In cooperation with IFKA Public Benefit Non-Profit Ltd. the UpGradeSME lead partner Pannon Business Network is coordinating HGC Academy – a dedicated development program for high-growth-potential companies - which arrives to its next stage.
The Middle-sized Business Development Program is the first domestic complex development program in Hungary to offer tailor-made enterprise development solutions to the development needs of the most competitive manufacturing SMEs in order to strengthen their market position.
Within this, the so called HGC Academy is a professional knowledge base, a talent management program and a knowledge transfer platform, where not only research into the HGC segment is explored and real market needs are being explored, but personalized development opportunities and partnerships are also selected here.
First results
220 participants, 17 meetings, 800 requested developments - with this data ended in Budapest the HGC companies workshop series in May 2018.
The most important goal of the workshops was to listen to the businesses and that the company managers can discuss the strengths and areas of development of a company with the competent experts in 6 different topics:
- technology readiness
- high performance management
- CRM/ ERP systems
- Financing
- Foreign market presence - internationalisation
- Online presence
The target group consists of companies with a minimum sales volume of 100 million HUF in the Convergence region, with over 10 people employed in domestic ownership, who have been able to grow in the past 3 years. 500 executives have been contacted personally who already run medium-sized businesses or have a potential opportunity for them. By the end of the first phase, 160 companies could formally become part of the further development. 
Next step: mentoring at companies
In the framework of the HGC Academy real joint work is starting now with businesses with the tailor made improvements and training.
On-the-job management mentoring, thematic international study tours, the visit of domestic industry 4.0 sample factories, web-based training and community building programs are the collection of development programs of the HGC Academy that is complemented by a HGC training center as a complex training venue .
The practical approach of the HGC Academy and its significance in policy development is demonstrated by the second round of the forthcoming EDIOP 1.2.7-17 call for proposal, in which the systemic aspects of the companies played a decisive role. Within each call for proposal, thematic areas, their connections, the process of evaluation and the size of the funded projects crystallized through the series of HGC Academy workshops.
More information: Pannon Business Network
