Helping SME's to innovate create
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​The Action Plan acknowledges that design, creativity, and innovation are at the core of the EU's fashion and high-end business models. Globalisation means that Europe cannot compete with emerging economies on the basis of cost. Only knowledge and innovation-based industry, based on higher-value-added products, processes, and services, can ensure Europe’s position as a global leader.

The Worth Project, supported by the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs, worked to initiate partnerships between designers and manufacturing SMEs in the fashion and high-end sector. This pilot action ended in November 2015 and a similar project will be announced in 2016. See the evaluation report.
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In 2020, a new action under COSME was launched that specifically supports the market uptake of innovative products and services in the design-led industries, including fashion.