banks association.
In both cases, he advocated for a more down to earth and practical view on SME needs and possibilities, asking for a dedicated support that does not “ fly too high” in specific technologies, but opens spaces for innovation originated by the companies themselves and not head-borne in research centres and universities.
Small and medium-sized companies are used to solve problems. Solving problems every day, in your company or for your customers, stimulates the search for making things easier or more effective, and allows new solutions to come up. But to bring these authentic innovations to the market it needs not only capital, but mainly time and a dedicated, tailor-made support from experts. And when it comes to digitalisation, it needs an independent, not commercially interested assistance to orientate the companies in the jungle of technologies, processes and markets, which is often simply too challenging to be solved alone by a smaller company.
