Lucia Seel

Our name is our mission: we debut with a new issue, gender equality as an SME competitiveness factor, addressed in a new way, via clusters, in a policy context. Among SMEs, the business rationale behind gender equality is not widely recognized. And when it is, the businesses are faced with the question “how to do it in practice”. There is an undeniable need for capacity building for SMEs to develop gender-inclusive business models and a gender-friendly work culture. The policy level needs to create better framework to support SMEs stay competitive, innovative and  able to create new market opportunities with a more inclusive approach. Clusters, as recognized agents of change, are a perfect tool to support SMEs to adopt such measures, being key actors in the design and implementation of the Smart Specialisation Strategies.