The new year begins with fresh opportunities to participate in SME Instrument Academy sessions. Seven new sessions are scheduled between February and April, which interested companies are invited to join.

The SME Instrument Academy aims to help SMEs that are beneficiaries of SME Instrument funding develop their skills and knowledge through dedicated seminars with expert speakers and peer-to-peer sessions.

The first session, "Branding for Growing Businesses", took place in Brussels from 8 to 9 November 2017, with 7 companies and their representatives in attendance. Another session on "Branding" will be held in February. Furthermore, many other sessions and workshops are being planned to provide companies with all the skills necessary to become leaders in the European market.

Upcoming sessions:

• Branding for growth - 13 and 14 February 2018 in Geneva

• Market segmentation and distribution strategies - 14 and 15 February 2018 in Brussels

• Finding investors and corporate partnerships - 27 February to 1 March 2018 in Paris

• Business models - creation, development and implementation - 14 and 15 March 2018 in Brussels

• Value Proposition Design - creating products that customers want - 28 and 29 March 2018 in Barcelona

• Recruiting staff and building effective teams - 11 and 12 April 2018 in Milan

• How to make the most of non-executive directors, mentors, consultants, etc. - 25 and 26 April 2018 in Copenhagen