Developing effective support for SMEs

From the 28th to the 30th of January, the Blockstart project partners came together in Zwolle, hosted by Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, for the third partner meeting. The agenda included associated partners as well as expert speakers, who shared invaluable insights on the development of blockchain technologies and use cases.

The expert speakers were:

• Olivier Rikken, an international keynote speaker and expert on blockchain, smart contracts, and governance. He presented the current state of the technology, its real applications and potential impact on logistics, agrofood, and health. 
• Michiel Bonte, who shared his experience of the (non-food) disposables supply chain and his ideas on how to make the chain more efficient.
• Kurt Callewaert, the project manager of the Blockchain4SME project in Flanders, who outlined the lessons learned while experimenting in the agrofood sector in many projects.
• Peter Nobels, who managed various blockchain projects at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and is a member of the Dutch Blockchain Coalition, focused predominantly on challenges and opportunities in the health sector.

The partners then came together to workshop potential blockchain use cases for the targeted sectors. By identifying the existing challenges where blockchain could be part of the solution, it is possible to build a training programme that delivers a much greater impact. The free SME training programme, set to launch later this year, will be offered to European SMEs in the health, agrofood, and logistics sector. The course will be tailored to each participating organisation, who can determine which workshops, webinars, and training sessions best suit their needs.

All partners came away from the meeting with a better understanding of the current blockchain landscape and a continued optimism that Blockstart is on the right path to helping SMEs across North-West Europe access the technology and all of its potential.

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