The RISE-SME Project – Resilient Industry Supply Chain Enhancement for SMEs – has completed its first year, marking a significant milestone in its mission to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. This ambitious initiative, designed to foster innovation and competitiveness among SMEs, has made remarkable strides over the past year. Let’s take a closer look at the project’s accomplishments, events, and contributions to the SME community.
Over the course of its first year, the RISE-SME Project has convened multiple times to accomplish its objectives:
- General Assembly #1: On February 1st, 2024, the Horizon Europe project RISE-SME proudly held its inaugural meeting in Zaragoza, Spain. This gathering provided the consortium with an opportunity to establish objectives and outline the upcoming steps for this exciting initiative.
- Regular Meetings with Work Package Leaders: Project coordination has facilitated progress and updates by organising monthly meetings with all work package leaders. This structure enables all participants to monitor ongoing work while sharing knowledge and opportunities to enhance the project’s impact.
- General Assembly #2: The second General Assembly was held online on September 26, 2024, marking a successful gathering for the RISE-SME Project consortium. Participants discussed updates and strategised future steps, emphasising collaboration and commitment to innovation and resilience for SMEs in the supply chain sector. The agenda included a review of completed tasks from the initial project months and plans for the next six months.
- Meeting with Projects Under the Same Funding Call: RISE-SME participated in two meetings focused on potential collaboration and the exchange of knowledge with various projects sharing the same funding call.
- Deliverable D1.1 – Industrial Ecosystems and Current Risk-Driven Supply Chain Models: This deliverable has been completed and provides a detailed description of the characterization of specific industrial ecosystems, along with their related disruptions and risks. It also outlines the identified risk-driven supply chain models and those designed to address disruptive events.
- Deliverable D1.2 – Mapping Supply Chain Models to Industrial Ecosystems with Readiness and Responsiveness Measurement Analysis: This deliverable provides a detailed mapping of risk-driven supply chain models to specific industrial ecosystems, addressing key drivers and challenges while assessing supply chain readiness against disruptions. It consists of two sections: (1) A literature review on resilience practices and their impact on supply chain performance, including existing models and the intellectual landscape of the literature; (2) Findings from an abductive research approach exploring causal relationships between identified models and industrial ecosystems involved in the project, complementing information from D1.1.
- Deliverable D4.1 – D&C&E Plan – First Version: The first iteration of the D&C&E plan emphasized the strategy to be adopted and the activities to be launched in the initial months. It also outlined the website and materials to be developed for promoting the project.
- Deliverable D6.1 – Project Management Plan: This document outlines the strategies that will be implemented to guarantee efficient coordination among the consortium and effective project management. Additionally, it specifies the quality standards and monitoring procedures that will be established.
- Deliverable D6.2 – Data Management Plan: The Data Management Plan (DMP) has been developed and will be revised periodically throughout the project.
The RISE-SME Project has actively participated in various events throughout the year, showcasing its commitment to engaging with the SME community and stakeholders. Some of the notable events include:
- Jornada CEL: During Jornada CEL, organised by CEL (Centro Español de Logistica), Carolina Cipres, coordinator of the RISE-SME Project, from Zaragoza Logistics Center, presented the RISE-SME Project.
- EFFRA general assembly meeting: Rosanna Fornasiero from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, participated and collected some of the open challenges that can be taken into consideration by RISE-SME when matching technologies and SMEs.
- ALICE-ETP General Assembly: The ALICE-ETP held its General Assembly on July 2-3, 2024, with the Zaragoza Logistics Center participating as a founding member. The meeting focused on discussions about using advanced technologies to improve the supply chain resilience of European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
- 3PL Value Creation Europe Summit: Carolina Cipresparticipated as a panelist at the 2024 3PL Value Creation Europe Summit. The discussion centered on future supply chain technology and innovation, emphasising the importance of resilience due to recent disruptions and the need to adopt technological advancements for stronger supply chains.
- Workshops: In November and December 2024, workshops were held to enhance supply chain resilience across various sectors, focusing on good practices for each industry. Specific sessions were dedicated to the Textile (Nov 27), Agrifood (Dec 10), Mobility (Dec 11), and Digital (Dec 12) sectors. Objectives included discussing sector-specific information, assessing SMEs’ resilience capabilities, and identifying effective practices. Participants included company representatives, SMEs, associations, clusters, and researchers.
The RISE-SME Project has also contributed a wealth of knowledge to its website, publishing informative articles and reports on various topics relevant to SMEs. Our articles:
- Supply chains in the new megatrends: the case of the Veneto Region
- Supply Chain Resilience Fit Model: Strategies for Preparing, Responding, and Adapting to Disruptions
- Unveiling the Textile Ecosystem’s Resilience with RISE-SME
- Resilience on the Move: How Europe’s Mobility Ecosystem is being transformed
- Resilience in Agri-Food Ecosystem – Adapting for Tomorrow
- Navigating the Digital Ecosystem: Challenges and Opportunities for SMEs in the EU
Looking Forward
As the RISE-SME Project moves into its second year, it remains dedicated to supporting the SME European community through continued innovation and collaboration. With a focus on expanding its reach and impact, the project aims to build on its successes and address new challenges faced by SMEs across Europe.
Stay updated with the latest developments and resources provided by the RISE-SME Project by visiting our official website. Join us in celebrating a successful first year and looking forward to even more impactful achievements in the future.
Together, let’s rise to the challenge and empower SMEs to thrive in a dynamic and competitive landscape.
AUTHORS
Alba Morollón
F6S Innovation
Project Manager at F6S and leads RISE-SME's Work Package on Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation. With extensive experience managing EU-funded projects—including Horizon projects JARVIS, SOPRANO, and STREAM-IT—she plays a pivotal role in maximizing the impact of our initiatives across Europe.
Maria Monteiro
F6S Innovation
Communication Manager at F6S. Holds a degree in Marketing and postgraduate studies in Digital Marketing, with expertise in social media content creation and website management. Has experience in communication for European Projects, managing dissemination efforts for EU-funded initiatives, such as RISE-SME, NARRATE, NebulOuS and i-STENTORE.
