COEUS

Digital Literacy for SMEs—But Please, With Responsibility

Digitalization makes SMEs (more) successful. We learned some time ago that digitalization is a key factor in the growth and success of businesses, especially SMEs. We also know all too well by now that data is the new gold. What is relatively new is an understanding of the social, environmental, ethical, and—last but not least—economic risks associated with digitalization. The COEUS project focuses on the responsibility that must be assumed in the context of digitalization in order to remain successful. In a consortium of seven European partners, the various levels are being researched and measures developed to enable SMEs to assume their digital responsibility. The SFG, or Styrian Food Hub, is fully committed as a partner to bringing the knowledge gained and all measures developed to traditional and innovative SMEs in the Styrian food industry.

Digital responsibility is a hot topic

Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) is a term that companies—if they haven’t already—urgently need to add to their vocabulary. It is often difficult enough to build the expertise needed to implement digitalization in companies, especially in SMEs. However, the need for the expertise to do so with the appropriate sense of responsibility should by no means be underestimated. The challenge has thus increased significantly once again. Companies must learn to implement both digitalization AND digital responsibility. To help make this possible to some extent, the Styrian Food Hub is providing essential knowledge on the topic of CDR to SMEs as part of the COEUS project. More specifically, the focus is on risks such as data protection, cybersecurity, job displacement, and the immense energy consumption associated with big data. These are clearly major risks that must be addressed effectively.

Goals of the COUES Project

As part of the COUES project, efforts are underway to raise awareness of CDR and build the capacity for its implementation in SMEs. A program for training and upskilling is being developed to enable SMEs to implement CDR on their own. Specifically, 50 training sessions, 50 individual coaching sessions for SMEs, and many other training initiatives are planned.

Participating Countries

COUES is a collaborative project involving seven partners from six European countries: Austria, Slovenia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Croatia. The partners contribute their expertise in the fields of business, science, and innovation to achieve more together.

The project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Central Europe program with a total of 1.46 million euros.