Malta Business Bureau and European partners launch SME knowledge hub to empower entrepreneurs

The Malta Business Bureau (MBB) has launched an online SME Hub to help strengthen the financial and digital skills of microentrepreneurs and enable them to widen their networks and internationalise.

The SME Hub was announced at a conference organised as part of DIFME – an Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances Project led by MBB with the participation of the University of Malta’s Edward de Bono Institute and other European partners.

“We have seen the digital transformation of the workplace outpacing educational institutions as well as the labour market itself, leading to skills shortages in several sectors,” MBB President Alison Mizzi said.

“For this reason, the EU must continue facilitating cooperation among Member  States’  authorities  and  educational  institutions  and  the  private  sector  to  address  key challenges by microenterprises.”

The SME Hub serves as an open repository of solutions for entrepreneurs. Through collaborations between the DIFME project partners,  practical information was collated and made accessible to entrepreneurs operating across different industries, including information on doing business in Malta, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands, relating to government agencies, banking sphere and assistance programmes, among others.

“Whether you are kicking off your enterprise or scaling up, the SME Hub will provide you with the tools and resources you need to make informed decisions regarding your financial and internationalisation well-being now and in the future.,” MBB Project Manager Marika Huber said.

The hybrid conference was also addressed by Roberta Metsola, First Vice-President of the European Parliament and Josianne Cutajar, Member of the European Parliament.

Metsola explained the European Parliament’s work on boosting entrepreneurship and facilitating investment and trade by pushing the development of better   SME   financing tools and generating greater business opportunities.

On her part, Cutajar emphasised the challenges faced by microenterprises in island states like Malta, whilst also highlighting the critical role of funding and access to finance in helping microentrepreneurs get equipped with the skills they need to cope with the twin transition and the structural challenges they face.

At the end of the conference, the DIFME project partners signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, confirming their intention to develop further activities and maximise on the outputs achieved throughout the last three years of project implementation.