SME Services Action Plan
The SME Services Action Plan is a collaborative initiative aimed at making support for SME entrepreneurs in Twente more cohesive and easier to find. Government agencies, educational institutions, and network partners are working together to create a demand-driven service landscape. This enables entrepreneurs to find the right support for their growth and future-readiness in a more efficient manner.
Stronger Together for the Future of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
The SME Services Action Plan was developed to make services for the broader SME sector more accessible, coherent, and effective. National research and the “Dienstbare Dienstverlening” advisory report show that entrepreneurs often perceive current support as fragmented and find it difficult to navigate regulations and service windows. With this action agenda, national, regional, and local partners are collaborating on a service network that better aligns with the daily realities and future-readiness of SME entrepreneurs.
The action plan focuses on entrepreneurs facing major challenges, such as sustainability, digitization, and labor market issues, and who would benefit from clear, understandable, and easily accessible support.
Why Twente?
Twente is a region that already has an exceptional track record of reaching small and medium-sized businesses. At the same time, a lot is happening. Municipalities, educational institutions, business associations, development agencies, intermediaries, and networking organizations are deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurs on a daily basis. It is precisely this wealth of initiatives that sometimes leads to fragmentation. This makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to maintain an overview and quickly find the right support.
The national government is calling for the next step: moving from separate service desks to a more guiding role. By collaborating more intensively, service providers in Twente can make a greater impact. The knowledge and experience from the field are indispensable in this regard.
Who is involved?
The regional initiative is supported by the City of Enschede, Ondernemend Twente, and Twente Board. Together with partners such as the 14 municipalities in Twente, Saxion, ROC van Twente, the University of Twente, and national organizations like EZK, RVO, and the Chamber of Commerce, they are working toward a single, unified vision and a clear direction for SME services.
In this way, we are building a cohesive, accessible, and future-proof approach for entrepreneurs in the region: Stronger together for the future of SMEs.
Regionale kickoff
On March 19, 2026, the regional kickoff for the SME Services Action Agenda took place in Twente. During this meeting, SME service providers, government agencies, and networking organizations from Twente came together to adapt the national agenda to the Twente context.
During knowledge sessions and substantive discussions, it became clear that Twente has a wealth of offerings, knowledge, and commitment, but that this is still insufficiently visible and accessible to entrepreneurs. The shared challenge is to shift from a supply-driven to a demand-driven approach and to organize SME services in a more structured way than simply matching supply and demand.
In this news article, you can read a brief recap of the kickoff and the key insights that were gathered.
Next Steps
Following the kickoff, the focus will be on further developing the joint initiative. In the coming period, we will work on:
-
mapping the current service landscape in Twente for SME entrepreneurs;
- better connecting and coordinating existing initiatives and organizations;
- consolidating and clearly communicating knowledge, information, and support;
- developing a widely supported regional implementation program;
- building a single, cohesive, and accessible SME ecosystem in which entrepreneurs receive faster and more effective assistance.
The outcomes of the kickoff and follow-up sessions form the basis for these next steps.
Duration
The SME Services Action Agenda runs from 2024 through 2026. During this period, the parties involved will work step by step to improve the service landscape for SME entrepreneurs.
Want to know more?
Please contact Caren Dijkhuis, partnermanager at Twente Board