Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) and SME needs: Report from KET4CleanProduction

Key Enabling Technologies (KET) exhibit the potential to revolutionize production and manufacturing process and improve industrial competitiveness.  But how European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceive KETs, their impact on production and to what extend do they integrate KETs in their production activities? And why some European countries perform better than others in KET diffusion and adoption?

The H2020 project KET4CleanProduction carried out research to understand whether there are specific elements of technology, strategy or skills that prevent a rapid adoption of KETs by SMEs and to observe possible common traits in European national economies with a low level of KET adoption.

Major findings of the study:

• European SMEs acknowledge that there is great need for cleaner production in manufacturing
• External support is critical for SMEs to implement changes and improvements in production
• SMEs are not aware of the impact of KETs in manufacturing and relevant funding opportunities
• The transformational character of KETs for the national economy is inhibited by the lack of financial resources
• KET’s diffusion and economic impact is limited by the low level of university-industry collaboration
• Policy aims at advancing KETs’ growth but focuses on sectors and not on technologies