The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), a member of the INSME network, played a prominent role during Startup Grind Global 2026, held in the heart of Silicon Valley. Happening from April 28 to 29, the three-day event hosted over 5,000 founders, investors, and builders to focus on AI scalability and early-stage fundraising….
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The European Commission has officially presented the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), a major legislative proposal aimed at increasing Europe’s industrial competitiveness, accelerating decarbonisation and strengthening strategic autonomy in essential industrial sectors. Published on 4 March 2026 by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, the initiative targets raising manufacturing’s share of EU GDP…
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INSME, in collaboration with the University of Florence, has launched a two-week advanced training programme for Italian women entrepreneurs as part of the SheEmpower Project, funded by the EU under the Interreg NEXT MED programme. The initiative aims to support and strengthen the competitiveness of women-led SMEs and startups through targeted support and capacity-building initiatives…
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The Confapi Padova General Assembly “La locomotiva allo scambio” took place on May 8th at Villa Molin, in Padua, Italy. INSME’s President Sergio Arzeni participated in the event and contributed to the discussion through his intervention on the potential, the current obstacles, and the urgent needs of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Against a backdrop…
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This question will frame the discussions of the 22ⁿᵈ INSME Annual Meeting, taking place on October 12ᵗʰ and 13ᵗʰ in Athens, Greece. Our flagship annual event will be co-organized with our Member Enterprise Greece, the official investment and trade promotion agency of Greece, operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attract foreign direct investment…
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On April 16 and April 29, the INSME Academy held two engaging webinars as part of the deliverables of the Fab-bus project, funded by the EU and led by ANIMA under the Euromed Clusters Forward programme. The first webinar, titled “Communication and Culture in Internationalisation Strategies: How to support SMEs market expansion in the Euromed…
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The INSME member BVMW hosted its flagship annual event, the BVMW Future Day, on April 15 in Berlin. Recognised as one of the largest gatherings dedicated to the German Mittelstand, the event brought together more than 8,000 participants from around the world, including SMEs, innovators, institutions, and international stakeholders, for a full day of exchange,…
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On December 11, 2025, the European Commission adopted the Horizon Europe Work Programme for 2026–2027, outlining the funding opportunities available under Horizon Europe, the EU €93.5 billion funding programme for research and innovation, running from 2021 to 2027. With a total budget of €14 billion, the work programme prioritizes climate action, allocating at least 35%…
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On December 5-6, Trade Promotion Europe (TPE) held its General Assembly, a two-day event that brought together members and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss key challenges in trade promotion and the future of European export support. Hosted by FIT, the General Assembly served as a platform for deepening the collective understanding of the challenges…
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The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has launched a new protection system of Geographical Indications (GIs) for Craft and Industrial products (CIGI). In 2023 the EU institutions entrusted EUIPO to manage the EU system for protecting craft and industrial products whose quality, value, and reputation can be attributed to their geographical origin. This topic…
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