Blockstart: Blockchain-based applications for SME competitiveness

Project Summary

Visit our external project website at blockstartproject.eu

European SMEs are all facing similar hurdles when it comes to digital skills and the adoption of new technologies. Many do not have the resources to invest in research and development. So how can they make the most of blockchain technology? That's where the Blockstart SME Training Programme comes in.

It's a free training programme to increase awareness and understanding of how blockchain technologies will impact your sector and business. The programme is tailored to each participant's needs. You can select from a wide range of options - including training sessions, workshops, and webinars - and discover the potential impact of blockchain with the support of the Blockstart partners and our network of transnational experts!

Project Partners

Lead partner

Organisation Address Email Website
Brightlands Smart Services Campus (business name) Campus Heerlen Management & Development BV (legal name) 2 Smedestraat
Heerlen
6411 CR
Netherlands 		blockstart.smartservices@brightlands.com www.brightlands.com/brightlands-smart-services-campus
Name Contact Name Email Country
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences Michiel Steeman ma.steeman@windesheim.nl Netherlands
Medicen Paris Region Daniela Onofri donofri@medicen.org France
East Netherlands Development Agency Ingmar Janssen Ingmar.Janssen@oostnl.nl Netherlands
Multitel asbl Nicolas Point point@multitel.be Belgium
BioRegio STERN Management GmbH Margot Jehle jehle@bioregio-stern.de Germany
The University of Surrey Caroline Fleming c.fleming@surrey.ac.uk United Kingdom
ChainPoint B.V. Geoff Taylor g.taylor@chainpoint.com Netherlands
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Blockstart SME Free Training Programme 

European SMEs are all facing similar hurdles when it comes to digital skills and the adoption of new technologies. Many do not have the resources to invest in research and development. So how can they make the most of blockchain technology? That's where the Blockstart SME Training Programme comes in.

It's a free training programme to increase awareness and understanding of how blockchain technologies will impact your sector and business. The programme is tailored to each participant's needs. You can select from a wide range of options - including training sessions, workshops, and webinars - and discover the potential impact of blockchain with the support of the Blockstart partners and our network of transnational experts!

Our Courses

Explore our syllabus on the Blockstart Project website

Blockstart Courses

Get started with your application

APPLICATION EXPLANATIONS
BROCHURE
SELF-DECLARATION FORM
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

The following associated partners have pledged their support for the project:

  • Regio Foodvalley (Netherlands)
  • Stichting ICT Valley (Netherlands)
  • Letztblock A.S.B.L. (Luxembourg)
  • Setsquared Partnership (United Kingdom)
  • Teagasc Food Research Centre (Ireland)
  • Institute of Supply Chain Management - University of St. Gallen (Czech Republic)
  • Eurometropolis Lille - Kortrijk - Tournai (France and Belgium)
  • Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (Luxembourg)
  • FOM University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
  • Dutch Blockchain Coalition (Netherlands)
  • Intersystems SAS (France)
  • European Logistics Centre Limburg (Netherlands)
  • Food Processing Initiative (Germany)
  • BOM Business Development & Foreign Investments BV (Netherlands)
  • Say Partners (France)
  • Fapics the French association for supply chain management (France)
  • MecaTech Cluster (Belgium)

News

Increasing SME competitiveness with Blockchain solutions

Posted on

Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) are rapidly re-shaping how society can benefit from digitalisation. Blockchain is one of the newest innovations of our generation. To put it simply, blockchain is for value sharing, what the internet became for information sharing. Today, over 30 billion devices are interconnected within IoT (Internet of Things), with that number expecting to double by 2025. But what does this mean for tomorrow’s global socio-economic paradigm, and what opportunities can arise through Blockchain? The Blockstart SME Training Programme aims to provide the tools to answer such questions and guide the next generation of SMEs through the digital revolution. Read More

Blockchain and IoT: Beyond the hype

Posted on

Combining IoT and blockchain is one way the project can help develop new digital solutions. Blockchain technology could enhance IoT, allowing devices to send data to private blockchain ledgers with tamper-resistant records for further analysis. Several Blockstart partners have performed state-of-the-art analyses, “proof of concept” implementation and further research on this topic in order to find the best technology and structure for SME use cases. As the number of IoT devices increases, so does the rate at which data needs to be processed. It is important that potential solutions take into account the time needed for secure data storage and treatment (as with smart contracts for example). Read More

Developing effective support for SMEs

Posted on

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 that informed the development of the SME training programme. Read More

Events

Training: Business Model Sandpit

, Online

This is a hands-on workshop with the opportunity to develop and play with different approaches to your business using the Business Model Canvas (BMC). You’ll gain the insights you need to understand how the elements of your business work together and you will leave with a process for searching out that growth business model you need for success.
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Webinar: Blockchain Use Cases in Healthcare

, online

This webinar provides an overview of current trends in blockchain technology in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. It also explores how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting, perhaps driving, the uptake of blockchain technology - as with the development of the digital Corona vaccination card.
Read More

The Opportunity of Blockchain

, Brightlands Smart Services Campus, Heerlen

Bringing together four major pan-European projects that support the development of blockchain technology and its multi-sector adoption. Each of these projects offers business and technical support, as well as direct financial seed funding for start-ups and SMEs in Agriculture; Fintech; Logistics and Health. Participants will discover the project objectives and the available support. Start-ups and SMEs will benefit from the advice and information provided by key players in these EU-funded projects, including Pieter Custers (Brightlands Techruption Manager), Professor Christopher Brewster (TNO and Maastricht University). Dr Tjerk Timan (TNO).
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