The 16th INSME General Assembly was held digitally on the 20th of October. It was a unique occasion to raise a stimulating and fruitful debate among INSME Members on the INSME 2020 achievements and on its 2021 action plan in the light of the pandemic crisis.
The meeting gave the opportunity to explore the Members’ new initiatives and projects; moreover, newcomers in the INSME Association could present themselves: SIMEST, The Ayzer Center for Entrepreneurship, the Small and Medium Business (SMB) Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency, ToJoy, GenerationS and H&D Partners.
Furthermore, following the INSME motto “Local strength, global reach”, the newly established partnerships that have also strengthened the Network were highlighted: The Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, the SME Finance Forum (part of the IFC – World Bank), The Montreal Group, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the World SME Forum, Tor Vergata University of Rome Incubator and the Bulgarian Development Bank.
Members had a chance to discuss the core activities that INSME is willing to develop across 2021 to spur innovation as a key for SMEs’ competitiveness and growth worldwide. The Action Plan includes the launch of the INSME Research and Learning Forum, a proposal aimed at establishing a Forum linking Universities and Research Institutions worldwide, coordinated by INSME, and the new training programme “Building entrepreneurial ecosystems: policies, support systems and communities” soon to be launched in the framework of the INSMEAcademy.
Last but not least, during the General Assembly it was officially announced that the 17th INSME Annual Meeting will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, co-hosted by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency.
Source: The International Network for SMEs - INSME
