CALL FOR APPLICANTS

Enhancing Digital Skills of the SMEs in ASEAN

Deadline: 30 November 2024

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

ASEAN SMEs are at the heart of the region's economy, but in today's fast-changing digital landscape, staying competitive requires more than traditional business practices—it demands digital transformation. The Empowering Digital Skills of ASEAN SMEs (EDS-ASEAN) programme, jointly held by the ASEAN Foundation and Huawei, is designed to help SMEs enhance their digital maturity and unlock their full potential through digital tools and strategies. Aligning with the goals of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016-2025 and the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025, this initiative aims to empower SMEs to grow, innovate, and succeed on the global stage.

This programme offers a unique opportunity for ASEAN SMEs to:

• Gain Practical Digital Skills: Learn essential digital tools to enhance operations and optimise business processes.
  
  
• Boost Efficiency and Competitiveness: Improve productivity and reduce costs through digital technologies. According to BCG, companies advancing their digital capabilities can achieve significant cost savings and generate economic growth.
  
  
• Enhance Resilience and Adaptability: Digitally mature businesses are better equipped to handle disruptions, as Deloitte notes, ensuring operational continuity in challenging times.
  
  
• Network with Industry Leaders and Peers: Connect with Huawei’s experts and peers across ASEAN, fostering valuable partnerships.

The EDS-ASEAN programme includes a three-month virtual capacity-building phase, with top performers earning the opportunity to participate in an exclusive on-site ASEAN SME Workshop. At this workshop, SMEs will have the chance to showcase their progress, share success stories, and gain recognition from ASEAN policymakers and stakeholders. Additionally, top performers will have access to the Huawei Cloud Startup Program, offering valuable resources and support to accelerate their digital transformation and business growth.

OBJECTIVES

The EDS-ASEAN Programme aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Assess the digital maturity of participating SMEs and conduct an in-depth analysis of the challenges they face in digitalisation through a baseline survey.
2. Enhance the digital maturity of ASEAN SMEs by providing them with the necessary tools, knowledge, and skills for sustainable development.
3. Advocate for relevant policies through a one-day ASEAN workshop on SMEs, engaging ASEAN policymakers and other stakeholders focused on supporting SMEs in the region.

ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATIONS

1. SMEs with Minimum Viable Product (MVP) established within the past five years period that have not yet gone public, from 10 ASEAN Member States (AMSs).
2. The representative of the SME may be the Founder, Co-Founder, CEO, or team members of the SME who will participate in the programme. The age of the representative must be between 18 and 35 years old and ASEAN nationals.
3. Fluency in English, as the entire programme will be delivered in English.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

1. Scalable business model
2. Ambitions to scale regionally and globally

PROCESS AND TIMELINE

Stage 1 – Call for Applications (1 October – 30 November 2024)*

Interested applicants may register their applications through THIS LINK.

*Timeline is subject to change; all applicants will be informed accordingly through ASEAN Foundation’s social media platforms.

Stage 2 – Shortlisting (December 2024 – January 2024)

Shortlisted candidates will be notified via email to attend an online interview.

Stage 3 – Interview (January to February 2025)

100 SMEs from 10 ASEAN countries will be selected to participate in the EDS-ASEAN Programme.

Stage 3 – Virtual Capacity Building (March – May 2025)

The virtual capacity building will be held for three months, starting March to May 2025. Following the baseline survey, the materials will cover the acceleration of digital maturity. Additionally, a series of mentoring sessions will be conducted throughout the capacity-building phase. The participating SMEs will be grouped into clusters of 5-10 to ensure an effective learning experience.

Stage 4 – ASEAN Workshop on SMEs (July 2025)

A one-day on-site event involving a series of keynote speeches and a panel discussion on the programme completion, involving representatives from Huawei and up to three participating SMEs to share their stories with a broad audience; this workshop is an opportunity to show the programme impact to the ASEAN policymakers and other ASEAN stakeholders that focus on supporting MSMEs in the region.

Stage 5 – Online Campaign (July – August 2025)

Conducting an online campaign featuring the participating SMEs.

BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAMME

• Tailored Curriculum – A tailored training materials will be developed based on the findings and results gathered from the initial survey.

• Mentoring with Experts from Huawei – The virtual capacity building will be led by Huawei experts, discussing relevant topics on digital maturity.

• Networking with Industry Leaders, Engagement with National and ASEAN Policymakers – During the ASEAN Workshop on SMEs, representatives from diverse sectors, including policymakers and venture capitalists, will be invited. Among the 100 participating SMEs, the top three performers will be selected to attend the workshop and present their businesses to the audience.

• An Opportunity to Participate for the Huawei Cloud Startup Program – Upon completing the programme, a selected number of SMEs will have the opportunity to participate in the Huawei Cloud Startup Program, which offers additional benefits for SMEs. The Huawei Cloud Startup Program targets startups around the world, to support and empower startups at every stage of their journey. It is dedicated to enabling startups in agile, cost-effective cloud migration and cloud service resources to help startups focus on innovating their core business in their early stage. The programme pools resources from Huawei and ecosystem partners into comprehensive startups support, helping startups grow faster. A full overview of the programme can be accessed HERE.

• HOW TO APPLY

All interested social enterprises are required to apply the programme by completing the application form on the following LINK by 30 November 2024. Applications submitted to other channels will not be considered. Incomplete completion of the form will not be further processed for shortlisting. For enquiries, please contact [email protected]