We help companies become more innovative and competitive in international markets
Confindustria Lombardia is a partner of the SIMPLER consortium, which provides free assistance for the innovation and competitiveness of companies operating in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. SIMPLER is part of Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the largest European network supporting SMEs in internationalisation and innovation, present in over 50 EU and non-EU countries, including South Korea, Egypt, Japan, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
This project has been co-funded by the European Union under the SMP-COSME-2024-EEN programme with Grant Agreement No. 101215480.
Who it is for
For small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations, researchers, universities, and public and private institutions.
What we offer
Discover the free services that the European Union makes available to businesses through the EEN network:
Measuring sustainability means being able to improve it.
Thanks to the Enterprise Europe Network ESG assessment, companies can obtain a structured evaluation, a reference benchmark, and a roadmap of concrete actions, with the support of sustainability experts.
A free service to understand where you are today and define where you want to go.
We provide companies with a free ESG assessment service, designed to help SMEs understand, measure, and improve their level of sustainability.
Through the assessment, it is possible to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of business performance across the three ESG - Environmental, Social, and Governance dimensions.
With the support of sustainability experts, the company is guided through an analysis process that considers 11 impact modules and over 70 sustainability topics, taking into account the main Italian, European, and international regulations and standards.
How it works
The assessment allows you to:
measure the company's sustainability level, through an ESG rating on a scale from 0 to 100;
precisely identify strengths and areas for improvement;
compare performance through benchmarking compared to companies in the same sector, size, and country;
identify any critical issues and opportunities for intervention;
obtain a customized report on the company's ESG performance;
define, based on the results, an action plan with priority actions to be taken.
The rating is dynamic and constantly updated through the use of an open standard, allowing the company to monitor its progress over time.
Why conduct an ESG assessment?
Sustainability is not just a compliance issue, but can become a driver of competitiveness and innovation.
The assessment provides the company with a clear snapshot of its ESG positioning and allows it to turn the analysis results into a concrete improvement plan.
Key benefits include:
Competitive positioning Compare your performance against a European benchmark.
Awareness Understand how sustainability and innovation practices impact company performance.
Identifying priorities Clearly understand which areas need intervention and where to focus investments.
Company report Have a structured assessment that can be shared with management and various company departments.
Improvement roadmap Translating assessment results into a concrete action plan, with progressive steps to improve ESG performance and strengthen competitiveness.
International partner search
The Network supports companies looking to grow in international markets, develop new collaborations, and find qualified technological and commercial partners.
Simpler helps companies improve their competitiveness and operate on an international scale through partner search services in the following areas of cooperation:
Business partners abroad
Innovation and technology transfer partners
Research partners for European projects
In particular, Simpler supports companies abroad and helps them find partners through two services:
Service 1
The partner search database
The database of partner search profiles was created to promote business, technology and research cooperation. It contains more than 10,000 profiles from all European countries and the main international markets, and is also a useful way to check your own market positioning. Companies can publish their own partner search profiles and browse the cooperation opportunities on offer, so they can be put in touch with the organisations behind the profiles that interest them.
The service allows companies to search for international partners or to publish their own cooperation request on the platform, which brings together over 5,000 profiles from Europe and the main international markets.
1. If you are looking for a partner
Companies can monitor the platform and browse the profiles of businesses and organisations looking for partners.
They can identify the most interesting profiles and flag them to Confindustria Lombardia.
Enterprise Europe Network experts support the company in assessing the opportunity and contacting the potential partner.
The search can cover business, technology, innovation or research cooperation.
If you would like to publish your own partner search profile, contact us to start the profiling and publication process on the platform.
The company contacts Confindustria Lombardia and sets out its needs and cooperation goals.
With the support of our experts, a partner search profile is drawn up.
The profile is published on the international platform and made visible to companies and organisations interested in working together.
Expressions of interest are collected and the company is supported in getting in touch with potential partners.
If you have found a profile that interests you and would like to get in touch with the potential partner, fill in the expression of interest form: our team will assess your request and support you through the next steps.
Brokerage events and business and technology missions
We organise and support participation in B2B events, business and technology missions and brokerage events, including virtual ones, often alongside trade fairs and major international events.
Our support covers every stage of the process: selecting opportunities → choosing partners → organising meetings → B2B meetings → follow-up.
We help companies prepare for and manage their meetings, making it easier to engage directly with potential customers, technology partners, companies and international organisations.
Why use the service?
Searching for international partners allows companies to:
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Open up new markets
Get in touch with potential customers, distributors and business partners abroad.
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Accelerate innovation
Find skills, technologies and solutions that complement those already in the company.
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Build new partnerships
Develop international collaborations with qualified organisations that share common interests.
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Access European opportunities
Identify partners to build proposals with and take part in European research and innovation projects.
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Reduce search time and risk
Thanks to the support of an international network and guidance from our experts.
Access to European and national funding
We support companies and startups in identifying the most suitable funding opportunities for their innovation, development, and growth projects at European, national, and regional levels.
The service offers information, guidance and tailored assistance, helping companies identify the opportunities that best match their needs and make the most of their project ideas.
In particular, support is available to:
identify European, national and regional calls for proposals and funding opportunities;
assess how well a project fits the requirements and objectives of the calls;
refine project ideas and improve their quality ahead of the application;
find partners to take part in European research and innovation projects;
attend information, training and networking events with potential investors and partners.
The aim is to guide companies in choosing the most suitable opportunities and to make it easier to access the resources needed to turn ideas and projects into real development opportunities.
EU funding for Ergon Line, targeting energy efficiency and consumption reduction
With the technical support of the Enterprise Europe Network team, the Mantua-based manufacturer of professional rollers and technical brushes has recently been awarded a €10,000 grant from the European Commission.
Moi Composites secures the prestigious EIC Accelerator grant
The company has established itself as one of Europe's most innovative tech startups thanks to the CFM4Industry project, which will bring Continuous Fiber Manufacturing technology to the market.
To receive details about the services offered by EEN Confindustria Lombardia, please fill out the form below. Enter the requested information and specify your request in the dedicated field.
