09 November, 2026

 

 

 

BEACon partners meet in Porto to advance a more evidence-based approach to business support

Partners from across the Atlantic Area met in Porto on 27–28 October to review progress, refine the BEACon methodology and prepare for the next phase of implementation with business advisers and SMEs.

The BEACon partnership recently held its 15th Steering Committee meeting in Porto, hosted by project partner UPTEC.

The two-day meeting brought partners together to review project progress, share experiences from adviser training and discuss preparations for the next phase of delivery. Discussions focused on procurement, recruiting participating businesses, training advisers and strengthening the project's approach to monitoring and evaluation.

 

 

Helping advisers deliver more effective business support

At the centre of BEACon is a practical approach to business advice that helps entrepreneurs develop their own strategies and translate them into action.

Rather than relying primarily on advisers providing recommendations, the methodology places greater emphasis on asking challenging questions, active listening and helping entrepreneurs identify their own priorities and solutions.

The approach uses structured tools to help businesses develop milestone maps, establish effective routines and test important assumptions.

During the Porto meeting, partners reviewed the methodology in practice and shared experiences from previous training and pilot activities. These discussions helped identify opportunities to strengthen the training materials and provide further support to advisers as they introduce the approach to businesses.

An important theme was the role of the adviser. Effective support is not simply about providing answers. It is about facilitating better thinking, helping entrepreneurs confront difficult questions and supporting them in translating their ambitions into practical steps.

 

Strengthening the professional role of business advisers

The partnership also discussed how to encourage greater adoption of the BEACon methodology.

A key conclusion was the importance of demonstrating the benefits to advisers themselves. Participation offers an opportunity to develop recognised expertise, strengthen professional confidence and gain greater insight into the effectiveness of their work with clients.

The project will continue to develop its adviser training and supporting materials, with an emphasis on practical application and the professional development of those delivering business support.

Preparing for implementation across the Atlantic Area

An important focus of the meeting was preparing for the next stage of the project.

Partners reviewed procurement arrangements and plans for engaging trainers and recruiting participating SMEs. They also discussed the requirements for documenting business engagement, monitoring progress and collecting consistent evidence across the participating countries.

The project will use a set of structured templates to document the work undertaken with each business. These will help advisers and entrepreneurs translate strategic priorities into milestones, routines and validated assumptions.

The partnership also considered how to strengthen the collection of evidence on project outcomes. This is an important element of BEACon's wider ambition to move beyond measuring the volume of business support towards understanding its actual effectiveness.

 

 

Building on the research behind BEACon

The Porto discussions also explored the wider implications of the project's research.

Business support is often evaluated using relatively immediate indicators, such as client satisfaction and the number of businesses supported. BEACon aims to contribute to a more evidence-based approach, placing greater emphasis on the methods used by advisers and the outcomes achieved by businesses.

The partnership discussed opportunities to share the project's findings with researchers, policymakers and business support organisations, including through academic engagement and future dissemination activities.

Partners also explored opportunities for future collaboration, including the potential for a follow-on project that could extend the application of BEACon methods to other initiatives across the Atlantic Area.

 

Looking ahead

Following the Porto meeting, partners will focus on completing procurement, engaging trainers and preparing for adviser training and SME implementation.

The discussions helped clarify the practical steps required to move the project forward while reinforcing its broader ambition: to support a more effective, structured and evidence-based approach to business advice.

BEACon is working towards a future in which business support is not simply measured by how many businesses receive assistance, but by how effectively that support helps entrepreneurs make progress and achieve their objectives.

About BEACon

BEACon is a collaborative project working to strengthen business advisory support through evidence-based methodologies, practical tools and improved approaches to adviser training. The project brings together partners across the Atlantic Area to develop and apply more effective approaches to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

 

You can learn more about Interreg Atlantic Area here.