Organisers
The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)
Set up by the European Commission, EASME aims to help create a more competitive and resource-efficient European economy based on knowledge and innovation. EASME provides high quality support to its beneficiaries, turning EU policy into action.
As an executive agency of the European Commission, EASME manages significant parts of COSME (including the Enterprise Europe Network), LIFE, Horizon 2020 and EMFF, ensuring that actions funded by these programmes deliver results and provide the Commission with valuable input for its policy tasks.
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Growth)
The Directorate-General (DG) for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs is the European Commission service responsible for:
- completing the internal market for goods and services
- helping turn the EU into a smart, sustainable, and inclusive economy by implementing the industrial and sectorial policies of the flagship Europe 2020 initiative
- fostering entrepreneurship and growth by reducing the administrative burden on small businesses
- facilitating access to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- supporting access to global markets for EU companies
- generating policy on the protection and enforcement of industrial property rights, coordinating the EU position and negotiations in the international intellectual property rights (IPR) system and assisting innovators on how to effectively use IP rights
- delivering the EU's space policy via the two large-scale programmes Copernicus (European Earth observation satellite system) and Galileo (European global navigation satellite system), as well research actions to spur technological innovation and economic growth
Austrian Federal Economic Chamber
The Wirtschaftskammer Österreich (WKO) is the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber at national level. The mission of the Economic Chambers is twofold:
- representing businesses’ interests towards government and the EU,
- providing services to businesses (legal, finance, consulting, internationalisation).
WKO, as the public-law representation of all Austrian enterprises, has access to all types of SMEs in Austria, including services and crafts. Furthermore, it has a client base of more than 50,000 enterprises that are active (or interested) in international business. It runs a worldwide network of foreign trade offices with more than 100 contact points.
WKO is member of numerous European associations. It is experienced in internationalisation activities for SMEs and in organising general and specific B2B events. WKO is linked at national level with all relevant business service providers and national authorities.
Austrian Research Promotion Agency
The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is the national funding agency for industrial research and development in Austria. The purpose of the FFG is to promote research, technology, development and innovation for the benefit of Austria.
All FFG activities aim at strenthening Austria as a research and innovation centre on the global market.
The tasks of the FFG are stipulated as follows:
- To manage and finance research projects in the business and science sectors, impulse programmes for the economy and research facilities, and networks fostering cooperation between science and industry.
- To manage cooperative programmes and projects with the EU and other European and international partners.
- To repesent Austria's interests at relevant European and international institutions on behalf of the Austrian government.
- To provide consultation and support to intesify Austria's involvement in European programmes, especially in the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.
- To provide support and strategy development services for decision-makers in the Austrian innovation system.
- To improve public awareness of the importance of R&D.
In addition, the Annual Conference is supported by all Enterprise Europe Network Austria partners:
Business Upper Austria, ICS Internationalisierungscenter Steiermark, ITG Salzburg, SFG Steirische Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft, Standortagentur Tirol, Wirtschaftskammer Kärnten, Wirtschaftskammer Tirol, Wirtschaftskammer Vorarlberg, Wirtschaftskammer Oberösterreich.
