In the past few years, the EU has shown a growing commitment to address the rapid transformations brought about by the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) developments by increasing efforts in AI regulation. Nevertheless, despite the growing body of technical knowledge and progress, the governance of AI-intensive technologies remains dynamic and challenging. A mounting chorus of experts expresses reservations about an overemphasis on regulation in Europe. Among their core arguments is the concern that such an approach might hinder innovation within the AI arena. This concern resonates particularly strongly compared to the United States and Asia, where AI-driven innovation appears to be surging ahead, potentially leaving Europe behind. This paper emphasizes the need to balance certification and governance in AI to foster ethical innovation and enhance the reliability and competitiveness of European technology. It explores recent AI regulations and upcoming European laws, underscoring Europe’s role in the global AI landscape. The authors analyze European governance approaches and their impact on SMEs and startups, offering a comparative view of global regulatory efforts. The paper highlights significant global AI developments from the past year, focusing on Europe’s contributions. We address the complexities of creating a comprehensive, human-centred AI master’s programme for higher education. Finally, we discuss how Europe can seize opportunities to promote ethical and reliable AI progress through education, fostering a balanced approach to regulation and enhancing young professionals’ understanding of ethical and legal aspects.
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The complexity of Information Technology (IT) is increasing; so are customer expectations. Consequently it is not easy for especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to keep track of all IT-developments, let alone leverage them in business operations with the aim to satisfy increasingly demanding customers. This also holds for the health care sector. This research is focussed on first line health care, and deals with the following research question; ‘which IT capabilities do SMEs within the first line health care sector need to have at their disposal in order to reach Business/IT-Alignment (BITA) maturity?’ Using the best practices ITIL, ASL and BiSL (cf. Bon, et al. 2007), IT capabilities are formulated. Based on the theory of Luftman (2000) business/IT-alignment and maturity is measured. Quantitative research of 123 first line health care SMEs in the Netherlands, confirms a moderate to strong correlation between the IT capability constructs ‘Organisation’, ‘Processes’, ‘Knowledge’ and ‘People’ on the one hand, and BITA maturity on the other. The results indicate that SMEs within the first line health care sector should invest in IT capabilities related to the enterprise's ‘Organisation’ and ‘Processes’ to strive for increased business and IT maturity.
This paper analyzes connectivity and efficiency of a SME network across two industries. These characteristics are likely to be different for networks of various industries. The concept of 'small worlds' is used to judge overall network efficiency. The actual network can be classified as one in which a small world is present. Visualization of the results shows a single core group in the network. It was found that non-profit as well as science actors were overrepresented in the core of the field.
In line with European sustainability goals, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Dutch automotive aftermarket face the challenge of maintaining competitiveness while transitioning to circular business models. These models, supported by EU policies such as the Circular Economy Action Plan and the European Green Deal, drive innovation in product lifecycle management, recycling, and sustainability. However, as SMEs adapt to these changes, they must also navigate the growing competition from imported Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), which bring both opportunities and risks. Logistics plays a critical role in this transition, as optimizing supply chains, enhancing resource efficiency, and minimizing waste are essential for achieving circularity. Will the Chinese car manufacturers move their value chain to Europe? Or will they further localize in aftersales businesses? Either scenario would affect a chain of SMEs in automotive aftermarket. Focusing on the auto parts SMEs in the Brainport region, this research examines how SMEs can stay competitive by leveraging logistics strategies to support circular practices, and navigate the challenges posed by the influx of Chinese EVs while remaining resilient and adaptable in the automotive aftermarket value chain. Together with our consortium partners, we help the regional SMEs in the automotive aftermarket with: 1. Mapping out logistical challenges and objectives, 2. Risk mitigation and demand planning, 3. Strategic supply chain development. Involving Fontys International Business graduation projects on data analysis, this project combines quantitative and qualitative insights to examine the transition of automotive aftermarket to an EV-dominated future. The SMEs in our consortium network are drive to adapt to the evolving landscape by investing in new measures. Through scenario assessment, we help them with scenario strategies in circular transition. For a broader impact, this project brings SMEs, branch and public organizations together and presents shared responsibilities in creating a resilient supply chain.
Social enterprises (SEs) can play an important role in addressing societal problems. SEs are businesses whose primary objective is to generate social impact (e.g. well-being, social wealth and cohesion, and ecology) through a market-based model. SEs achieve this through a hybrid business model, trading-off financial and social value creation objectives. SEs typically face higher costs, for example because of ethical sourcing principles and/or production processes centering around the needs of workers who are vulnerable or hard-to-employ. This results in SEs’ struggling to scale-up due to their relatively costly operating model. Traditional management techniques are not always appropriate, as they do not take into account the tensions between financial and social value creation objectives of SEs. Our project examines how continuous improvement, and in particular the philosophy and tools of Lean can be harnessed to improve SEs competitiveness. Lean organizations share many values with SEs, such as respect for people, suggesting a good fit between the values and principles of Lean and those of SEs. The consortium for this project is a cooperation between the research groups Improving Business and New Marketing of the Center of Expertise Well-Being Economy and New Entrepreneurship and the minor Continuous Improvement of AVANS Hogeschool, and the SME companies Elliz in Company and Ons Label. The project consists of two phases, an exploratory phase during which the question “in what ways can the philosophy and tools of Lean be used by Social Enterprises?” will be addressed. Interviews and focus groups will be conducted with multiple SEs (not only partners). Participant observation will be conducted by the students of the minor Continuous Improvement at the partner SEs. During the second phase, the implementation of the identified principles and tools will be operationalized through a roadmap. Action research will be conducted in cooperation with the partner SEs.
Client: European Commission (DG-Enterprise), subcontracted through Comunitá Montana Associazione dei Comuni Trasimeno-Medio Tevere SLOW TOUR (Sustainable Lake Oriented Walking Tourism) is a project funded by the European Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry within the Programme Competiveness and Innovation Framework (CIP) under the call “Knowledge Networks for the competitiveness and sustainability of European tourism”.SLOW TOUR's goal is to make tourism on and around European lakes more sustainable and competitive. To achieve this, best-practices, certifications and networks in lake tourism were gathered and analysed within a coherent framework, leading to a “Manual of Excellence of Lake tourism in Europe” as its main product. CSTT's contribution was mainly focused on a Sustainability Impact Assessment of a number of European lake destinations, and the development of indicators and benchmarks for sustainable tourism products in lake areas.For SLOW TOUR, the NHTV Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport was subcontracted through Comunitá Montana Associazione dei Comuni Trasimeno - Medio Tevere (Italy). The other parties are Global Nature FUND, representing the Living Lakes network, and the University of Perugia. The project ran from June 2010 to November 2011.
