Financing the digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises. The enabling role of digital innovation hubs

Financing the digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises. The enabling role of digital innovation hubs

This study carried out by InnovFin Advisory in collaboration with the European Investment Advisory Hub, gives an overview of the role of digital innovation hubs and snapshot of the status of digitalisation in Europe.

The study reviews access-to-finance conditions for the digitalisation of SMEs and the role of digital innovation hubs as key enablers in the wider ecosystem. It highlights how the propensity to digitalisation and digital maturity of SMEs is not only affected by financial factors (access to finance) but also by non-financial factors (knowledge and ambition to digitalise). In particular, the study shows the crucial role of digital innovation hubs and the wider eco-system in supporting the digitalisation of SMEs.

The publication proposes a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of digitalisation of SMEs. It includes recommendations and potential policy actions to strengthen the ecosystem and ways to improve access to finance condition for digital projects.

(Source: EIB)