Key enabling technologies (KETs) are strategic technologies. They fuel economic growth, create new jobs and contribute to solve societal challenges. They are crucial to upgrade products, improve processes for regional innovation capacity, open new market opportunities and guarantee future competiveness of Central Europe (CE) industry on a global scale.
However, there are regional disparities in CE in how SMEs are getting access to (trans-) national Research and Technology Organisations (RTO) offering KET technology services. In this framework, KETGATE Points (KPs) installed at regional level could provide a solution to this problem. They build a bridge between the SMEs and the RTOs. On the one hand, the KPs offer consulting services to SMEs in their mother tongue and after understanding their needs, the KPs support them accessing the services of KET providers and implementing KETs in their companies. On the other hand, the KET Providers (RTOs) deliver information on KET to the KPs. In this way, the KETGATE Points can select the right KET Provider(s) for an SME to set a suitable (trans-) national service for the benefit of the SME.