1. The EVITA International Cooperation Program on e-Business Promotion for SMEs Stanislav Sraka, Development agency Sinergija Hatzakis Ilias. Project Manager, GRNET EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

2. The EVITA Project – INTERREG IVC Exchange, Valorisation and Transfer of regional best practice policy measures for SME support on IT and e-business Adoption Description Since the Lisbon Strategy Report of the European Commission in 2001, there is an intense effort combined with series of targeted policies all over Europe for the stimulation of SMEs for IT and e-business. A lot of initiatives have been implemented in all European countries with various levels of success. In some countries, successful regional policy measures in the field have contributed to the faster improvement of SMEs’ access to the Information Society, … whereas … in other regions, especially from the “new” European countries, the IT and e-business penetration seems to find obstacles in its growth. EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

3. EVITA Project In this framework EVITA builds on various good practices developed under different regional or interregional development programs, (namely, the “2Bdigital” program in Catalunya, the GOONLINE initiative and the “e-business forum” mechanism in Greece, the ELISA project in the Balkan area, the “telecenters” in Bulgaria, the “Echangeurs” program in France, the “From insight to action” program in Sweden) in order to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies in the area of the access of SMEs, to knowledge, information, e-business practices and the globalized digital economy in regions with low IT penetration (Southern Aegean- Greece, Yogazapaden-Bulgaria, Pomurska-Slovenia, Latvia, Galicia- Spain). EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

4. EVITA Project Consequentlly, the idea of the project lies in the field of sharing, exchange, valorization, transfer and dissemination of good policy practices on: -> SME support for IT adoption, -> improvement of e-skills of SME professionals -> training on e-business -> e-business practices promotion In this context, the EVITA consortium includes 3 types of partners: a) partners who have implemented “best-practice” policy initiatives for the adoption of IT and e-business practices b) partners representing “Objective 1” regions who are lagging behind in terms of IT and e-business penetration and who are about to design relevant regional policies in the framework of the 2007-2013 Structural Funds funding period c) partners with expertise in e-learning, IT training, SME competitiveness and regional development plans and who can act as catalysts for the successful transfer of the good practices. EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

5. EVITA - Project Partners LP: GRNET, Greek Research & Technology Network Athens, Greece http://www.grnet.grhttp://www.grnet.gr P2: COPCA, Barcelona, Spain www.acc10.catwww.acc10.cat P3: TILLVÄXT VERKET Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Stockholm, Sweden www.nutek.se/sb/d/113 www.nutek.se/sb/d/113 P4: CCIMP Chambre de Commerce et Industrie de Marseilles, Marseilles, France www.ccimp.com P5: Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit, Msida, Malta http://www.ftz.org.mthttp://www.ftz.org.mt P6: CESGA Galicia Supercomputing Centre / Galician e-Commerce Leveraging Centre, Galicia, Spain http://www.cesga.eshttp://www.cesga.es P8: SAR Southern Aegean Region, Greece www.notioaigaio.gov.grwww.notioaigaio.gov.gr P9: RAS Sinergija Development Agency, Moravske Toplice, Slovenia www.ra-sinergija.siwww.ra-sinergija.si P10: LTC Latvian Technological Center, Riga, Latvia http://www.innovation.lv/ltchttp://www.innovation.lv/ltc P13: University of Kaunas, Kaunas, Lithuania http://www.ktu.lthttp://www.ktu.lt EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

6. EVITA main rationale LISBON STRATEGY/ Europe 2020-digital agenda: stimulation of SMEs for IT and e-business / Europe 2020 Digital Agenda Necessity of exchange between countries/ stakeholders Necessity for the right learning tools for SMEs EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

7. a world in transmission: The financial crisis/ especially affects new EU members Revolutionary technology trends both in infrastructure and services terms (cloud computing, grid technology, terra bps networks, smart mobile devices, media convergence and growing multiple accessibility networks) Opening of PSI and the e-participation Web 2.0/ user generated content/ Social media revolution New business models/ globalization Complex digital landscape …But then also … EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011 we already live IN the cloud… (the social cloud)

8. Athens, 8 December 2008 8

9. building social media campaigns for companies

10. measures and ranks your social influence online

11. Main activities of the EVITA Project 6 Study Visits for the presentation of the “best policy initiatives” to all partners, 5 Policy Maker Workshops for the transfer of “best policy initiatives” to local Policy Makers in Latvia, Southern Aeagean, Yugozapaden, Pomurska, Galicia, Creation of a multilingual e-learning platform enriched with multimedia “e-business training content” (Latvian, Greek, Spanish, Maltese, Bulgarian, Slovenian), A seminar for the creation of “e-tutors” task forces, with the certification of 24 e- trainers from Latvia, Bulgaria, Malta, Southern Aegean, Galicia, Slovenia, Identification and benchmarking of the 25 best-fitting policy measures from all over Europe and creation of a best practice guide, Development of 5 regional “IT training strategy reports”, A study on the impact of e-learning on the local SMEs competitiveness, 7 local and 3 external dissemination events to promote the project’s results. EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

12. 12 C1 C2 6 Study visits C3 5 Policy Maker Workshops C4 e -learning platform Training content 1 e-tutor seminar 5 regional IT training strategy reports Best e BSN Policy Measures Guide TUTORS 5 SME seminars 10 Dissemination events Web portal Communication material Study e -learning & SME Competitiveness 6 Consortium meetings Mar 09 Apr 10 Dec 10 Oct 09 May 11 Mar 10 Oct 09Jan 10 Nov 10 Jul 11 6 Project Reports & Payment Claims PM tools EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

13. Evita Project – Expected results The expected results of the project in the targeted areas are - the improvement of relevant regional policies, - the improvement of e-skills and - the increase in IT use and e-business practices adoption by SMEs. In the long term, EVITA aims at sustained impacts on innovation, competitiveness and economic growth in the targeted areas. 13 EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

14. Major tangible outcomes: For Policy Makers: – Study Visits – Corpus report on IT SME training Regional IT strategies for SME IT training – Guides and Studies – Policy Maker Workshops For SMEs: – Multilingual training content on e-business – e-learning platform (moodle)/ multimedia/ online courses – SME seminars 14 EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

15. Analysis of “IT training strategies” in selected countries 1. Identification of countries where the penetration rate of ICT in SMEs is the most important We have crossed four international indicators : Global Information Technology Report (2008-2009) – Key indicator1 : “the use of Internet in the commercial relations” i2010 classification of the European Union – Key indicator2 : “Integration of the ICT in business relation of SMEs with suppliers and/or customers” OECD ICT database and Eurostat, Community Survey on ICT use in enterprises (May 2009) – Key indicator3 : “Internet penetration by size class” – Key indicator4 : “Internet selling and purchasing by industry” 15 EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

16. Identification, census and analysis of “IT training strategies” used in selected countries These strategies have as objective to develop the use of ICT by SMEs on the given territory. These strategies – Are specific “SME IT training” in order to help SMEs on IT – Focus on the use of e-learning by regions or governments – Can be: instruments / tools / techniques / methodologies – Have been evaluated as “best applied” – Fits to the profile to our beneficiary regions EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

17. 14 initiatives selected in 7 countries United States - Switzerland - Denmark Netherlands - Canada - Australia -Ireland

18. 2 main axes to analyse 6 main IT Training Strategies 1- The IT relevance for the user (SME) 2- The public support EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

19. To combine 6 kind of actions : - to accompany SMEs at the different level of IT-maturity From awareness to optimization of the IT implementation - to obtain a synergy of training resources and competencies - to spread and amortize investments on long period - to fit market needs with more flexible training plans Recommendations for an e-Learning region strategy EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

20. “Best European e-business Policy Measures” Guide 1. scout a number of EU “standard and accredited” databases in order to identify the most favorable and successfully policy initiatives (national or regional) related to the promotion of IT (mainly e-Business) to SMEs. DG Enterprise & Industry European e-Business Support Network for SMEs (eBSN) e-Business W@tch Observatory Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) European Information Technology Observatory (EITO) EVITA “IT training Strategy Report” Transnational Cooperation Programmes Databases (ie Interreg, Programme MED etc). 2. Selection in order to meet certain criteria such as: Effectiveness New Media Trends (WEB 2.0 / SEO / SEM etc) Relevance with EVITA project EU recognition EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

21. “Best European e-business Policy Measures” Guide 3. DESCRIPTION Background information. Detailed information Short description Expected or/and Achieved Outcomes, Targets – Results Delivery M Key activities mechanism Web 2.0 relevance Financing Sources Detected impact in region of origin Main lessons learnt Main Challenges Critical Success Factors for the transferability of the practice EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

23. Conclusions Commitment of the Public sector at top level is crucial for the success of any e- Business initiative in order to gain critical mass adoption of new technologies. It enormously facilitates the work needed on awareness and stakeholders' effort ('top down' approach) Private co-management and co-financement is preferable in order to ensure financial sustainability in the long term. The people in charge must have a "technology neutral" vision and be real business experts. Universities have a role to play but practical knowledge is of paramount importance to drive the right changes and transfer knowledge to users. Involve local people in the community to ensure commitment of SMEs which typically cannot be reached with an institutional approach ('bottom up' approach). Don’t waste time and resources obtaining news and website content that is freely available on other sites. Provide links to these communities and add your own value where it really matters. EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

24. Component 4: Tools and implementation e -learning platform Training content 5 SME seminars Oct 09 Nov 10 Oct 09 EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

25. The e-learning platform A multilingual, interactive and user-friendly e-learning platform enriched with the training content. It is a strategic choice to focus on technology enhanced professional learning, having in mind that in the very close future, the technological possibilities, especially mobile and broadband solutions, will change today's learning scenarios and that the provision of e- learning services will grow substantially, to satisfy the growing demand of professionals in SMEs. - videos/ ppts/ courses EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

26. Athens, 8 December 2008 26

27. SME pilot seminars At least 30 SMEs Duration: case by case/ at least 10h SME selection procedure Implementation of an e-learning deployment scenario Local language Multimedia classes/ personal computers EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

28. The training package for SMEs A training content on e-business and the benefits to SME competitiveness. This content aims at improving managerial understanding and skills in e-business by entrepreneurs, based on best practices, local e-government services and is written in easy “business” language. – Basic IT knowledge for SMEs, – Introduction to e-business models and practices – The digital marketing plan – Techniques for attracting visitors to a website – Techniques that convert visits into business contacts – Techniques that convert business contacts into customers – Techniques that create loyalty and develop customers EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011

29. 29 Building an Action Plan Web statistics Target analysis Segmentation Market Analysis Web Analytics StrategyPlanning ActingMeasuring

30. VISITORS LEADS CLIENTS LOYAL CUST. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Ad Campaigns Marketplaces & Directories Email Marketing Public Relations Social Media (SMM) BlogsForums Call-to-Action Affiliate Programs Usability Persuation Offline control Web Analytics Newsletter Selling Persuation Client Orientation Web Analytics Cross selling Newsletter Community Creation Lock In’s

31. Local SEO SEM

32. Lead Partner: GRNET, Ilias Hatzakis, Project Manager, Contacts: e-mail: hatzakis@admin.grnet.gr ; Tel: + 30 210 7474268,hatzakis@admin.grnet.gr Project partner: Development Agency Sinergija, Stanislav Sraka Contact: e-mail: stanislav@ra-sinergija.sistanislav@ra-sinergija.si Thank you! http://www.evita-interreg4c.eu EVITA, Bled Policy Makers Workshop 13/06/2011