National Event on Building Sustainable SMEs in the Engineering Sector in France
Nurturing Responsible Finance, Brand Image, Network Collaboration, and Cultural Alignment By Elma Demir, Researcher and Business Development Manager, IMT-BS Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the driving force of many economies, particularly in the technology sector. While SMEs are often associated with innovation and job creation, the environmental impact of these businesses is often overlooked. […]
SME Cluster Growth Irish National Event
By Laura O’Donovan The MTU Extended Campus hosted its SME Cluster Growth National event on May 19th, 2023, as a free breakfast networking opportunity for MTU staff and SME representatives to meet each other. A boisterous chatter could be heard from 7.20 am onwards until 10 am on a beautiful day in the Bishopstown campus […]
Reflections on ITU Training Days with a Team of Dynamic SME Representatives
By Prof. Dr. Sebnem Burnaz, Istanbul Technical University In Turkey 99.8% of all businesses are small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These businesses provide 73.8% of the total employment, realise 64.5% of the total turnover of the enterprises in the country and 56.3% of the total exports (www.tobb.org.tr). Although these numbers show the importance of SMEs […]
New Online Self-Assessment Tool for SMEs Launched
By Prof. Dr. Elena Garcia Barriocanal, Universidad de Alacalá. Self-assessment can be a powerful tool for SMEs to support sustainable growth. It helps SMEs to monitor performance, identify areas for improvement then develop smart strategies, that engage employees and adapt to changing market conditions. By leveraging the insights from self-assessment, SMEs can position themselves to […]
SME Clusters in Engineering in France
By Elma Emir, Researcher and Business Development Manager Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have long been an integral part of the French economy, accounting for 99.2% of all businesses and 60.5% of all employment in the country. However, the role of SMEs in France has shifted in recent years, with the emergence of digital technologies […]
Student Consultancy in practice
By Laura O’ Donovan, Researcher, MTU Cork As part of the SME Cluster Growth project, Munster Technological University (MTU) reached out to engineering SMEs for a challenge to growth for a Student Consultancy project. Stephen and Declan Bracken of DesignWise Automation in Co. Limerick answered that call and generously gave their time to work with […]
The University of Malaga gets training underway
We are happy to announce that training is well underway on the SME Cluster Growth Mobility and Training Programme. Here are some recent photos from two sessions where project partners at the University of Malaga (UMA) conducted the fourth session of their training project titled: How to engage with universities? This lively session was led […]
A Participant’s Experience
The SME Cluster Growth Mobility and Training Programme is currently underway with participants from six European partner regions taking part. Taking place over a 15-month period, the face-to-face workshop sessions are supplemented by online mentorship sessions offered by the facilitating partners that guide the SMEs towards identifying and taking action towards their growth strategies. In […]
Networking to Survive and Grow
By Laura O’Donovan, Munster Technological University Fred and Judith Graepel took over the running of Graepel’s, a manufacturer of engineered metal products, headquartered in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland in 2007. Fred’s father Harald Graepel established the company in Cork in 1959 and later expanded into England and Scotland. The family history of working with perforated […]
Connecting Clusters
By Samantha Carty, Momentum November 2022, saw nine SME CG project partners from across seven European countries celebrate a successful get together to review almost two years of collaboration between engineering SMEs and HEIs. The transnational partner meeting of the SME Cluster Growth Project was hosted by University of Malaga at Link by UMA-Atech, a meeting […]
