Target Circular

Supporting Sustainable SMEs to Success

Our solution

Target Circular worked with SMEs and their advisors to develop knowledge, resources and process to more effectively support SMEs to succeed and transition towards circularity. Target Circular designed a four-part resource package to enable advisors and trainers to more effectively support their clients and so help their clients to be more successful and circular. Drawing on findings from across the Target Circular partnership, a Policy Analysis offers practical insights and recommendations for policymakers and support organisations seeking to maximise the return on public investment in SME development. These resources were created through multi-country practitioner co-learning and best practice exchange building on the best available evidence.

News

€1.6m project to support SMEs to make smart decisions about sustainability

A group at Munster Technological University (MTU) are seeking business owners and advisers to take part in a new €1.6 million international project to help SMEs implement effective sustainability measures. The Target Circular project is a collaboration between institutions in Ireland, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden, and builds on recent research into how businesses can use a more scientific approach to decision-making.

Explore our project website

Ambition brings enthusiasm and ideas

We work with SMES to transition towards circular and sustainable practices by “strategy mapping” for decision making.

Go to project website

A support package for more successful and circular SMEs

The four resources strengthen advisory services helping SMEs become more resilient, competitive, and circular.

1 - Increasing SME Success: practical, evidence-based resources to strengthen advisory approach, deliver more effective training, or improve SME outcomes. Read more

2 - Circular Business Model Ideation: identify and elaborate circular ideas with aspiring entrepreneurs and established SMEs. Read more

3 - Digitally enhanced SME learning: learn how to use digital tools support the learning of SME clients. Read more

4 - Shared service provision to SMEs: A strategic model for Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to deliver shared services to their clients. Read more

Who is it for and what are the benefits

The primary target groups for these solutions are:

business advisors,
enterprise support organisations,
policymakers and intermediary bodies responsible for designing and delivering SME support programmes.

By embedding these methodologies into their work, these actors can significantly enhance the effectiveness and consistency of the support they provide.

The ultimate beneficiaries are SMEs and startups, who gain access to higher-quality advisory services that improve their strategic capabilities, resilience, and long-term performance which major benefits for their communities including employment and prosperity.

Target Circular in numbers

Early evidence shows that SMEs are moving beyond reactive problem-solving toward more proactive and structured approaches to growth and innovation.

58

public-sector advisors trained or engaged

45

SMEs directly engaged and supported

70

advisors trained to reach hundreds more.

Strategic Clarity Handbook

The Strategic Clarity Handbook is a practical guide for business advisors working with SMEs. It provides a structured, step-by-step methodology to help businesses identify their goals, test their assumptions, and build a clear path forward. The Strategic Clarity Handbook is available in English, Norwegian, Icelandic and Finnish.

Go to the handbook

Policy Analysis Report

Discover the wider implications for business support and policymaking in the Policy Analysis Report, which explores how robust evidence can be used to improve the design and delivery of SME support and so increase the scale and rate of SME success.

Go to the Policy Analysis