How can small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) create and nurture a culture of innovation? Discover below seven steps companies should take to develop an innovative mindset and environment that supports growth.

Virtual Reality (VR) can help multiple sectors achieve disruptive innovations thanks to its many added values. However, development and deployment often require international partners and further knowledge resources. This is why Danish VR company Khora asked the Enterprise Europe Network for support in securing relevant international partnerships.

Slovenian company BioSistemika worked with the Enterprise Europe Network to prepare for the EIC Accelerator call for proposals and succeeded in receiving a grant of €1.8 million from the European Commission.

Finnish entrepreneurs Veera Ylikotila and Jenni Hakkarainen set up Xeraliving in 2020. Their bold mission is to contribute to a sustainable and transparent interior design industry through items that combine the versatility of natural materials with sleek contemporary style. Working with local and European manufacturers, they produce home accessories and small objects, all with practicality and sustainability at their core. Enterprise Europe Network offered the young company advice on outsourcing, building international networks, and finding new business partners. Hanna Riski, Senior Adviser at the Network partner Business Finland, met with Veera Ylikotila, co-founder of Xeraliving, to share with our readers how they worked together to achieve success.

What is sustainable architecture and how can it help designers, architects, builders, and clients minimise harmful energy consumption and pollution? Katarína Jelenáková, Manager for International Cooperation and Support of SMEs at the Network partner Slovak Business Agency, interviewed architect and structural engineer Martin Pribila, the creator of the 'Krtkodom' concept – an alternative housing solution using less land mass and energy and creating a healthy biophilic environment for its inhabitants. Remarkable in its simplicity, the 'Krtkodom' is a thriving business that makes a serious case for a greener life.

Thanks to the support from the Enterprise Europe Network, Sunday Brush, a Dutch cosmetic company, has been able to reach new markets around Europe, while becoming a thriving international success.

As life expectancy increases around the world, personalised medicine has become a new hope in the fight against cancer. Thanks to the Enterprise Europe Network, Life Length, an SME based in Spain, is validating a new diagnostic test that can help doctors tailor more effective treatment for individual cancer patients.

Small businesses in Europe are under more strain than ever before. The ravaging war in Ukraine – adding to a dramatic slowdown in China’s economy, the pandemic, and the climate crisis – is rocking global supply chains, affecting industries from semiconductors to food. In this period of disruption, enhancing the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups to bounce back from crises is crucial for Europe's rapid recovery.

As the Enterprise Europe Network enters a new framework period, we talked to Muriel de Grande, Head of Sector at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), to find out more about the Network’s exciting initiatives and plans for the future.

Enterprise Europe Network supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on their path to green business models and sustainable initiatives. The Danish SME Nortech Solutions is a case in point. With the Network’s aid, Nortech teamed up with a Czech company to launch a successful green business in 2019. Fast-forward to today, the Network’s sustainability advisers are helping small businesses develop strategies that build long-term value and reduce risk.