The "International Conference on Europe-Asia Policy Dialogue and Outlook for SMEs" was held beginning on June 16, 2015 at the NTUH International Convention Center and came to a successful conclusion the following day. At the invitation of Taiwan's Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA), 9 high-caliber SEM sector experts representing organizations from the EU, Britain, France, and Japan joined the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Fund of Taiwan (Taiwan SMEG) and the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) in an enthusiastic dialogue. The experts - who collectively represented the European Central Bank (ECB), UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), University College London's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Interaction (UCL Advances), HSBC Bank, French think tank iFRAP, Orange Fab, a French startup accelerator, La French Tech, France' public initiative to promote startups, the Japan-based Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), and Japan Finance Corporation (JFC) - gave stirring speeches during the one-and-a-half day event which captured the imagination of the audience, estimated at more than 200 attendees. Meanwhile, TIER's SME branch signed two memorandums of understanding (MOUs), one with the academically eminent iFRAP and another with UCL Advances, in the hope that it will lead to greater consensus on bilateral communication and partnerships and eventually propel Taiwanese SMEs' innovation and globalization efforts to the next level.
The conference centered around three themes: "SME Policies," "Innovation & Entrepreneurship," and "Financing Regulations." During the first session, the government strategies and outlook of France and Japan were described in detail and compared to Taiwan's own publicly funded SME support networks in a thought-provoking manner. The second session analyzed French and British practices and results of startup incubation echoed by successful experiences of Taiwanese entrepreneurs. Finally, the third session featured an ECB delegate's account of the SME Initiative in the EU and banking insiders' thoughts on private-sector SME financing, providing prescient information and knowledge that could help Taiwan flesh out its own SME support mechanism.
With most attendees agreeing that SMEs worldwide face similar challenges despite structural or developmental variations, the conference not only provided valuable insight on how SME issues are tackled in different countries and what role Taiwanese SMEs play in the global arena, but also shed light on the potential of enhancing ties between Taiwanese and European SMEs - through collaboration, information exchange, or meetings - and nurturing an environment that allows local SMEs to thrive outside of their comfort zone and explore more possibilities on a global scale.