This year’s edition, themed "Driving innovation, decarbonisation and security for SMEs: a stronger Network in action", will gather up to 800 participants from all over the globe for two-and-a-half days of exchange, collaboration, and insights.
What to expect
The Annual Conference is the central meeting point for Enterprise Europe Network partners, EU policymakers, and international experts. Organised by Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), with support from the North Denmark EU-Office, the event will feature interactive sessions, networking opportunities, and live-streamed opening and closing plenaries.
Key objectives
This year’s conference will bring together all partners for their first Annual Conference since the start of the new programme period in July 2025. The participants will have a chance to explore how the Network can best contribute to the industrial transition through its services, and in parallel, exchange best practices to improve the quality and visibility of the Network’s services in areas such as the Single Market, internationalisation and innovation. Throughout the event, dedicated opportunities for networking and collaboration will help strengthen ties and create new synergies across the Network, both during the conference and beyond.
Themes and speakers
The discussions will revolve around four main strands, reflecting key EU policy priorities:
- Innovation and start-ups: boosting the role of innovation to drive competitiveness and growth, helping SMEs safeguard intellectual property, tackle regional innovation gaps across Europe, and attract investment for future opportunities
- Industrial transition: advancing sustainability, digitalisation, and resilience across sectors by supporting SMEs in areas such as decarbonisation, bioeconomy and circular energy solutions, and green competitiveness
- Single Market and beyond: improving SMEs’ access to the EU Single Market and global markets, including better regional integration, support for technology transfer and open innovation, and guidance on international trade and FTAs
- Quality and impact: raising quality across the Network to maximise impact and visibility for SMEs and stakeholders, with a focus on digital transformation, AI integration, and empowering women entrepreneurs
The sessions will underline how the Network harnesses the power of innovation, strengthens regional integration, and delivers tangible impact for European SMEs. Keynote speakers, featuring Anna Athanasopoulou, Director - Planning, Finance and Digital Solutions in DG GROW, Giuseppe Casella, Head of Department, Innovation Ecosystems, SMP/Entrepreneurship and Consumers in EISMEA, and Lasse Frimand Jensen, Mayor of Aalborg will also share their insights.
Networking and participation
Participants can look forward to a dynamic agenda that blends plenary sessions, exhibition stands, interactive workshops, and online matchmaking, all designed to build stronger collaboration within and beyond the Network.
Stay in the loop
Follow the conversation on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook using #EEN2025, and don’t miss the opening and closing sessions, which will be livestreamed on this page for a broader audience.