Strive Czechia

Aspen Institute CE’s Role in the Strive Czechia Program

Strive Czechia is an initiative to support digitalization of MSEs in the Czech Republic, which is a joint initiative of Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth and CARE Czech Republic, implemented with support from the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Crafts of the Czech Republic, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Czechitas, Opero – Mentoring program DoToho!, and the Aspen Institute Central Europe. This new flagship program for MSEs is implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and includes several organizations whose goal is to help MSEs develop their business and thus succeed in the digital economy through digital skills and tools, access to finance, strengthening of critical skills of mentoring and networking. In addition, Strive Czechia strives to build an ecosystem of essential actors like you who will contribute to strengthening the position of MSE in the Czech Republic.

The main objective of the initiative is primarily to develop the entrepreneurship of MSEs and help them achieve success not only with the support of the digital economy, but also through mentoring and peer networking. Strive Czechia also seeks to connect and establish contacts between individual businesses. The role of Aspen Institute CE within this program is, based on its own know-how and in cooperation with external experts, to participate in the preparation of expert studies stemming from quantitative and qualitative data on the topic of digitalization of micro and small enterprises in the Czech Republic.

Following the 2023 study Micro and Small Enterprises in the Czech Republic on the Path to a Digital Future, which was produced in cooperation between Aspen Institute CE and Global Arena Research Institute, and also thanks to the involvement of the interdisciplinary expert group Strive Learning Network, this year the Institute will focus on the preparation of case studies of selected Czech regions, supported by examples of good practice, as well as on the formulation of recommendations for key actors (regional administrations and other local actors) on how to motivate and support micro and small enterprises in the field of digitalization.