Promote aggregation of SMEs: Suggestions and actions

The discussion in Chap. 2 presents common characteristics of SME aggregations in different European countries, but also describes some causes of potential crisis. SME clusters and networks essentially are groups of weak industrial bodies-as small enterprises surely appear-which try to enforce their individual weakness by stipulating an agreement for reciprocal help and support. This is the real problem: not only how to define this agreement, but mainly for which actions and common decisions. In developing the CODESNET project, the partners from different European countries have focused a few main critical aspects which should be improved in existing SME networks: on one side, the necessity of a stronger coordination, to be applied either by a central committee or by some commonly accepted consortium management; on the other, the opportunity of having at their disposal efficient tools for improving the performance of clusters and supply chains, as well as the competence of the employed personnel. These critical aspects and proposals to approach them, in terms of new development projects and also of new training and research plans, are analysed in this chapter. The set of contributions has been selected in such a way to give an overview of the new initiatives in different European countries.