ECHA launches SME hub
Submitted by:
Andrew Warmington
During its recent SME assembly in Copenhagen, ECHA launched an updated SME hub on its website to support smaller companies comply with European chemicals legislation. Located at https://echa.europa.eu/support/small-and-medium-sized-enterprises-smes, this comprises:
- An overview of tools and resources tailored for SMEs
- An inventory of national support materials in national languages
- A multilingual virtual assistant pilot
This follows consultation with SMEs about their specific needs. The agency is also piloting uses of AI in its work to learn if AI can support SMEs in meeting their regulatory obligations. This includes an AI-powered virtual assistant, providing answers based on publicly available resources, including Q&As and other content from ECHA’s websites.
“We plan to continue engaging with SMEs and their representatives to make sure that we can address their needs in our current and future activities, for example, when designing new tools for industry,” said Mercedes Viñas, ECHA’s director for submissions and interaction. “The competitiveness of European SMEs is pivotal to our economy’s success and a priority on our agenda.”