Call: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in European Regions and Cities

The ESPON 2020 programme aims at promoting and fostering a European territorial dimension in development and cooperation by providing evidence, knowledge transfer and policy learning to public authorities and other policy actors at all levels.

Objective:

• foster cooperation in the process of policy development
• further strengthen evidence-informed policy-making across the EU territory
• contribute to enabling regions and cities to develop place-based responses to the Europe 2020 challenges of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

The research project should provide evidence on the territorial patterns and performance of SMEs in Europe, and propose territorial investment strategies that can be considered in different regions and cities to further strengthen the development and long-term sustainability of the SMEs.
 

More concretely, the objective of this research activity is to achieve answers to the following key policy questions:

• What are the distribution patterns of SMEs across European regions and cities in terms of size, employment, sectors, and economic weight? Can specific territorial patterns be identified concerning the location of new SME start-ups, their survival rates and growth development?
• To what extent and in which ways do the SMEs contribute to business development, job creation and innovation in European regions and cities, in particular in the areas of the creative/knowledge economy, ICT and the low-carbon economy?What are the key dynamics and drivers for the growth of these SMEs, especially after the crisis?
• What are the main opportunities and obstacles for SMEs to grow? Does this differ across the European territory, and if so, how? Are development conditions better in dense urbanised areas? How does international connectedness and globalisation affect SMEs?
• How could SME development best be supported in different types of regions/territories? What type of territorial development strategies should be considered in different regions and cities to further strengthen the development and sustainability of the business environments for SMEs? What is the particular role of the public sector and where can public money be spent most efficiently?

The maximum available budget for this contract is 500,000 € (five hundred thousand euros), exclusive of VAT but inclusive of all other taxes, disbursements, travel, accommodation and delivery costs.

The full dossier of the terms of reference and annexes can be accessed, free of charge, by request via email to tenders@espon.eu or at Portail des Marchés Publics.

Managing authority
Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure Department for Spatial Planning and Development (DATER), Division for European Affairs
4, Place de l'Europe
L-2946 Luxembourg
Tel: +352 247-86934
Thiemo.Eser@mat.etat.lu, http://www.dat.public.lu

http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Contact/Menu_ESPONContactPoints/