The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe, gathering regions from 25 countries—from Norway to Turkey and from Georgia to Portugal. The AER is present everywhere on the European continent, inside and outside the European Union. It is the place to be for regional stakeholders across Europe: for politicians, officers, experts and activists.

Integradde is a H2020 project that aims to develop an end-to-end Digital Additive Manufacturing (AM) solution, based on DED technologies [ Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) for manufacturing of complex geometries in medium-sized components with higher accuracy, and Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for simpler geometries with higher deposition rates] enabling a cybersecured bidirectional dataflow for a seamless integration across the entire AM chain.

The Esade Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics (EsadeGeo) performs research on economic globalization and its interactions with geopolitics and global governance, creating knowledge on the links between business, economic and social leadership, social realities, and global governance. Its staff, including expert researchers, also provides an interdisciplinary forum where scholars and political, business, and social leaders actively debate international matters and their local impact.

ICONS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bridge the gap between science and society through science communication, social and business innovation. ICONS supports researchers and innovators in maximising their impacts on society through impactful strategies involving citizens, scientists, investors, policy makers and the media.

At Pronovea we focus on delivering industry leading business conferences for our clients. Drawing on more than 20+ years of industry experience, we bring together the leading experts to provide best-in-class knowledge sharing events.

In the European Standardisation System, Small Business Standards' mission is to: Represent the interests of SMEs in the standardisation process; Raise their awareness about standardisation and facilitating their uptake of standards; Motivate them to engage in the standardisation process. The association represents the interests of 12 million SMEs through 21 SME member organisations.

The European Commission initiated the establishment of a European Advanced Manufacturing Support Centre to help SMEs assess the possibility of adopting both advanced manufacturing solutions as well as social innovation strategies thereby transforming their organization towards next-generation factories with more competitive, modern and sustainable production.

The Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy (CEDRE) has an excellent internationally reputation for its expertise and knowledge in nurturing the development of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial regions and regional innovation systems. The Centre, founded in 2004, is part of the Department of Management & Organisation within the School of Business in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), Ireland.

The Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee (COLEACP) is a private sector interprofessional association not-for-profit established in 1973 by stakeholders in the international fruit and vegetable trade. COLEACP is a network of companies, professional organisations and experts, committed to inclusive and sustainable agriculture. Operationally, COLEACP is a technical assistance tool supporting a sustainable and inclusive development of the private sector (SMEs)and the enabling environment (incl. competent authorities) in 50 countries (outside the EU). Since its creation, COLEACP has been managing development projects in the ACP agricultural and food sector, financed by international donors (mainly EU). The overall objective of the current EU programmes (Fit for Market and Fit for Market SPS) is to reduce poverty, improve food security and food safety, and ensure sustainable and inclusive growth by strengthening the agri-food sector in ACP countries. The specific objective is to enable smallholders, farmer groups and organisations,and MSMEs to access domestic, regional and international markets by complying with SPS issues and market requirements, in a sustainable framework.

ECGI is a global research network and international scientific non-profit association providing a forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators, and practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance and stewardship issues. It is a membership organisation open to all those with an interest in corporate governance and stewardship. Its 327* appointed research members publish their work on corporate governance in the ECGI Working Paper Series, a trusted source of global research used by practitioners and academics worldwide. *as at 24 May 2021.

AUSTRALO is a marketing agency for Science and Deep Tech. Our strategy is based on the 3-Cs of Value (CAPTURE - CREATE - CAPITALIZE), helping our clients and partners unlock the full potential of Research and Innovation with Growth Hacking. We don't just follow traditional marketing practices; we innovate and adapt them to meet the demands of rapidly evolving disruptive ideas. Our team is passionate about driving impact for scientific findings, cutting-edge technology, digital transformation and entrepreneurship. With a full-stack service portfolio of digital marketing campaigns, innovation management plans, and go-to-market exploitation roadmaps, we work with organizations from all sizes and interests.

Fire Safe Europe (FSEU) is a unique alliance of fire experts, firefighters, associations, and international companies. FSEU’s mission is to improve fire safety in buildings for people and society.

Acavent is a worldwide organizer of scientific conferences, workshops, and exhibitions. Our international company headquarters is based in Vilnius, Lithuania and we already have 10 years of experience in the events industry. Acavent is specialized in creating an academic environment for those who seek new ideas, new achievements, highly skilled academic people, and colleagues all over the world. As a Professional Conference Organizer, Acavent creates, organizes and plans conferences and events in various fields of science. Acavent also offers a thorough list of services required in organizing and holding in-person and online conferences for organizations, companies, and academic institutions. At Acavent, we gather professors, scholars, students, scientists, profit and non-profit organizations, research centers, fast-growing startups, and policymakers, to share ideas, knowledge and skills, to network and foster collaborative interdisciplinary research.

TCBL is a community of like-minded individuals, labs and companies who are working together on the many elements that will contribute to creating a more circular and sustainable European Fashion, Textile & Clothing sector.TCBL Association is the non-profit that carries forth the Horizon 2020 TCBL Project that ended in 2019.

European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME (Confédération Européenne des Associations de Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) is the largest confederation of voluntarily associated small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in We are a Brussels-based business federation which currently counts 27 European associations among its members, with more than million enterprises, employing over 20 million people. It maintains relationships with 15 partner associations in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

ifempower wishes to empower females to get engaged in self-employment and entrepreneurship especially in SMEs. Based on a preparatory research on the role of females in European SMEs, investigating the main roles, hindrances, gaps and market needs, the project will elaborate a module for university students which can support to broaden their knowledge on entrepreneurship related topics, providing hands-on training to support their engagement in self-employment and entrepreneurship. This module will be jointly developed by partners, accredited and launched at partner universities for 2-4 semesters. ifempower gathers partners from two pillars of the knowledge triangle, namely businesses, business support organizations and universities and will make important efforts to engage the government sector to channel in the results of the project. Involvement of the civil sphere is assured through ASPs. The project represents an innovative and participatory approach by providing a mentorship programme for participating students by connecting them to entrepreneurs. Apart from developing curricula, the project will launch personal consultancy for interested students to provide further support for their engagement and online support toolkit. This project began on September 2018 and will last 3 years. It is under the lead of HÉTFA Research Institute Hungary.

European Business Service Alliance (EBSA) brings together the European associations within the business services sector. Business services are important for the European economy, however they are often invisible in our everyday lives.EBSA’s vision is to achieve an internal market for business services in the EU, and to gain recognition for the important role business services play in the European economy.EBSA therefore work on increasing knowledge, visibility and recognition of the business services industry at the European level and promote the convergence of views and positions expressed by European Business Services associations in order to enhance our ability to make strong representations to the EU Institutions and other relevant European and international stakeholders.

The China IP SME Helpdesk supports European Union (EU) Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to both protect and enforce their Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in or relating to Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan through the provision of free information and services. These take the form of jargon-free, first-line, confidential advice on intellectual property and related issues, plus training, materials and online resources. The Helpdesk's free services for European SMEs include: Helpdesk Enquiry Service – Confidential Advice Individual SMEs and SME intermediaries can submit IPR enquiries directly to the Helpdesk via phone, email or in person, getting access to a panel of experts to receive free and confidential first-line advice. Send your queries to [email protected] to receive and expert reply within three working days. Training The Helpdesk arranges training on China IPR protection and enforcement in Europe and China, tailored to the needs of SMEs: General IPR issues, including IP registration and establishing an IP protection strategy. Practical business challenges such as choosing a Chinese business partner, attending a trade fair, licensing. Helpdesk IPR Clinics offering SMEs free 20-minute one-on-one consultations with an IP expert are available at many training events. Train-the-trainer resources for SME service providers and intermediary bodies to improve the awareness of intermediary representatives about the scope and tools offered by the China IPR SME Helpdesk. Materials Browse the Helpdesk industry and business-focused guides and training materials that address China IPR issues by: IP Factsheets for Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. IP topic, including patents, trade marks, copyrights, licensing, dealing with counterfeiting. Business focus, including IP as a business asset, technology transfer, finding the right lawyer. Industry, including textiles, medical devices, ceramics etc. How to guide for step-by-step guidance to complete IP protection or registration processes in China Online Services The multi-lingual online portal () provides easy access for all EU SMEs to Helpdesk information and services, including Helpdesk guides, E-learning modules, event information, live webinars, infographics, podcasts and the Serious Game.

FundingBox is the go-to platform for innovators in the quest for funding and investors and corporates hunting for the next unicorn. FundingBox supports entrepreneurs at every stage of their growth journey with adapted public and private funding opportunities. Besides, FundingBox helps corporates and VCs to find the perfect start-up and scale-up match so that they can boost their innovation processes and maximise their return on investment. And because it is not only about the amount of money but also how it is invested that makes a difference, the deep tech communities in the FundingBox platform gather over 30,000 funding stakeholders willing to shape the destiny of others in a brighter way by sharing experiences and thus triggering exponential ; More information at:

The Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP) is a non-for-profit, independent research foundation working, since 2015, on science-based climate change mitigation, energy efficiency and renewable energy policy, with an international interdisciplinary team of experts generating and disseminating scientific knowledge.