Supporting Internationalisation of SMEs through Soft-Landing Platform Services Good Practices and Experiences

In the knowledge-driven economy innovation has become essential for achievements in the business world. With this growth in importance, large and small organisations have begun to re-evaluate their products, their services, their processes and even their corporate culture. This is imperative in the attempt to maintain their competitiveness in the global markets of todays highly competitive climate. \n\nFurthermore, there is a broad consensus across Europe that technology transfer activities such as the creation of innovative firms, which are often spin-offs from academic institutions and R&D centres, have proven to be effective mechanisms for improving the innovative application of research results and consequently for contributing to socio-economic development. Quite often, academic community is the creator of valuable ideas and projects. In this respect, high-tech start-ups as an effective interface between the R&D system and industry in an international scale are a crucial element in fostering new innovative global businesses. Once again, gaining competitive advantage can be supported by global orientation and international networking. \n\nThus, international networking and international-oriented thinking are two of the most important factors to support entrepreneurs either in start-up companies or in existing SMEs with high growth potential in global markets. Start-ups are innovation generators, SMEs are innovation implementers. However, only 25% of mid-European companies and less than 10% off all European companies are exporting. Support policies and measures should take this into account. For those looking for early entry into international markets, their chances of success will be increased if business internationalisation support services can also be provided by technology transfer intermediaries (e.g. Science and TechnologyParks, Innovation Centres, Incubators) situated in global target markets; in other regions or other countries. \n\nInternational business development schemes and global market orientation services, which seek to help enterprises gain access to export markets, are often referred to as « Soft Landing » services. The host intermediarys knowledge, contacts, expertise and networking skills make the market entry process for visiting companies in another region easier and faster. \n\nBusiness support service packages offered to start-up entrepreneurs and SMEs for Soft Landing should be flexible, tailor made and focused on individual companys needs. A high level of adaptation and diversification of the services has to be considered as the needs of visiting companies can be very different. In most cases companies seeking to internationalise need an office, IT packages and fast track business development services as well as reliable contacts to lawyers, tax experts and into governmental support programs and commercial partnerships. \nThis paper will illustrate the need for business support packages that should be offered by intermediaries. It will also provide good practice examples and general outputs. Furthermore, the paper will share the experiences gained so far to allow its readers to evaluate the effectiveness and the results of Soft Landing and Networking Services, which are an important instrument for the internationalisation of innovative businesses.