SME Assembly 2022: Keeping the spirit alive! 

Editorial

European SME Week 2022 has concluded – and what a week it was! In this issue of the SME Week newsletter, we keep the spirit of SME Week alive by bringing you all the news from the event, including highlights from all three days of the SME Assembly 2022, the results of the European Enterprise Promotion (EEPA) Awards, the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards and this year’s Youth Essay Competition.

Another big attraction at this year’s SME Assembly was the Schumpeter ‘Innovation in Enterprise’ Lecture, delivered by Professor Luc Soete, Dean of the Brussels School of Governance, you can read more about it below.

Also in this issue, we introduce you to some of the entrepreneurs from Secrets of Success 2022–2023: 33 Under 33 and to some innovative Ukrainian companies that are managing to make an impact despite the devastation caused by Russian aggression in their country.

Finally, we would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to the SME Week community for your participation and support – it is thanks to you that the event goes from strength to strength every year.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you too – so please share with us stories that you believe will be of interest to the wider SME community, along with your news and updates to be featured in an upcoming newsletter, or on the Promoting Enterprise News Portal!

SME Assembly 2022 - The highlights!

On the Promoting Enterprise portal we have brought you the highlights from the first three days of the SME Assembly 2022, which includes the Schumpeter’ Innovation in Enterprise’ Lecture from Professor Luc Soete, and a keynote speech from Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs and various animated panel discussions on SMEs and entrepreneurship.

You can also check out the highlights from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 of the event. For images from the event, you can view our Flickr gallery, and go to our YouTube channel for a video review of the event.

EEPA Awards - The results are in! 

The results of this year’s EEPA Awards were announced during the SME Assembly 2022 in Prague, with the Grand Jury prize going to the Belgian project Love to be Free by UNIZO, which was also the winner in Category 2 - Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills.

Find out more about the winners in each of the EEPA categories here.

Hungary's Viktória Vass takes Youth Essay Competition prize

Viktória Vass, a 20-year-old from Hungary, was proclaimed the winner of this year’s SME Week Youth Essay Competition during the SME Assembly 2022. In her essay, she argued that our continent is full of alternative energy possibilities, and we should work together to maximise their potential. She emphasised how “we should not think of a Europe powered by green energy as a far-fetched dream any longer.’’

Read more about Viktória and her essay here.

Schumpeter Lecture: Translate ideas into sustainable development

Speaking at this year’s annual Schumpeter ‘Innovation in Enterprise’ Lecture at the SME Assembly 2022 in Prague, Professor Luc Soete, Dean of the Brussels School of Governance, emphasised the critical importance that innovative SMEs play as engines of transformation for the European economy. However, he asked whether there is currently a shortage of new ideas/knowledge on how to achieve sustainable development or is there rather a shortage of innovative entrepreneurs willing to take risks.

Professor Soete's lecture is the seventh of a series; and you can watch it again here: 

Read more about Professor Soete’s lecture here.

European Small and Mid-Cap Awards winners announced in Prague

This year’s SME Assembly also hosted the 10th edition of the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards, organised by the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), European Issuers and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

The variety of awards were handed out to excellent SMEs from across Europe that have accessed capital markets via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the preceding two calendar years

At the ceremony, awards were handed out to the Star of 2022, the Star of Innovation, the International Star and the Rising Star, in addition to a special mention to recognise an initiative, an individual or a company that has had a significant impact on small and mid-cap issuers accessing capital markets.

You can read all about the worthy winners here.

Secrets of Success 2022-2023, 33 under 33 List: meet the first 4

This year, in the spirit of the European Year of Youth and under the auspices of European SME Week, we have launched the new Secrets of Success 2022–2023: 33 Under 33 List with the aim of identifying and promoting 33 promising young entrepreneurs from across the 33 EU & COSME countries. Four entrepreneurs from this list were selected to participate in a Secrets of Success session at this year´s SME Assembly 2022. We will be introducing you to the other entrepreneurs on the list on the Promoting Enterprise portal soon, so make sure to visit regularly.

Read about the first four here.

How export-oriented Ukrainian companies adapt to the war

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian business has suffered significant losses. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, about 40% of enterprises have stopped operating or are on the verge of closing, and the total direct losses to small and medium-sized businesses since February 24 are estimated at more than one hundred billion dollars. This article looks at how Ukrainian companies are adapting, from the viewpoint of a wooden pallet manufacturer.

Read more here.

Software for airports: how a Ukrainian start-up helps fly around the world

Airports are hives of activity, with technical support, emergency and rescue services, loaders, crews, warehouse facility and dozens of other elements to coordinate. This article looks at the work of INPUT SOFT, a Ukrainian start-up developing a SaaS platform for optimisation of human and technical resources and data analysis in airports.

Read more here.

Stay up to date

Make sure that you are following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop!

You can also watch sessions from the SME Assembly 2022 again - just head to our YouTube channel. Don’t forget that there are photos from the event available for you on the Promoting Enterprise Flickr and you can relive the SME Assembly 2022 via the app.

Is there something else you would like to see on our channels, or perhaps you need our help to spread the word about your innovative activities?

Just get in touch at promotingenterprise@gopacom.eu and let us know.

© European Union, 2022

The information and views set out in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The European Enterprise Promotion Awards is a key initiative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. This publication is financed under the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, which is mostly managed by the EISMEA - European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.