SUPPORTING SMEs IN A TIME OF CRISIS: HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ACTIONS A Capacity Building Seminar for Policy Makers and Local Development Practitioners 12-15 October 2009, Trento, Italy Agenda & List of Participants Organised by OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and Training Centre for International Cooperation Vicolo San Marco 1, Trento, Italy 2 AGENDA The issue Who Small and medium-sized enterprises are key sources of Policy makers and practitioners directly involved in designing and dynamism, innovation, and flexibility. In OECD countries they putting in place entrepreneurship and SME development strategies account for over 95 percent of enterprises, generate two-thirds of (National, regional and local governments; business forums, e.g. employment and are one of the main sources of new jobs. chambers of commerce, trade federations, SME agents; the Governments play an important role in stimulating more and education and training sector; local and regional development stronger business start-ups, and in enabling companies to agencies; ....). modernise and grow. They set the environment and policy framework in which new and small firms operate. In developing and transition economies, SMEs are key economic actors in resource allocation and industrial restructuring processes. They How provide economic benefits, such as experimentation and adaptability to economic change and the growth of human capital. The capacity building seminar will last for 3.5 days and will be Governments have a three-fold role in turning initial stages of based on a mix of short presentations by OECD and international entrepreneurship development into employment and economic experts followed by discussion, group work around practical case growth. This involves i) enhancing the conversion of informal studies developed by participants and trainers prior to the seminar, entrepreneurship into formal businesses; ii) providing growth and and group work exercises. innovation support for companies and start-ups; and iii) addressing skills bottlenecks. To implement an entrepreneurship agenda, national governments will need to partner with local governments, Working language the private sector, and civil society organisations. In finding out what works best and where the likely pitfalls are, much can be English. learned from OECD countries, Latin America and transition economies. (Italian interpretation will be provided during the first half-day of the seminar). The seminar The capacity building seminar will begin with a half-day seminar open to a wider audience of policymakers and practitioners to review the impact of the crisis on SMEs and to discuss the emerging policy solutions: 1. Supporting SMEs in a time of crisis: how to choose the right actions The remaining days you will build your knowledge on: 2. SME needs and policy responses: a selection of business support instruments, the problems they address, and how they are delivered 3. Creating entrepreneurship and SME strategies The OECD experts and your peers from other countries will also advise you on the challenges faced in your locality. OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and Training Centre for International Cooperation Vicolo San Marco 1, Trento, Italy AGENDA 3 Monday, 12 October 2009 - morning OPEN SESSION The capacity building session will begin with a half-day seminar open to a wider audience of policymakers and practitioners to review the impact of the crisis on SMEs and to discuss the emerging policy solutions. The seminar will include dissemination and discussion of the results of work of the OECD LEED Programme on how local development policy can respond to the crisis and on how governments are responding to the crisis in SME and entrepreneurship financing (the Turin Round Table). 9:30-13.00 SUPPORTING SMEs IN A TIME OF CRISIS: HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ACTIONS 9.30 Opening Stefano Barbieri, Head, LEED Trento Centre for Local Development, OECD Fabio Pipinato, Vice-President, Training Centre for International Cooperation, Italy 9.50-10.10 Overview of the crisis, its impacts on SMEs and policy responses, by Jon Potter, Senior Economist, OECD LEED Programme 10.10-10.40 The role of local economic leaders in the time of crises, by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK 10.40-11.00 Discussion 11.00-11.30 Coffee break 11.30-13.00 Round table Lorenzo Dellai, President, Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy Tajana Kesić-Šapić, State Secretary for Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, Croatia Edson Lupatini, State Secretary of Commerce and Services, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazil Andy Westwood, Special Adviser of the Department for Communities and Local Government, UK Antonello Briosi, Vice-President of Confindustria, Trento, Italy Table chaired by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK 13.00-14.30 Lunch break OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and Training Centre for International Cooperation Vicolo San Marco 1, Trento, Italy 4 AGENDA Monday, 12 October 2009 - afternoon CAPACITY BUILDING SEMINAR FOR INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES The afternoon session will only be dedicated to selected participants representing the international delegations. Delegates will discuss SME NEEDS AND POLICY RESPONSES. A selection of business support instruments will be presented, the problems they address, and how they are delivered. 14.30-16.00 INTRODUCTION 14.30-14.45 Outline of the training week, by Alessandra Proto, Policy Analyst, OECD LEED Programme 14.45-15.30 Presentation of participants: name, organisation, main challenges in improving entrepreneurship support. 15.30-16.00 Expected outcomes from participants: (i) What is expected to take back to their work. (ii) Key issues to be tackled. (discussion moderated by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK) 16.00-16.15 Coffee break 16.15-17.15 SOUTH EAST EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA REACTION TO THE CRISIS 16.15-16.40 The Balkans: Impact of the global economic and financial crisis, by Antonio Fanelli, Deputy Head Private Sector Development Division, OECD 16.40-17.00 SME in Latin America after the crisis. New challenges for institutional building, by Carlo Ferraro, Economic Affairs Officer, CEPAL, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean 17.00-17.15 Discussion 17.15-17.30 CONCLUSIONS OF THE DAY AND CLOSING REMARKS, by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and Training Centre for International Cooperation Vicolo San Marco 1, Trento, Italy AGENDA 5 Tuesday, 13 October 2009 THEME 1: ENHANCING NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP – PEOPLE, POLICIES, AND INSTRUMENTS 9.30-12.30 FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURIAL ATTITUDES, MOTIVATIONS, AND SKILLS 9.30-9.50 The local determinants of enterprise creation: The role of universities, local governments and development agencies, and the public sector, by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK 9.50-10.00 Briefs by participants: 1. From informal to formal: the development of companies in the state of San Paolo, Brazil, by José Milton Dallari Soares, Director of Administration and Finance, SEBRAE, Brazil 10.00-10.15 University, creativity, and innovation: leading the way to entrepreneurship. Criteria and examples of good practice in university entrepreneurship support, by Andrea-Rosalinde Hofer, Policy Analyst, OECD LEED Programme 10.15-10.45 Discussion 10.45-11.00 Coffee break 11.00-11.20 Community based approaches in business support and development, by Andy Westwood, Special Adviser, Department for Communities and Local Government, UK 11.20-12.00 Briefs by participants: 1. Together Bojna social co-operative, by Attila Petheő, Assistant Professor, Corvinus University, Hungary 2. Partnership for urban regeneration, by Corina Hopartean, Programme Director, Heritage Romania/Ratiu Foundation, Romania 3. Productive transformation, by Maria Alejandra Arango Campo, Advisor to Entrepreneurial Development Vice Minister, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Colombia 12.00-12.30 Discussion 12.30-14.00 Lunch break 14.00-15.45 ACCESS TO FINANCE 14.00-14.20 SME access to finance and the nature of the finance gap. Focus on financing innovative start-ups, by Jon Potter, Senior Economist, OECD LEED Programme 14.20-15.15 Briefs by participants: 1. Case study: Co-operative banking in Trentino, by Vincenzo Visetti, Chief of Secretary, Trentino Federation of Co-operatives, Italy 2. Remittances and access to financial services as a lever for development, by Maria Grandinson, Expert 3. Start up loan programme. Implementation of credit line for start up with Ministry of Economy and Regional Development and Fund for development, by Ana Žegarac, Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs and Entrepreneurship, Serbia 15.15.-15.45 Discussion 15.45-16.00 Coffee break 16.00-17.00 TROUBLE-SHOOTING SESSION will review and advise on participants’ experiences of the problems affecting their localities in the efforts of enhancing new entrepreneurship. 17.00-17.30 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE DAY, by Jay Mitra, Founding Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation, University of Essex, UK 19.00 Social event: local wine and food tasting, Palazzo Roccabruna (meeting point - see map at p. 15) OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development and Training Centre for International