Capacity Building – Business Development
MetaHeritage offers a selection of capacity building programmes designed to support companies, cultural heritage organisations, tourism stakeholders and innovation actors in strengthening their business, entrepreneurial and investment planning skills.
The programme brings together selected European training resources, advisory services and project-based activities on entrepreneurship, business models, financial planning, EU funding, pitching, digital transformation and intellectual property. It is designed to support participants in developing stronger project ideas, preparing more robust business and funding plans, improving their digital readiness and moving towards market uptake and exploitation.
The resources below are organised by thematic area. Access conditions are indicated where available and should always be verified on the official provider’s website.
Resource Categories
💡 Learn: Courses, webinars and explanatory materials.
🛠 Apply: Canvases, templates, self-assessment tools and practical guides.
🔎 Research: Databases, dashboards, reports and benchmarking resources.
🤝 Connect: Advisory services, funding platforms and partner-search tools.
✓ Assess: Self-assessment frameworks, diagnostic tools and readiness checks.
1. Entrepreneurship & Business Model Development
This section supports participants in transforming an initial idea into a structured and viable business concept. The selected resources focus on entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, innovation, value creation, business model design and platform-based ecosystem thinking. They are particularly relevant for SMEs and cultural heritage or tourism actors seeking to define their role, value proposition and cooperation model within digital heritage and cultural tourism ecosystems.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entrepreneurial skills 💡 Provider: EU Academy | Online course | Free access | European learning resources on entrepreneurial mindset, financial literacy, sustainability and digital skills. Useful for SMEs, entrepreneurs and cultural heritage stakeholders seeking to strengthen basic business capacities. |
| Empowering my Entrepreneurial Mindset 💡 Provider: EU Academy | Online course | Free access | Course helping entrepreneurs establish a long-term direction, respond to uncertainty, manage change, take calculated risks and strengthen leadership and emotional-intelligence skills. Particularly suitable as an introductory resource for new entrepreneurs and project promoters. |
| OpenLearn – Money & Business Free Courses 💡 Provider: The Open University | Online course catalogue | Free access | Catalogue of free online learning resources covering entrepreneurship, business strategy, management, accounting, finance, marketing and professional development. Participants can select courses according to their previous experience and specific business-planning needs. Particularly useful as a flexible complementary learning resource for SMEs, cultural organisations and project promoters seeking to strengthen general business and financial-management skills. |
| Culture & Creativity Courses 💡 Provider: EIT Campus | Online course | Paid courses / access conditions may vary | Selected courses from the EIT Culture & Creativity catalogue focusing on creative entrepreneurship, resilient entrepreneurship, venture design, cultural innovation and skills for the creative digital economy.
Examples of courses: Resilient Entrepreneurship in the Creative Economy – EIT Campus / EIT Culture & Creativity CREative Catalyst: Design Your Venture – EIT Campus / EIT Culture & Creativity Generation Entrepreneurs: Learn to Earn – Youth Startup Skills for the Creative Digital Economy Foresight and Innovation for Resilient Entrepreneurs in CCSI – EIT Campus |
| Innovation & Entrepreneurship – From Basics to Open Innovation 💡 Provider: EIT Campus | Online course | Paid course / Coursera conditions apply | Covers innovation, entrepreneurship, market analysis, customer engagement and open innovation. Good for participants preparing structured innovation concepts or future I3-oriented project ideas. |
| Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization – EIT Campus 💡 Provider: EIT Campus | Online course | Paid course / Coursera conditions apply | Useful for participants who need to link innovation with value creation, market opportunities, digital marketing and entrepreneurship. More advanced and longer than the free introductory modules. |
| The Lean Startup Summary 💡 Provider: The Swedish Investor | Explainer video | Free access | Concise visual introduction to the Lean Startup methodology. It explains validated learning, customer-focused experimentation, the Minimum Viable Product and the Build–Measure–Learn cycle. Particularly useful for SMEs and project promoters seeking to test an initial idea before investing significant time and resources in its development. |
| IE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center 🤝 Provider: IE University | Entrepreneurship support centre / Training, mentoring and networking ecosystem | Access conditions vary / Some activities may be restricted to IE students, alumni or selected participants | Entrepreneurship and innovation centre supporting aspiring founders through training workshops, advisory clinics and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, industry coaches and investors. Its ecosystem provides access to entrepreneurial knowledge, advice, startup-development activities and professional networks. Particularly useful for entrepreneurs seeking guidance, practical learning and connections while developing or refining a new venture. |
| Business Model and Value Proposition Resources 💡✓ Provider: Strategyzer | Video series / Business-modelling toolkit / Templates | Free access to selected videos, articles and downloadable tools; other products or services may require payment | Structured collection of explanatory videos, practical guides and visual tools helping entrepreneurs and organisations transform an initial idea into a customer-centred, testable and viable business model. The Strategyzer library also provides complementary tools and guidance on customer insights, experimentation, business-model testing, innovation management and strategic decision-making. Particularly useful for SMEs, cultural heritage organisations, tourism actors and project promoters seeking to define their customers, clarify their value proposition, structure an initial business model and test key assumptions before preparing a detailed business plan, funding application or investment proposal.
Selected resources include: Ep 1 – Getting From Business Idea to Business Model Ep 2 – Visualizing Your Business Model Ep 4 – Navigating Your Environment Complementary introductory videos: Business Model Canvas Explained Strategyzer’s Value Proposition Canvas Explained Tools and templates: Business Strategy Insights & Visual Tools | Strategyzer |
| The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework 💡✓ Provider: European Commission, Joint Research Centre | Competence framework / Practical guide | Free access | European framework identifying 15 competences that individuals and organisations need to turn ideas and opportunities into value. It covers opportunity identification, creativity, vision, resource mobilisation, financial literacy, planning, collaboration and learning through experience. It can help SMEs and cultural or tourism organisations assess and structure their entrepreneurial capacities. The EntreComp video series |
| Developing Business Models through the Business Model Canvas 💡🛠
Provider: ProBM 2 Erasmus+ project consortium |
Online training tool / Toolkit | Free access | Integrated learning resource for current and prospective entrepreneurs on developing and evaluating business models using the Business Model Canvas. It combines methodological guidance with practical activities and can support participants in structuring customers, value propositions, resources, partnerships, costs and revenue streams. |
| Business Makeover 🛠✓ Provider: Business Makeover / ENvISION project consortium | Online toolkit | Free access | Collection of practical tools developed through ENvISION EU-funded project to help SMEs analyse, design, test and improve their business models. The tools address different business-model innovation challenges and guide users towards the instruments most relevant to their situation. |
| Tools for Developing Your Circular Business Model 🛠✓ Provider: Saxion University of Applied Sciences | Self-assessment tool / Interactive toolkit | Free access | Set of interactive tools helping companies assess their current level of circularity and explore alternative circular business models. It supports the identification of possible organisational structures, value propositions and revenue models, making it relevant for tourism and cultural heritage organisations seeking more sustainable operations. |
| Business Model Canvas 🛠 Provider: CanvasBusiness | Online business modelling tool / Template | Free access | Free online tool for creating and editing a Business Model Canvas. It helps entrepreneurs and organisations map customer segments, value propositions, channels, relationships, key activities, resources, partnerships, costs and revenue streams. Users can also download blank templates and export completed canvases in formats suitable for brainstorming, team discussions and business presentations. |
| Canvanizer – Lean Canvas 🛠 Provider: Canvanizer | Online business-modelling and validation tool | Online business-modelling and validation too | Free online tool for creating, editing and sharing a Lean Canvas and other structured business-planning canvases. It helps entrepreneurs and project promoters identify customer problems, proposed solutions, target segments, key metrics, channels, costs, revenues and competitive advantages. Particularly useful for testing and refining an early-stage business or project idea before preparing a complete business plan. |
2. Market Intelligence, Benchmarking & Validation
This section provides stakeholders with statistical databases, benchmarking platforms and practical validation tools that can support demand analysis, market sizing, customer research and evidence-based decision-making. The resources are particularly useful when preparing market analyses, business plans, investment proposals or regional innovation projects.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU Tourism Dashboard 🔎 Provider: European Commission, Joint Research Centre | Interactive dashboard / Benchmarking tool | Free access | Interactive knowledge platform providing tourism indicators related to the green and digital transitions, socio-economic resilience and destination characteristics. It enables users to compare European countries and destinations, identify territorial strengths and weaknesses and support evidence-based tourism strategies and investment planning. |
| Eurostat Tourism Database 🔎 Provider: Eurostat, European Commission | Statistical database | Free access | Official European tourism database covering accommodation capacity and occupancy, tourist trips, expenditure, tourism industries, regional patterns and short-term accommodation booked through online platforms. Useful for estimating market demand, analysing visitor flows and supporting tourism business and investment plans. |
| Eurostat Culture Database 🔎 Provider: Eurostat, European Commission | Statistical database | Free access | Official European data on cultural employment, cultural enterprises, economic performance, international trade in cultural goods and services, cultural participation, household expenditure and cultural infrastructure. Useful for cultural-sector market sizing, benchmarking and evidence-based project development. |
| Eurostat Data Browser 🔎 Provider: Eurostat, European Commission | Data exploration and visualisation tool | Free access | Interactive tool for searching, filtering, comparing, visualising and downloading Eurostat datasets. It helps users create customised tables and charts, conduct regional and country comparisons and retrieve statistical evidence for market analyses, business plans and investment proposals. |
| Guide to Eurostat Culture Statistics – 2026 Edition 🔎 Provider: Eurostat, European Commission | Methodological guide | Free access | Methodological guide explaining the concepts, definitions, statistical scope and principal European datasets used to measure cultural employment, enterprises, trade, participation and expenditure. It helps users select appropriate indicators and interpret cultural-sector evidence correctly. |
| EUSurvey 🛠 Provider: European Commission | Online survey and data-collection tool | Free access | Free online survey-management tool developed by the European Commission. It can support SMEs, cultural organisations and project teams in designing questionnaires, gathering feedback from visitors or stakeholders and collecting evidence for customer and market validation. |
| I3 Instrument Observatory 🔎 Provider: I3 Instrument Support Facility / EISMEA | Knowledge and monitoring platform / Project and funding information hub | Free access | Knowledge platform providing structured access to information and external resources related to the I3 Instrument, smart specialisation, interregional innovation projects and European funding opportunities. It can help stakeholders explore existing initiatives, understand the wider I3 ecosystem, identify relevant support networks and gather evidence when preparing interregional cooperation strategies, project concepts and investment-oriented proposals. |
| I3 Instrument Funded Projects Database 🔎 Provider: EISMEA / I3 Instrument Support Facility | Project database / Benchmarking and good-practice resource | Free access | Database presenting projects funded under the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument. It enables stakeholders to explore project objectives, participating regions, sectors, value chains and approaches to interregional cooperation, capacity building and investment. Particularly useful for benchmarking project concepts, identifying experienced organisations, understanding funded approaches and developing complementary or follow-up initiatives. |
| Customer Validation and Experimentation Tools 🛠 Provider: Strategyzer | Customer-research and experimentation toolkit / Templates | Free access to selected downloadable tools and resources / provider conditions may apply | Collection of practical tools and templates helping entrepreneurs and organisations test assumptions about customers, value propositions and business models through structured experiments. The Test Card helps users define a hypothesis, select an appropriate experiment and establish measurable validation criteria before collecting evidence. The Learning Card supports the systematic recording of observations, insights and resulting decisions after an experiment. The Experiment Library provides examples of different methods that can be used to test business ideas and reduce uncertainty. These resources are particularly useful for SMEs, cultural heritage organisations, tourism actors and project promoters seeking to complement statistical and survey-based market research with direct customer evidence before investing significant time or resources in a proposed solution. Selected tools include: Test Card The Learning Card – 2023 Experiment Library How To Track The Progress Of Business Experiments Customer-insight and value-proposition testing resources |
3. Financial Literacy & Investment Planning
This section helps participants strengthen their capacity to understand budgets, financial needs, business viability and investment planning. It is particularly useful for organisations preparing funding applications, investment proposals or pitch decks.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial literacy for entrepreneurship 💡 Provider: EU Academy | Online course | Free access | Introductory course helping aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs understand budgeting, pricing, sales forecasts, cash flow, funding options, tax obligations and financial risks. Particularly useful for participants with limited previous financial experience. |
| Financial literacy in my business 💡 Provider: EU Academy | Online course | Free access | Intermediate course supporting entrepreneurs in maintaining financial records, analysing their financial position, preparing forecasts and understanding taxes, legal obligations and operational risks. |
| Building my know-how: Financial Literacy 💡 Provider: EU Academy | Online course | Free access | More advanced course focused on financial health and sustainable business growth. It covers cash-flow statements, income statements, balance sheets, profitability ratios, funding readiness, financing options and risks associated with expansion. |
| Supernovas Women2Invest 💡🤝 Provider: EIT Community Supernovas, programme powered by IE Business School | Venture-capital training programme / Professional development programme | Free participation for selected eligible applicants / Eligibility conditions apply | Specialised training programme introducing participants to venture-capital and startup-investment processes. It covers startup fundamentals, business-model analysis, due diligence, company valuation, term sheets, negotiation, portfolio management, impact investing and exit strategies. Particularly useful for eligible women with STEAM backgrounds seeking to understand how investors evaluate and finance innovative ventures. |
| Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs: An OECD Scoreboard 🔎 Provider: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD | Comparative report / Financing benchmark | Free online access | Comparative OECD resource analysing SME and entrepreneurship financing trends, conditions, instruments and policy developments across participating countries. It covers areas such as bank lending, credit conditions, equity financing, payment delays, insolvencies and public support measures. Particularly useful for intermediaries, policymakers, clusters and project promoters seeking to understand the wider SME-financing environment and benchmark financing conditions across countries. |
| Access to finance 🤝 Provider: Enterprise Europe Network | Advisory support service | Free advisory support / local availability may vary | Personalised guidance for SMEs seeking suitable sources of finance, improving their investment readiness and connecting with financial intermediaries, business angels, startup communities and other relevant networks. |
| Access2finance 🛠 Provider: European Commission | EU finance search tool | Free access | Online tool helping SMEs and project promoters identify loans, guarantees, equity finance and other EU-supported financial products. Users can search for relevant financial intermediaries and financing options according to their country and funding needs. |
| InvestEU Advisory Hub 🤝 Provider: European Commission and European Investment Bank | Advisory and technical assistance service | Advisory support subject to eligibility and assessment | European advisory service supporting the identification, preparation, structuring and development of investment projects. It may provide technical assistance, capacity building and investment-readiness support to eligible private and public project promoters. |
| InvestEU Portal 🤝 Provider: European Commission | Investor matchmaking platform | Free access / submission conditions apply | EU online marketplace connecting eligible project promoters with investors worldwide. It can help mature projects increase their visibility and explore private or complementary financing opportunities. |
| Investment and Financing Strategies for Startups and SMEs 💡🛠
Provider: MetaHeritage |
Training presentation / Capacity-building resource | Free access | Practical training resource explaining how startups, SMEs and project promoters can structure an initial investment plan, evaluate project viability and select an appropriate financing mix. It covers investment and financing concepts, cash-flow planning, NPV, IRR, ROI, payback, risk assessment, investment readiness, financing by business stage, grants, debt, equity, crowdfunding, hybrid instruments and blended finance. Particularly useful for organisations preparing business plans, funding strategies, investment proposals or discussions with banks and investors. |
4. EU Funding, Partner Search & I3 Project Preparation
This section supports participants in understanding European funding opportunities and preparing stronger project concepts, with particular relevance for future interregional innovation initiatives and Strand 2a I3 applications.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly I3 Instrument Support Facility virtual events💡 Provider: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA | Webinar series / Training materials | Free access | Official series of virtual events and supporting materials on the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument. Topics include the preparation of successful I3 proposals, interregional partnerships, project and ecosystem management, financial reporting, communication, Financial Support to Third Parties, engagement of Managing Authorities and access to finance. Particularly relevant for organisations preparing future Strand 1, Strand 2a or capacity-building initiatives. |
| I3 Instrument Support Facility 💡🛠🔎🤝 Provider: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA | Capacity-building platform / Knowledge hub / Project-support and networking facility | Free access; registration may be required for selected activities | Official support platform for stakeholders involved in or interested in the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument. It provides access to capacity-building activities, practical knowledge, project examples, thematic events, peer-learning opportunities, partner-search functions and information supporting the preparation and implementation of interregional innovation initiatives. The Facility is particularly relevant for public authorities, innovation intermediaries, clusters, SMEs, research organisations and project promoters seeking to develop stronger interregional value chains, investment pipelines and future I3 project proposals. |
| I3 Instrument Calls and Official Info Sessions 💡🛠 Provider: EISMEA, European Commission | Call documentation / Applicant guidance / Info-session materials | Free access | Official collection of I3 call pages, application documents, recorded information sessions and applicant guidance covering the objectives, eligibility conditions, expected activities, funding arrangements and proposal requirements of the I3 Instrument. Particularly relevant for organisations preparing future Strand 1, Strand 2a or Capacity Building Strand 2b proposals and seeking authoritative guidance on the design of interregional innovation investments and capacity-building actions. |
| EU Funding for Beginners💡 Provider: European Commission | Introductory online guidance | Free access | Introductory guidance explaining the main forms of EU support, including grants, loans, guarantees, equity, prizes, subsidies and public procurement. It also introduces basic considerations before applying and provides guidance on identifying suitable funding opportunities and potential partners. |
| EU Funding & Tenders Portal 🛠 🤝 Provider: European Commission | Funding database and application platform | Free access / registration required for applications | Central European Commission platform for identifying calls for proposals and tenders, consulting programme and call documents, finding partners, registering organisations and submitting applications. It also provides access to funded projects, programme guidance, templates and applicant support materials. |
| How to Apply for EU Funding 💡🛠 Provider: European Commission | Online guidance / Application roadmap | Free access | Practical overview of the EU funding application process, covering eligibility, identification of suitable calls, partner searches, organisational registration, proposal submission, evaluation and grant-award procedures. Useful for first-time applicants seeking to understand the complete application pathway. |
| EU SME Self-Assessment Tool 🛠 Provider: European Commission, Funding & Tenders Portal | Online eligibility assessment tool | Free access | Online wizard helping organisations determine whether they qualify as micro, small or medium-sized enterprises under the EU SME definition. The assessment considers staff numbers, turnover or balance-sheet totals and relationships with other enterprises. Particularly relevant when SME status affects eligibility, funding rates or access to specific support measures. |
| Access to EU funding 🤝 Provider: Enterprise Europe Network | Advisory support service | Free advisory support / local availability may vary | Personalised support for SMEs seeking to identify and apply for relevant EU funding programmes, particularly in research, innovation, development and international cooperation. Local Network partners may help assess project suitability, understand calls, identify partners and navigate the application process. |
| I3 Instrument Partner Search 🤝 Provider: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA | Partner-search and consortium-building platform | Free access; registration required to publish or manage partnering offers | Official I3 partner-search tool helping public authorities, SMEs, clusters, research organisations, universities and other innovation stakeholders identify potential partners for interregional innovation initiatives. Users can browse existing collaboration offers or publish their own expertise, project interests and partnership needs. Particularly useful for building interregional consortia, connecting complementary regional ecosystems and preparing future I3 Strand 1, Strand 2a or capacity-building proposals. |
| European Cluster Collaboration Platform – Find Clusters & Partners 🤝 Provider: European Cluster Collaboration Platform, European Commission | Partner-search and collaboration platform | Free access / registration required for some functions | European platform helping businesses, researchers, cluster organisations and other innovation actors identify clusters, potential partners and collaboration opportunities in Europe and internationally. Users can explore cluster organisations by country, sector, industrial ecosystem and thematic area and access information on partnerships, funding opportunities, events and internationalisation activities. Particularly useful for organisations preparing collaborative innovation projects, developing new value chains or seeking commercial, technological and regional partners. |
5. Pitching, Communication & Market Readiness
This section helps SMEs and organisations present their value proposition, market potential and investment needs more effectively. The selected resources focus on marketing strategy, customer segmentation, business communication, sales, pitching and investor-oriented communication. They are particularly useful for participants preparing pitch decks, market presentations, investment discussions or commercialisation strategies.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIC Business Acceleration Services 🤝 Provider: European Innovation Council | Coaching, mentoring and business-support services | Access restricted mainly to eligible EIC beneficiaries and supported companies | Portfolio of business-acceleration services supporting eligible EIC-backed innovators in commercialisation, market access, leadership and investment readiness. Services may include coaching, mentoring, specialised training, access to business partners, investor matchmaking and participation in innovation ecosystems. |
| EIT Jumpstarter 💡 🤝 Provider: EIT | Pre-accelerator training programme / Pitch competition | Free participation for selected eligible applicants during open calls; application periods and geographic eligibility vary by edition | Structured pre-accelerator programme helping early-stage innovators transform ideas into viable ventures. It combines entrepreneurial training, mentoring, market validation, business development and professional pitch preparation, culminating in an international pitch competition. Particularly relevant for participants seeking to improve market fit and investment readiness. |
| EIC VentureMatch Programme 🤝 Provider: European Innovation Council | Investment-readiness and investor-outreach programme | Available to eligible EIC-backed companies / selection conditions apply | Investment-readiness and investor-outreach programme supporting eligible EIC-backed startups and SMEs in preparing for fundraising and connecting with investors. Activities may include tailored investment preparation, pitch and fundraising support, thematic investor events, matchmaking and targeted promotion to international investors. |
| Startup Growth: Digital Marketing Strategy & Business Communication for Startups 💡 Provider: EIT Campus | Online learning pathway | Provider conditions apply | Self-paced learning pathway helping startups strengthen digital marketing, business communication, stakeholder engagement and strategic positioning. It supports participants in communicating with customers, investors, policymakers and potential partners and in developing more visible, customer-centred and market-oriented ventures. The pathway currently brings together three complementary courses and offers a digital badge upon completion. |
| Marketing Strategy for Entrepreneurs 💡 Provider: EIT Campus | Online course | Free enrolment / provider conditions may apply | Practical course focused on marketing and sales for technology-based companies. It covers customer analysis, segmentation, positioning, competition, negotiation, digital marketing, closing deals and market expansion. Particularly useful for SMEs and innovation actors seeking to improve their commercial positioning and growth strategy. |
| IE Venture Networks 🤝 Provider: IE University Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center | Startup pitching and investor-networking sessions | Access and registration conditions vary by session; some activities may be limited to members of the IE community or invited participants | Regular entrepreneurship sessions providing startups and project promoters with opportunities to present ideas, receive informal feedback, exchange knowledge and connect with entrepreneurs and potential investors. Particularly useful for participants seeking to practise their pitch, improve the communication of their business concept, expand their entrepreneurial network and explore possible investment or collaboration opportunities. |
| Heritage Innovation and Investment – Connecting Culture and Capital 💡 Provider: Metaheritage | Webinar recording / Expert session | Free access | MetaHeritage webinar exploring how cultural heritage and innovation initiatives can become more investment-ready and connect with suitable sources of capital. It provides sector-specific insights into investment opportunities, financing barriers and the relationship between cultural value, innovation potential and commercial viability. |
| Craft Your Killer Pitch: Investor-Ready Pitching Training 💡🛠 Provider: MetaHeritage, delivered by EBAN expert Audra Shallal | Online pitching workshop / Training materials | Free access | Practical investor-readiness workshop helping participants structure and refine a compelling pitch. It covers the core components of an investor-oriented presentation, including the problem, solution, value proposition, market opportunity, business model, competitive positioning, team, financial needs and investment ask. The workshop also helps participants communicate their project concisely and adapt their narrative to investor expectations. The training forms part of the MetaHeritage Call for Investment Ideas and pitching-support process. |
| Craft a killer pitch guide 🛠 Provider: Audra Shallal, European Business Angel Network (EBAN) | Pitching guide / Training presentation | Free access | Practical downloadable guide explaining how to prepare an elevator pitch and a complete investor presentation. It covers the six questions an elevator pitch should answer, the characteristics of an effective business pitch, market and competitive positioning, revenue models, financial projections, funding requirements and the recommended structure of a ten-minute investor presentation. |
| Rock your pitch and make an impression 🛠 Provider: European Business Angel Network, EBAN | Pitching guide / Training presentation | Free access | Practical guidance on delivering a confident, memorable and persuasive pitch. It focuses on presentation structure, storytelling, clarity, audience engagement, speaker presence and the effective communication of key messages. Particularly useful for participants moving from pitch-deck preparation to live presentation before investors, partners or evaluation panels. |
| Pitching and Investor Communication Video Collection 💡🛠 | Video collection / Pitching and communication resource | Free access | Curated collection of practical videos helping entrepreneurs and organisations prepare, structure, design and deliver effective investor-oriented presentations. The resources cover the essential components of a pitch, three-minute presentation formats, investor expectations, pitch-deck design, storytelling, audience engagement and presentation delivery. Particularly useful for SMEs, cultural heritage organisations and tourism actors preparing pitch competitions, investor meetings, project showcases or commercial presentations. Included videos How to Pitch Your Startup in 3 Minutes Provider: Funzi / SAIS Programme Explains how to structure a concise three-minute pitch covering the problem, solution, target market, business opportunity, team and funding needs. What Investors Actually Want to See in Your Pitch Deck Provider: Matt C. Smith Presents the pitch from the investor’s perspective and highlights the information investors expect on market opportunity, traction, business model, team, financial logic and investment needs. How to Make a Pitch Deck That Gets Funded Provider: Visme Step-by-step tutorial covering the main pitch-deck slides, visual presentation, design principles and practical delivery advice. How to Start a Pitch or Presentation: 4 Simple Steps Provider: Dominic Colenso Provides practical techniques for opening a pitch, capturing attention and communicating the central message from the beginning. |
6. Intellectual Property & Exploitation of Results
This section helps participants understand how to identify, manage, protect and exploit intellectual property, digital heritage assets, creative content and project results. It is particularly relevant for organisations working with digital collections, 3D models, AI-generated content, storytelling, archives, museums, cultural data and EU-funded innovation projects.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| European IP Helpdesk – Training, E-learning Modules and Webinars 💡 Provider: European IP Helpdesk, European Commission | E-learning modules / Video training | Free access | Collection of introductory and thematic e-learning resources covering intellectual property concepts, protection strategies, IP management and enforcement. The modules provide accessible guidance for SMEs, researchers and organisations participating in innovation activities or EU-funded projects. Particularly useful for participants seeking a flexible introduction to copyright, trademarks, designs, patents, licensing and IP management. Regular Webinar Schedule – IP Helpdesk – European Commission |
7. European networks for SME support
This section summarises the MetaHeritage webinar series on European support networks. The series helps to empower SMEs, clusters, and regional innovation stakeholders by providing practical insights and connections to key EU networks, helping them to actively engage in and benefit from smart specialisation, digitalisation and business support, and collaborative platforms.
| Resource | Resource type | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar #1 – Smart Specialisation and Regional Networks: Driving Growth through Collaboration 💡 | Video recording | Free access | Smart Specialisation (S3) is the EU’s place-based innovation policy designed to help regions identify and build on their unique strengths, ensuring that investments focus on areas with the greatest potential for growth and competitiveness. By linking regional priorities with European strategic objectives, S3 fosters cooperation across borders and accelerates the uptake of innovation. The S3 Community of Practice and its Thematic Partnerships are central to this approach, creating powerful platforms that connect regions, clusters, SMEs and investment opportunities. These initiatives provide fertile ground to innovate, collaborate, and scale, while aligning with EU ambitions for industrial transformation and resilience. Specialisation can also be expressed on national or interregional networks. The webinar explored how SMEs can leverage networks to access funding, join interregional value chains, and contribute to future innovation roadmaps. |
| Webinar #2 – European Cluster Collaboration Platform: Building Partnerships through Clusters 💡 | Video recording | Free access | There are over 130 clusters working in tourism and the creative and cultural industries. Clusters are powerful engines of innovation, growth, and collaboration across Europe. They bring together companies, research organisations, and public institutions within specific industries or value chains to boost competitiveness and foster technological transformation. But what exactly are clusters, and how can SMEs and organisations benefit from them? This webinar introduced participants to the concept of clusters and their role in strengthening regional and European industrial ecosystems. |
| Webinar #3 –Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Business Growth through Individual Support Services 💡 | Video recording | Free access | The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is a large support network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions. It helps businesses innovate, grow on an international scale and brings together experts from member organisations that are renowned for their excellence in business support. The EEN gives individual advice and support in matters such as the transition to more sustainable business models, navigating EU legislations and policies, benefitting from the opportunities offered by the Single Market, matching companies with the right business partners, and identifying sources of finance. This webinar introduced participants to the EEN and the different services that the network offers. |
| Webinar #4 – European Digital Innovation Hubs: Supporting SMEs in Their Digital Transformation 💡 | Video recording | Free access | The European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) form a Europe-wide network supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and public sector organisations in their digital transformation. EDIHs bring together expertise from research and technology organisations, universities, clusters, innovation centres and public authorities to help organisations adopt advanced digital technologies and strengthen their competitiveness. They provide hands-on support in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, high-performance computing and other key digital technologies, while also supporting skills development, access to finance and ecosystem building at regional and European level. The webinar introduced participants to the European Digital Innovation Hubs and the range of services they offer. |
| Webinar #5 – EIT Culture & Creativity: Programmes and Support for European SMEs 💡 | Video recording | Free access | EIT Culture & Creativity is the institutional partnership dedicated to helping European cultural and creative sectors and industries to become more sustainable, resilient and competitive. The partnership was launched in 2023 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, an EU body. Through its programmes and initiatives, EIT Culture & Creativity helps organisations develop innovative solutions, scale up creative businesses and bring new ideas to the market. It offers a wide range of opportunities including training programmes, business acceleration services, innovation projects and access to funding for start-ups, SMEs and creative professionals working across sectors such as cultural heritage, media, architecture, fashion, audiovisual industries and gaming. The webinar introduced participants to the mission and activities of EIT Culture & Creativity and explained how organisations can engage with its programmes. |
| Webinar #6 – Heritage Innovation and Investment: Connecting Culture and Capital 💡 | Video recording | Free access | Cultural heritage is increasingly recognised not only as a cornerstone of Europe’s identity, but also as a driver of innovation, entrepreneurship, tourism, and regional development. As digital technologies, immersive experiences, and creative industries reshape the sector, new opportunities are emerging for investors, startups, and heritage organisations alike. At the same time, growing interest in impact investing and sustainable finance is encouraging new forms of collaboration between public institutions, private investors, and innovation ecosystems. From AI-powered heritage preservation tools to immersive cultural tourism experiences, heritage-related innovation is opening new pathways for economic growth, social impact, and international competitiveness. The webinar explored how private investment and innovation financing can support the transformation of cultural heritage into a more sustainable, scalable, and impact-driven ecosystem. |
External Resources and Reuse Notice
The training resources listed in this section are provided by external European platforms and initiatives, including EU Academy, EIT Campus, EISMEA, Enterprise Europe Network, European Digital Innovation Hubs and the European IP Helpdesk. MetaHeritage does not own these resources and only redirects participants to the official providers’ websites.
Users should always consult the original provider pages for the most up-to-date information on course content, access conditions, registration requirements, availability and applicable reuse conditions.
EU-owned content may generally be reused under the European Commission reuse policy, as implemented by Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of Commission documents, and, unless otherwise indicated, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, provided that appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated. Additional permissions may be required for third-party materials, identifiable private individuals, logos, trademarks, software or other content not owned by the EU.
Third-party materials, including images, identifiable individuals, logos, trademarks, software and other protected content, may be subject to separate copyright, licensing or permission requirements. Users are responsible for verifying and complying with the applicable conditions established by the relevant rights holders.
The inclusion of a course, service or resource in this MetaHeritage capacity-building section does not constitute endorsement of the provider, guarantee eligibility or access, or imply responsibility for subsequent changes to the content, conditions or availability of the resource.
Last reviewed: July 2026
The availability, content and access conditions of external resources may change over time. Users should consult the official provider pages for the latest information.
