The Future Day combined a high-level conference programme with a dynamic exhibition area. It featured keynote speeches, panel discussions with renowned experts, and presentations from innovative exhibitors, offering valuable insights into the future of SMEs and global trade. Discussions highlighted the importance of international cooperation and sustainable economic development in an increasingly complex global landscape, while also focusing on the latest industrial innovations, growth strategies, and the value of tailored, one-to-one business meetings.

The programme went beyond dialogue by encouraging participants to turn ideas into concrete actions. Hundreds of exhibition booths showcased companies, institutions, and organisations from diverse sectors, including IT, industrial services, education, energy, healthcare, and investment promotion. The event provided a vibrant platform for gaining direct visibility among German SME decision-makers, fostering high-quality networking, and creating credible market entry opportunities.

Overall, the event highlighted the power of innovation, collaboration, and international exchange. By bringing together a diverse community of speakers, exhibitors, and participants, the BVMW Future Day 2026 reinforced its role as a key driver of ideas, partnerships, and economic momentum for the SME sector.

The first webinar, titled “Communication and Culture in Internationalisation Strategies: How to support SMEs market expansion in the Euromed region”, explored the importance of cultural capital – a $1.1 trillion growth engine for businesses – as a source of competitive advantage for SMEs. The session stressed the importance of cultural relevance, a true differentiator capable of boosting business performance, allowing SMEs to move away from being mere commodity suppliers to becoming strategic partners that understand the regional trends and remain indispensable in a crowded global marketplace.

The second webinar, titled “Strengthening International Competitiveness: Importance of IP for SMEs in the Fashion, Textile, and Creative Sectors in the EuroMed Region”, and co-organised in collaboration with the European Union Intellectual Property Office – EUIPO, provided SMEs operating in the aforementioned sectors with an understanding of the tools and regulations needed to define a solid IP strategy when expanding into international markets.

The two webinars indeed contributed to the goals of the Fab-bus project by supporting the competitiveness and the internationalisation efforts of SMEs operating in the textile, fashion, design and creative sectors.

With a total budget of €14 billion, the work programme prioritizes climate action, allocating  at least 35% of its funding, namely €4.9 billion, towards initiatives aimed at achieving the EU’s climate goals. This commitment reflects the EU’s ambition to reach a decarbonized, competitive, and climate-resilient economy by 2050.

A key highlight of the new work programme is the introduction of a €540 million call under the Clean Industrial Deal, which focuses on clean technologies for climate action and the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries. Opening on 18 December 2025 for the 2026 topics, this call targets “fit-for-deployment” projects that demonstrate industrial leadership, technological readiness, and strong market strategies.

The strongest contribution to climate action comes from the programme’s Pillar II “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness”, which is structured across several thematic clusters: Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry & Space) dedicates €437 million to low-carbon, clean, and circular industries, as well as advanced materials; Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy & Mobility) has the largest share, with €1.644 billion supporting a wide range of climate solutions, including renewable energy, energy storage, carbon capture technologies, and sustainable transport; Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment) allocates €778 million to projects that promote sustainable agriculture, circular economy solutions, and ecosystem protection.

Additionally, the 2026–2027 work programme supports crosscutting initiatives through the EU Missions, which tackle specific climate challenges with a collaborative approach. The EU Missions on Adaptation (€226 million), Cities (€220 million), and Soil (€246 million) focus on enhancing climate resilience in vulnerable regions, promoting sustainable urban systems, and restoring soil health to ensure long-term environmental stability.

This final work programme for Horizon Europe plays a crucial role in driving Europe’s green transition, fostering innovation, and reinforcing the EU’s leadership in global climate action. Through targeted funding and strategic investments in key sectors, Horizon Europe continues to support the development of solutions that will help Europe meet its climate goals and strengthen its industrial competitiveness on the world stage.

The discussions took place under the leadership of Vasso Kyrkou, President of Trade Promotion Europe and Director General of Communications, Marketing and Stakeholder Relations at Enterprise Greece, INSME’s member. The event featured plenary sessions, keynotes, and roundtable discussions, emphasising the importance of continued collaboration and knowledge sharing to empower European businesses, particularly SMEs, to thrive in international markets. In particular, on the 6th, TPE members had the honour of welcoming notable experts such as Michiel Scheffer from the European Innovation Council (EIC), Sven Biscop from EGMONT, Sophie Müller from the European Commission, and Pascal Kerneis from the European Services Forum. They shared valuable insights on the future of European start-ups and innovation funding.

The day also featured engaging discussions with TPE Partners active in the Asia region, including Liam Jia (EU SME Centre China) and Luc Chalsège (Deloitte/EU Business Hub – Japan and the Republic of Korea). These discussions highlighted the growing importance of the EU’s role in fostering international business ties, particularly in the Asian market.

One of the key outcomes from the General Assembly was the collaborative work on strengthening TPE’s involvement in EU funding opportunities, enhancing visibility, and boosting internal communication among members. These discussions led to concrete ideas for future steps, reinforcing the network’s commitment to supporting European SMEs in their internationalization efforts.

With over 80 offices in Europe and more than 600 globally, TPE members are committed to providing crucial support, including tailored export advice, market intelligence, and matchmaking with foreign buyers. As TPE continues to work towards strengthening its network, the insights shared at this General Assembly will play a pivotal role in shaping future initiatives aimed at boosting European export success.

Registrations of the names of craft and industrial products in the new system are open as of December 1. 

The new system is a milestone achievement destined to prize the European artisanal and industrial heritage and recognize its economic value. Furthermore, this is an important result for European producers and for SMEs in particular. In fact, these past years of the GIs system proved that this legal protection can be a boost for SMEs, empowered through the enhancement of their reputation, the promotion of sustainable practices, and the guarantee of product authenticity.

To commemorate the launch of the new CIGI scheme, from December 1 to 5 the Alicante-based office held the “GI Week”, which brought together stakeholders, policymakers, and producers to celebrate the value of the GIs system and to discuss further opportunities.

In light of these goals, INSME participated in the Informal Steering Group meeting on SMEs and Entrepreneurship Finance that took place on September 10-11, to underscore the preliminary emerging trends based on the highlights of the Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs scoreboard for 2025. A key aspect that was discussed was the ESG reporting promoted by the OECD, which will be showcased during a keynote speech by Dr. Miriam Koreen at the 20^th INSME Annual Meeting in October. Dr. Koreen’s address will highlight the importance of ESG reporting for SMEs, particularly in the context of the broader trends shaping the global economy. Her insights will contribute to the ongoing dialogue about how SMEs can better align themselves with sustainable development goals and continue to be drivers of both economic growth and social progress.

This new report considers ways in which the concept of Circular Economy (CE) might be redefined within the innovation ecosystem. The findings of this report suggest that a distinction needs to be made between the innovation activities of circular economy SMEs as opposed to SMEs undertaking CE innovation and that a CE programme for SMEs should be a focus of innovation policy. Through a literature review, this publication gives a less reductive definition of the CE including aspects of sustainability and innovation rather than sticking the often-reductive parallelism with simply “recycling”. This report aims to provide insights into how policy can support a CE paradigm shift that can fundamentally change the social and business mindsets around sustainability and CE implementation. The CEIC project can be conceptualised as a novel, large-scale innovation system intervention that illustrates the principle of CE centrality to changing society’s approach to legislation, production and consumption of goods and services. 

In this study, the transferability of learning from CEIC (a public sector-focused intervention) is considered as an intervention for SMEs to realise improved innovation collaborations and implications for CE growth. 

To read the full report click here.