As an entrepreneur, do you want to innovate or digitize, but don’t know where to start? In the Leiden region you can make use of innovation and digitization vouchers. With these you get help to take new steps in your business. Key Region Leiden thus helps entrepreneurs to grow in the region.
Next steps
Urgency
Digitalization is one of the major social and economic transitions affecting SMEs. Companies must keep up with the digital transformation to remain competitive. But SMEs also have to deal with sustainability (the energy transition and circular economy require adjustments in business operations), a tight and changing labor market (tightness and changing skills require new ways of recruiting and training), and globalization and chain changes (international developments affect supply chains and markets). These transitions are taking place simultaneously, increasing the pressure on entrepreneurs. It is therefore not for nothing that many public and public-private parties are looking at how they can properly support SMEs.
SME Action Agenda
This has been one of the drivers behind the National SME Services Action Agenda (2023). This emphasizes the importance of demand-driven services to support SMEs more effectively, so that the engine of the economy remains intact. In the Leiden region, the program Let digitalization work for you successfully responds to this task by actively supporting SMEs with workshops, vouchers and customized advice. Check out our project website with the offerings.
Demand-driven approach
Thanks to our strong regional ecosystem and demand-driven approach, the program has become an effective example of how to accelerate digitization in SMEs. The region is eager to build on this success by developing and offering the program for the period 2026-2028.
In addition to the challenges and questions of micro (<10 employees) and small SMEs (<50 employees), the action agenda recognizes that services must better reflect the diversity within SMEs. For example, medium-sized SMEs (<250 employees) often have different questions and needs than micro or small SMEs. Medium-sized SMEs often have more complex questions, for example in the areas of innovation, internationalization and human resource management, and different support needs, such as strategic advice, growth programs and access to capital. Moreover, medium-sized SMEs have more potential to act as drivers of regional economic growth. Therefore, the Action Agenda calls for differentiated service delivery, explicitly including larger SMEs in programs. We include this as a starting point. So on the one hand there is a difference in size which leads to different issues and on the other hand there is a difference in digitization level per company. Therefore, in the continuation of Let digitization work for you, a distinction is made between basic level entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs using advanced digital technology.
Four target groups
In the follow-up, therefore, we choose four target groups: from micro to medium-sized SMEs, at both basic and advanced digitization levels. This creates a diverse and powerful network that helps SMEs future-proof their businesses.
This proposed approach dovetails well with provincial programs such as Digitalzh and the SME Deals. Therefore, the province is also going to again support the continuation of Make Digitization Work for You.
Visit our project website for information on coaching, workshops, the digi-scan and vouchers.
