VERDE Research Center for Innovation and Sustainable Development is pleased to announce that TWIN - Twin Transition of SMEs towards Digital and Green Resilience has been recognised as a Good Practice project within the Erasmus+ Programme.

The recognition marks an important milestone for TWIN and for the organisations that worked together to support European SMEs in navigating the increasingly interconnected green and digital transitions.

A European partnership for the twin transition

Coordinated by VERDE Research Center for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Greece, TWIN was implemented together with three European partners:

• Yıldız TTO / Yıldız Technopark, Türkiye
• Fundación Santa María la Real, Spain
• MindSpin, Cyprus

The partnership brought together complementary expertise in sustainability, digital transformation, innovation, vocational education and SME support.

TWIN was developed as an Erasmus+ small-scale partnership in vocational education and training with a clear objective: to make the green and digital transitions more accessible and practical for small and medium-sized enterprises.

For many SMEs, digitalisation, cybersecurity, new technologies, sustainability requirements and changing European policies can appear as separate and complex challenges. TWIN approached them instead as parts of the same transformation.

From SME needs to practical resources

A central feature of TWIN was its strong connection with the realities faced by businesses.

More than 400 SMEs from Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Türkiye contributed insights into their experiences, priorities and challenges relating to digitalisation and sustainability. This research helped the partnership identify gaps in knowledge, skills and organisational readiness and ensured that the project's activities responded to real needs.

Based on this work, the partners developed practical educational resources and training activities addressing key areas of the twin transition, including:

• Industry 4.0 and emerging digital technologies
• cybersecurity and digital resilience
• competitiveness and digital transformation
• sustainability and the green transition
• practical guidance and roadmaps for SME transformation

Training, seminars and webinars helped translate these subjects into knowledge that entrepreneurs, SME staff and professionals could apply in their organisations.

TWIN also created opportunities for dialogue between businesses, educators, researchers and other stakeholders.

One of the project's major activities was the European Awareness Scenario Workshop held at Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul in September 2025. Participants explored future scenarios related to digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and the European Green Deal, identifying challenges and opportunities and contributing to recommendations for supporting SMEs throughout Europe.

What the Good Practice recognition means

Being identified as an Erasmus+ Good Practice gives particular significance to the results achieved by the consortium.

Good Practice projects highlighted through the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform are recognised for characteristics including their policy relevance, impact and communication potential. The designation also helps successful approaches and project results become a source of inspiration for other organisations across Europe.

For VERDE, the recognition reinforces an approach that is central to our work: connecting European cooperation and research with practical resources that organisations and communities can use.

It also demonstrates what can be achieved through a focused partnership in which organisations from different countries contribute complementary knowledge while working towards a shared European challenge.

Continuing the impact of TWIN

Although the formal project activities have concluded, the value of TWIN does not end with the project period.

The knowledge generated through the SME research, the educational materials, transformation guidance, workshop outcomes and policy-oriented recommendations can continue to support businesses, trainers and organisations working towards a greener, more digital and more resilient European economy.

VERDE would like to thank Yıldız TTO / Yıldız Technopark, Fundación Santa María la Real and MindSpin, as well as all the SMEs, trainers, experts and stakeholders who contributed their knowledge and time to the project.

This Good Practice recognition belongs to the entire partnership and to everyone who participated in making TWIN a practical example of European cooperation in action.

At VERDE, we look forward to building on this experience and continuing to develop initiatives that connect sustainability, innovation, skills and digital transformation for a more resilient future.