During September 23-27, the EDRC team visited Mannheim, Germany, to participate in a research workshop as part of the “Digital Transformation for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the countries of the EaP (DT4SME)” project. This project is implemented by the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung at the University of Mannheim, with support from GIZ.

Monday, September 23: Discussions focused on the preliminary research results from the participating countries.

Tuesday, September 24: At the MAFINEX Innovation Center, influential experts shared their insights. Presentations were given by Saribek Karapetyan, Founder and CEO of Visual Abstract, and Carina Hartmann, who discussed SME policy and the Masterplan Mittelstand. Robert Dehghan, Co-Founder and COO of Istari, conducted a session on transforming research into practical business models.

Wednesday, September 25: A visit to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Statistisches Bundesamt) in Wiesbaden provided valuable insights into data anonymity and confidentiality, data quality and research strategy, testing survey instruments, and the use of new digital data in official statistics.

Thursday, September 26: Sessions organized by the Open Science Office of the University of Mannheim enriched the team’s understanding of Open Science principles and research methodologies.

Friday, September 27: The conference “Digital Technologies and Innovation” at the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research concluded the visit.

The photos can be found here.