Conference Theme: Globalization - Doing Well and Doing Good

Globalization offers unique opportunities for SMEs in new markets to improve economic conditions. To be successful, SMEs must adopt a continuous innovation approach to face not only the new social challenges, but also the old challenges that have not yet been overcome.

Competition for SMEs in new markets keeps increasing and as a consequence, all stakeholders have to engage more strongly in innovation, both technological and social, and in entrepreneurship, both “commercial” (for-profit businesses like the most recent start-ups in 3D printing pursuing as a primary objective economic value and its appropriation) and social (primarily aimed at addressing and satisfying unmet social needs, and therefore creating social value).

The most urgent challenge for national governments, local authorities, policy makers and economic stakeholders is therefore to help SMEs adapt to new and changing situations and – more importantly and more generally – to promote sustainable economic and social development so that once the economy has recovered the benefits can be widely diffused.