Innovation services and key account management support for basque smes for 2020-2021
EU-28 SMEs made a significant contribution to the recovery and subsequent expansion of the EU-28 economy. They accounted for 47% of the total increase from 2008 to 2017 in the value added generated by the non-financial business sector, and for 52% of the cumulative increase in employment in the sector. In fact, their contribution exceeded what would have been expected on the basis of their relative importance in the economy.

The internationalisation of SMEs is this year's special theme. SMEs can expand internationally in a number of different ways. Examples include exporting or importing goods and services, making outward foreign direct investment or attracting foreign investors to their business, becoming part of a national value chain which has an international focus, or being part of a global value chain, engaging in cross-border R&D and innovation collaboration, or licencing or franchising products or services.

Thus, innovation management plays a key role at this respect and the Basque Country is not an exception at all. 

Programs supporting SME exports benefit directly only a sub-set of SMEs. However, indirectly, all SMEs benefit to some
extent from growth in exports as higher exports raises a) overall income levels, and hence the demand for goods and
services sold by domestic demand facing SMEs, and b) the demand for goods and services originating from exporting-
oriented enterprises. Some of the main drivers for a high competitiveness score can be linked to the presence of strong skills
and innovation capacity and capability, entrepreneurship and easy access to finance. In the Basque Country we are very
much aware of this scenario and that is why the Basque Node has designed an implementation plan aiming at contributing to
the objectives of COSME. Facilitating access to European and international markets for Basque SMEs and by providing
growth-oriented, integrated business and innovation support services that help strengthen the competitiveness.