Workshop New Product Development for SMEs in Slovenia

The use of innovation as a way to stay ahead of the competition should not be limited to large multinationals only. Also smaller companies can benefit from the innovation process to expand their market and gain competitiveness after the crisis. However, research shows that only 23% of SME companies actively perform Research & Development. The product innovation process is experienced as unpredictable and risky, which is partly caused by a relatively small financial buffer and the priority that is given to daily business activities.

Fifteen SME companies in the high tech sector of Slovenia take on the challenge to continuously develop new products and technologies. Assigned by the “Public Agency for Technology of the Republic of Slovenia”, the consultants of Van der Meer & van Tilburg give these companies a two day workshop in New Product Development. The Slovenian entrepreneurs are personally guided to use their (technological) competences to meet new customer needs and fully exploit market opportunities.

Van der Meer & van Tilburg developed a toolkit that is especially aimed at SME companies, which divides the product development process into five specific steps. With the support of the ESCaPE (Explore, Specify, Create, Practise, Enhance) toolkit, the process is manageable and easy to implement. The method works as a guide for all necessary steps to increase the chance of a successful product introduction. SME companies can use the method as a tool to expand their market and increase their competitiveness. In case you are interested in this toolkit and a workshop, please contact Arjan de Bruin ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; phone +031 (0) 30-6992020).