1. Networking businesses for innovative ideas and better SME policies in regions – interim E-teams approach experiences Marcin Baron, Project Co-ordinator baron@ae.katowice.pl www.eteams.ae.katowice.pl

2. E-TEAMS OBJECTIVE To create European platform with sustainable regional and interregional organizational structures for SME support with specific focus on inter- nationalization.

3. E-TEAMS APPROACH Entrepreneurs [E-teams] provide feedback on existing and planned SMEs support policies. Regional policy makers [MAP groups] analyse existing SMEs support policies and elaborate new approaches.

4. Policy makers from 8 EU regions participated in benchlearning exchange programme to reflect upon SME policies in the twinning regions. 8 regional benchmarking reports on SME support policies were elaborated.

5. On the background of real business cases, SMEs provide constant interregional feedback to existing policies and practices as well as propose solutions for the future.

6. European Benchlearning Report on SME support policies and practices as well as Interregional Report on SMEs experiences and expectations towards SME support system were elaborated. www.eteams.ae.katowice.pl

7. Debates leading to creation of regional implementation strategies for better SME support instruments have been started.

8. LESSONS LEARNED Too many projects and platforms involving policy makers diminish the critical mass necessary to add value to economy. Many of the projects approaching SMEs become arenas for complaints instead of boosting their performance. SMEs expectations towards SME policies tend to be much closer to the idea of welfare state (or even centrally planned economy) than to market economy. Participation dilemma: weak SMEs join all possible workshops to sit and talk, while good SMEs do their business. Policy inputs are based on mirages of dreamers instead of being driven by market-related expectations of innovative doers?

9. LESSONS LEARNED Regional and local policy makers tend to blame EU or national regulations as well as lack of SMEs involvement in economic debates, whereas these prerequisites are the same for successful and unsuccessful actors and will not be changed in short nor medium term. Sharing best practices without failure stories may lead to inefficient copy & paste structures and organizations. SMEs and policy makers are tired with animators, facilitators, etc.

10. LESSONS LEARNED Animating individual actions cannot be successful without supporting systems for leveraging growth and revenue creation (e.g. in business-academia links or B2B actions). Utilizing fragmented SME support practices consumes too much time and money for average firm and brings limited add value to regional economy. Challenge for Objective III programs: differences in business culture, lack of language skills and problems with understanding country specific regulations are still a barrier to internationalization within the EU.

11. CONCLUSION SME policies at every level of European governance should encompass: deep market orientation of policy instruments; reflection upon the needs of dynamic and innovative SMEs; promoting systematic approach on regional level; opening opportunities for innovative interregional actions.

12. LEAD PARTNER The Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice Slaskie, Poland PROJECT PARTNERS Bautzen Innovation Center Sachsen, Germany Coventry University Enterprises Ltd. West Midlands, UK Incubator of New Enterprises of Chania Kriti, Greece Institute Pedro Nunes Centro, Portugal Klaipeda Regional Development Agency Lietuva, Lithuania Södertörns högskola University College Stockholm, Sweden Terrassa City Council Catalun y a, Spain University of Girona Technological Trampoline Catalun y a, Spain University of Oulu Pohjois-Suomi, Finland www.eteams.ae.katowice.pl eteams@ae.katowice.pl Marcin Baron Project Co-ordinator baron@ae.katowice.pl mobile: +48 600980523 office: +48 322577120 fax: +48 322577113 skype: marcin.baron