Enterprise Europe Network

The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is the main instrument of the European Commission in helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve their competitiveness and innovation and grow on an international scale.

On the grounds of this objective, the Network is providing free of charge, integrated supporting services, dedicated to the following areas:

• International Partnerships
• Advice for International Growth
• Support for Business Innovation

The Network is co-financed by the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2014-2020 (COSME) and will continue to receive EU Funding for the next programming period 2021-2027. It is the largest SME Support Network in the world with representation in more than 65 countries.

In Cyprus, the Network is represented by the Consortium named Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus (EEN-Cy) and consists of the following organisations: the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI), the European Office of Cyprus and the Research & Innovation Foundation (IDEK), which has the role of coordinator.

The core services of the Network to SMEs are as follows:

• Help expand into new markets
• Identify new market opportunities
• Find reliable business partners abroad
• Organize business meetings for business and technology partnerships
• Facilitate SME’s participation in Matchmaking Events organised by the Network in the framework of international trade fairs
• Provide specific support in understanding EU legislation
• Identify and have better access in funding and financing
• Enhance the innovation management capacity of local SMEs and help in commercialising innovative products and services
• Provide specific support with understanding and protecting Intellectual Property (IP)
• Promote open consultations on new EU business policies and legislation and receive feedback about the real interests of local SMEs

For the purposes of providing advisory and partnering services to SMEs, an EEN Expert is undertaking a company’s needs assessment. Each local EEN Expert is necessary to obtain information about the local company in order to examine its needs and purposes, and identify the actions that will help the company to reach its goals. Such information is company’s size in terms of employees and turnover, company’s products or services, target market, competitors, company’s competencies, advantages and innovations, problems encountered, potential threats, obstacles and areas where the company needs improvement.

EEN have had many success stories in helping businesses in this way. Typical outcomes of advisory and partnering services include:

 

• Market Improvement (position, market share, turnover)
• Increase of the potential to enter into new markets
• Increase of the added value associated with company’s products or services
• Cost savings making the company more competitive
• Job creation or maintenance
• Quality improvement (quality of products or services, satisfaction of company’s clients, company’s legal compliance
• Adoption of an innovative technology or process, Improvement of company’s innovation strategy or innovation management capacity

 

The Network is running also the largest online database of business opportunities in Europe. It contains thousands of business, technology and research cooperation requests and offers from companies and research and development institutions. The database is accessible for free. Any interested company can subscribe to receive alerts on new requests and offers. Take a look at current opportunities.

Take your business to the next level, contact the Network now: http://een.ec.europa.eu/

Local Network contact point:
Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Grivas Digenis Ave. 38, Chamber Building, Ground Floor,
1066, Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel.: +357 22 889749/68/52, Fax.: +357 22 661044,
E-mail: info.eency@ccci.org.cy
URL: http://eencyprus.org.cy/