3rd November 2026
SME & Clusters Assembly showcases Europe’s commitment to supporting SMEs, entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration
This week Ireland hosts the SME and Clusters Assembly in Dublin from 2-4 November 2026 as part of European SME Week and the wider EU Presidency programme. The SME and Clusters Assembly is a valuable opportunity for Ireland to project clear messages on competitiveness, single market, simplification, clustering, SME growth, digitalisation and innovation.
The main conference takes place in the Convention Centre Dublin on 3-4 November and brings together businesses, entrepreneurs, experts, senior representatives from the European Commission, EU Member States, as well as clustering groups from across Europe. It is a significant opportunity to showcase enterprise policy priorities and their support for SMEs, innovation and competitiveness.
Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, who will open the Assembly on Tuesday 3rd said:
"Ireland has put competitiveness at the heart of our Presidency.
The SME and Clusters Assembly is a key opportunity to hear from businesses about the challenges they face in a complex world, as well as demonstrating our commitment to prioritise areas such as simplification, the single market, trade, innovation and helping companies scale and grow.
Ireland will use this opportunity to build on our relationships across Europe as we continue to work with partners during our Presidency to create the conditions for businesses to compete, innovate and thrive."
Alan Dillon TD, Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail who will speak at the opening of day two on Wednesday, 4 November said;
“As Minister of State with responsibility for Small Business and Retail, I know the important contribution that small businesses make to our economies. The SME and Clusters Assembly is an important opportunity to hear the voice of European small businesses and to work with our European partners to make Europe a better place to start, grow and scale a business.”
The SME and Clusters Assembly gives Ireland a high-visibility platform to demonstrate leadership on SME and enterprise issues at European level. It also provides an opportunity to reinforce key messages on competitiveness, simplification, innovation, digital transition, resilience and inclusive entrepreneurship, while supporting SMEs and the broader Presidency objectives. The Assembly is also an important networking opportunity for Member States, business groups and stakeholders.
The SME and Cluster Assembly represents an opportunity for members of the triple helix clustering ecosystem (cluster organisations, policy makers and third level research institutions) from across Europe and beyond to meet to explore shared challenges and identify new collaboration opportunities. Collaboration is key to the success of clustering.
Also being held in Dublin as part of European SME Week is the annual Schumpeter ‘Innovation in Enterprise’ Lecture, taking place at the Printworks, Dublin Castle, on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The lecture will be delivered by Johanna Mair, Director and Professor of Governance, Institutions and Societal Transformation of the Florence School of Transnational Governance (STG) at the European University Institute (EUI), a leading academic on social science who received the Progress Medal from the Society for Progress for pioneering research on social entrepreneurs and social innovation.
The lecture is inspired by the legacy of economist Joseph Schumpeter whose work championed entrepreneurship and innovation as antidotes to ‘creative destruction’ as economic forces change and renew themselves. The annual lecture is an opportunity to hear some most thoughtful and insightful contemporary voices in entrepreneurship and innovation. The lecture invites participants to reflect on the forces driving innovation, disruption, and renewal in Europe’s economy.
Notes
The SME and Clusters Assembly is a flagship event for SMEs in Europe, organised on an annual basis by the European Commission, the European Innovation Council, the SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the presidency host Member State, in this case Ireland.
This year, for the first time the SME Assembly will have a joint focus on Clusters. A cluster brings together enterprise, academia/research performing organisations and government (the triple helix model) in fields where enterprises compete and cooperate to build trust and foster innovation with a view to improving competitiveness.
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