Free Services for SMEs and SME Groupings

PLATON offers you the opportunity to:

1. Get networked & find partners

• Partner search actions through PLATON website and PLATON consortium
• Networking events to bring together researchers and SMEs

2. Be informed & familiarized with socio-economic trends and research topics

• Information days about EU research in the socio-economic field

3. Get assistance to participate in socio-economic research (.with the support of European Experts)

• Training on socio-economic trends and emerging research issues
• Research Action Plans towards participation in FP7 research projects (for SMEs)
• Strategic Guidance Reports towards participation in FP7 research projects (for SME groupings)

Training Sessions, targeting both SMEs and SME groupings:

• to understand socio-economic issues (e.g. social, economic and political interrelations and trends) that affect their macro-environment;
• to assess and respond proactively to forthcoming opportunities, challenges and threats (associated with the afore mentioned socio-economic issues);
• to identify issues / topics of particular interest for them, i.e. support them in their effort to set specific research topics - subjects that touch business-related aspects that significantly concern them;
• to become active and valuable partners in research projects in these areas.
• to assist them to understand and clarify what role they can play in such research projects.

Research Action Plans, targeting individual SMEs (both "SSH related" and "non-SSH related"):

• helping them to identify socio-economic trends / topics of particular importance to them and assist them in setting their research objectives and planning their specific actions towards successful participation in FP7-SSH. RAPs will provide practical alternative roadmaps (i.e. medium to long term actions - time horizon: 3-5 years) in areas of high importance for the strategic / long-term planning of the individual SMEs.

Strategic Guidance Reports, targeting SME groupings: