Reaching the ambitions of the Europe 2020 and the Innovation Union requires much more than just technological innovations. To unleash the potential of innovations, often companies need to innovate their business models. However, Business Model Innovation (BMI) does not reach small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) yet, nor is there knowledge on how SMEs conduct BMI in practice. Empowering SMEs to conduct BMI requires new approaches.
ENVISION delivered a platform with easy-to-use 29 tools for BMI: www.businessmakeover.eu. The ENVISION platform is unique because it is the first to be specific for the needs of SMEs and supports the whole process from initial business model idea to testing and implementation.
During the project, the platform was used by almost 150,000 people, whereas almost 50,000 used online training for the tooling. ENVISION results were disseminated through social media, online promotion, face-to-face workshops and online learning contents. In addition, ENVISION reached out to SMEs via dozens of multipliers such as SME organizations and chambers of commerce.
Case studies have been done that show the impact and utility of BMI tooling and the platform. The results from case research informed the development of the platform: thanks to the case studies the platform advises SMEs which tools they should use for their specific challenge. Because of this guidance, the platform has become truly self-service, and can be used by any SME.
Through quantitative research in three waves, in which a representative quota sample of European SMEs were surveyed, it was found that about 5 out of 10 SMEs do business model innovation. Of them, only 18% uses a formal business model method or tool, thus demonstrating the need for tooling development and dissemination. Both the case studies and survey data were used to examine BMI in specific types of SMEs such as female-led firms, family businesses and high-tech / ICT firms.
Besides several dozens of academic publications and practitioner-aimed dissemination on the platform, social media and other channels, the project also provided other deliverables that will remain available after the project ends: an open database of case studies on business model innovation; a platform with open and free tooling for BMI; and a database with survey data among European SMEs.
