Supporting SMEs in the transport sector

POSMETRANS: an EU project to analyze innovation policies for SMEs

Most companies in the transport sector are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and together, they are responsible for most of the sector’s jobs and turnover. But do transport SMEs benefit enough from funding programs and measures introduced under innovation policies? Or are the bureaucratic hurdles too high when it comes to project proposals and participation, and only surmountable by larger companies? As part of the EU project POSMETRANS, the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum is investigating this issue together with six project partners in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Turkey.

Coordinated by the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, the POSMETRANS project supports the introduction of innovative technologies and processes in the transport sector by analyzing corresponding policies. SMEs form the target group. The EU has granted funding of the project in the thematic programme Transport of its Seventh Framework Programme, and POSMETRANS will thus receive € 580,000 in funding between January 2010 and December 2011.

By surveying experts in research, industry, service and the public sector, the project aims to determine the scope of existing policies and programs aimed at funding technology and market-based innovation. The survey will investigate regional, domestic and EU-wide measures. Ultimately, its goal is to identify which technologies on the market are innovative and sustainable, and to what extent policy could encourage their adoption, especially by SMEs.

The project action plan includes the following objectives:

to identify and overcome barriers to development in the transport and logistics sector
to help prioritize actions and thereby boost efficiency in the transport and logistics sector, and to secure innovation and marketbased growth in Europe in the long term
to establish a standard system of professional training for employees in the transport sector, to ensure uniform quality to the benefit of clients and consumers
to boost the efficiency of existing modes of transport through intelligent cooperation between involved parties.

The POSMETRANS project is a major step forward in establishing a common European transport system. As well as this, one of its main aims is to make funding programs more accessible to SMEs.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Norbert Höptner
Dr. rer. nat. Jonathan Loeffler
Robert Gohla
Dr. Aude Pélisson-Schecker
Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum (Karlsruhe)
su1217@stw.de