Project Aims to Make SMEs More Sustainable and Digitalized
The South Baltic Interreg project titled CONSIDERATION is led by Roskilde University, involving partners from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, and Denmark.
The project's background is based in the challenges faced by the South Baltic regions, where significant portions of their predominantly rural areas lag behind the national average in terms of adopting digital technologies.
"It makes sense to work across borders to find common solutions. Several studies indicate that one of the obstacles to digitalization is the lack of digital skills in SMEs, coupled with a shortage of time and resources. Therefore, an intervention strategy needs to be flexible, and the tools should be easy to use, inexpensive, and readily accessible," says project leader Margit Neisig.
Experiences from a previous project titled "Digital Paths to Growth," in which RUC participated, show that when consultants create digitalization strategies for companies, these strategies are often not implemented afterward. This underscores the need for SMEs to work on their digitalization strategy.
"Digitalization and digital transformation require preparation, take time, demand digital skills that also involve digital practices and encompass the competencies of all employees. The keyword is involvement. Experiences from the 'Digital Paths to Growth' project show that digital transformation needs to be learned, making it an operational competence for the company," says Margit Neisig.
According to the project leader, digitalization is fundamentally a do-it-yourself project. Not only should everything be learned, but it should also be maintained and further developed through the company's own efforts. Experiences also show that green transition, climate adaptation, sustainability, and the circular economy are now the most effective incentives for companies to enhance their digital journey.
"Many SMEs do not know where to start and finish and what solutions exist for their specific needs. They are not very aware of the data available throughout their organization and the value it can have," says Margit Neisig.
About the Project
Through the project, a digital learning platform is being developed and pilot-tested in a broad partnership that collaborates across universities, technology parks, educational institutions, chambers of commerce/business centers, as well as public authorities and SMEs.
The project aims to develop a digital strategic development tool and a set of tools on an open-source platform with accompanying courses to support SMEs' competence in strategically working with digitalization and sustainability.
Upon the project's completion, the solution is intended to continue with the support of a non-profit organization financed by fees from service providers, but the solution should remain free and be further developed for SMEs.
