Welcome to the Succession Ready E-zine
Issue 1

Welcome to Succession Ready!
According to the European Commission, in te European Union (EU) around 150.000 failed business successions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) per year put approximately 600.000 jobs at risk.This corresponds to a failure rate of about 1/3, with a high number of unreported cases.
Special Topic

What defines a successful succession? The importance of succession planning from an EU perspective
Succession, or business transfer, is defined as “the transfer of ownership of an enterprise to another person or enterprise that assures the continuous existence, and commercial activity of the enterprise” (European Commission, 2012: 9). A successful succession ensures business continuity, preserves employment, and upholds business values, whilst an unsuccessful succession can jeopardise the profitability of the company and even risk its eventual closure threatening the…
Meet the Succession Ready Partners

The Vision Works, Halle (Germany).
Tvw GmbH (the vision works GmbH), is a young, dynamic consulting company specialising in supporting entrepreneurs and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in special situations and accompanying them through difficult phases along the life cycle of a company. These special situations include not only the founding of a company, but also topics such as growth, crisis, succession, change management or digitalisation.

The University Industry Innovation Network, Amsterdam (Netherlands).
UIIN is a vibrant network of academics, practitioners and business professionals passionate about advancing University-industry interaction, entrepreneurial universities and collaborative innovation. UIIN will lead the creation of the Succession Ready Knowledge Platform and Open Educational Resources (OERs) and will be involved in the development of all other Project Results.

Accademy of Entrepreneurship, Athens (Greece).
The Academy of Entrepreneurship (AKEP) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2007. It acts in collaboration with the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Young Entrepreneurs (OESYNE) and aims to contribute to the acquisition and development of entrepreneurship and professional competences for its beneficiaries: new and aspiring entrepreneurs, teachers and students in VET and Adult education, marginalised groups and low skill adults.

Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Slovenia).
The Chamber of small Business and Trade
(CSBT) is an important part of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS). It entwines, promotes, integrates and offers assistance to more than 1,500 active members from the trading, services and manufacturing sectors. As a modern, forward-looking development, educational and consulting organisation, it actively represents the interests of entrepreneurs.

Meath Council, Navan Meath (Ireland).
The Meath Local Enterprise Office located in Meath County Council serves as a first stop shop to provide support and services for those looking to start, grow and develop a business in Meath. Our services to local businesses include: providing business information and advice, business skills training, mentoring support, financial assistance and management development programmes.

Univations, Halle (Germany).
Univations GmbH Institute for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (Germany) was established in 2006 with the aim of spurring regional development. It takes a holistic approach to innovation and start-up support – from the development of entrepreneurial competencies at school and HEI-level, to the support of young entrepreneurs and HEI spin-offs in all phases of the start-up life cycle, to business consulting in young and experienced SMEs.