ICT Agents as Icebreakers in Reaching New Markets

1
ICT Agents as Icebreakers in Reaching New
Markets March 1st 2005 June 30th 2006 Lake
Garda, May 31st 2006
2
Project results Italy

• Total contacts 56 SMEs in diagnostic tool
• 18 SMEs participating actively
• Local diagnosing with focus group completed in
  May 2006
• Final Need Analysis completed and in action
• Regional matching forum May 2006
• Good experiences with French ICT Agents in the
  Metz meeting in October 2005.

3
Project results France
-13 companies involved, 8 of them participing
actively -2 sectorial ICT Agents were
trained -Need analysis model interviews done
-Database completed and in action -Services
offered mainly network infrastructures, CRM,
internet (low quality) and intra/extranet
applications
4
Project results Sweden

• -19 companies involved. Most of them food and
  tourism sectors, few on wood sector
• -Services offered booking systems, website
  solutions and networks.
• -Possibilities to create a common logistics
  solution with Finnish partner.
• -Language problems and cultural differences are
  seen the main restrictions for the
  internationalizing

5
Project results Finland

• -10 companies involved directly, mainly health
  care and few others
• -Services offered highly individual. Professional
  consulting offered to health care SMEs in order
  to enter united EFFICA network.
• -Positive feedback overall
• -Overall survey for ICT solutions possibilities
  are not seen too appealing. Needs are more
  specified.

6
Project results Summary
-55 companies involved directly, around 500
indirectly (and still in progress) -Websites
launched, partners also launched own ICT subsites
under their own domain -Database and Need
analysis model completed -4 partner meetings
held -4 reagional matching forum held, 1
international videoconference -6 articles written
and leaflet printed

7
7.Experiences

• -SMEs needs are individual
• -Not searching ICT solutions but solutions
  overall, which can be solved with the help of
  ICT.
• -Many SMEs do not see ICT as priority in their
  business but as a tool
• -Many SMEs do not know what they need, so they
  believe they need nothing.
• -Manager/owner effect in SMEs. Personal interest
  / personal incomes.
• -Positive feedback

8
6.Interregional benefits

• -Sharing best practices (lots of tacit knowledge)
• -Being reminded of cultural differences.
• -BUT, similar situations and needs for SMEs
  despite the country or sector.
• -Creating the database
• -Breaking the ice
• -Benefits go beyond the project

9
Thank You for Attention

• -Questions?