On May 10th, the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA) organized a dynamic B2B event, bringing together the ENI CBC MED - INTECMED and EMPHASIS projects, along with project beneficiaries and external stakeholders. The event provided a platform for the EMPHASIS team to deliver an impressive presentation, showcasing the project's progress and shedding light on its future stages. Led by Marwan Abdin, CEEBA's Innovation Expert and CEO of Abdin's Consultancy Group, the EMPHASIS team embarked on a transformative journey aimed at enhancing the business models and innovation capabilities of SME beneficiaries. The event also featured an enlightening talk on Sustainable Innovation for a Sustainable Business, emphasizing the vital intersection of sustainable practices, social entrepreneurship, and open innovation. But how exactly did EMPHASIS benefit those SMEs?

Phase One - Identifying Gaps and Enhancing Leadership Skills:
The project commenced with a comprehensive analysis of the SMEs' innovation potential through the Innovation Potential Audit and Technology Readiness assessments. This assessment enabled the EMPHASIS Team to identify gaps and areas for development within each SME, thus paving the way for targeted improvements. In phase one, the founders of the SMEs received personalized one-on-one executive coaching sessions, focusing on evaluating and enhancing their leadership and management skills.

Phase Two - Building Capacity and Promoting Open Innovation:
During the second phase, the project shifted its focus towards providing customized capacity building experiences for the SMEs. A key component of this phase was the Innovation Management Training, which exposed the beneficiaries to intensive learning experiences covering various aspects of business model innovation, open innovation, collaboration strategic management, social entrepreneurship, financial modeling, leadership, management skills, as well as Human Capital Strategies & HR Fundamentals. This comprehensive training aimed to equip the SMEs with the necessary tools and knowledge to drive innovation within their organizations.

Exploring Open Innovation Partnerships:
In collaboration with the European counterparts, CEEBA's Project Management Team actively supported the SMEs in conducting Twinning Meetings during phase two. These meetings facilitated discussions and exploration of potential open innovation partnerships and cross-border expansions. Promising discussions have already taken place with SMEs from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Jordan, showcasing the immense potential for fruitful collaborations.

Mr. Abdin's captivating talk on Sustainable Innovation for a Sustainable Business served as a highlight of the event. Attendees were introduced to the concept of Sustainable Innovation and its correlation with Social Entrepreneurship. Abdin emphasized that organizations need to strategically approach open innovation through operational optimization, organizational transformation, and systems building. The talk concluded with the crucial insight that embedding sustainability into innovation allows companies to create products, services, and processes that benefit both society and the organization.

The B2B event witnessed an engaged audience, eagerly participating in interactive discussions and raising intriguing questions. The convergence of both INTECMED and EMPHASIS teams under one roof was viewed as a fruitful and eye-opening experience, embodying the spirit of open innovation. The event showcased the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing in driving meaningful change and fostering innovation within the business ecosystem.

The EMPHASIS Project has made significant strides in empowering SMEs by enhancing their business models and fostering innovation within their organizations. Through targeted assessments, capacity building experiences, and the exploration of open innovation partnerships, the project has laid the foundation for sustainable growth and success. The B2B event served as a testament to the power of collaboration and the potential for open innovation to shape a brighter future for businesses and society as a whole.