Many European SMEs lack the necessary skills and resources to adapt their business to the digital transformation. Yet, digital skills have been identified by the European Commission and researchers as a crucial factor for the economic performance o f a business. The FOSS4SMEs project provides managers and staff of SMEs with a free online course equipping them with the skills and competences to use Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to improve their digital performance and competitiveness.

In this report, we explore the tangible economic benefits for SMEs by employing FOSS and how studies have shown FOSS to be uniquely placed to benefit European SMEs. This report provides a total of 37 recommendations in three policy areas:

• Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• Business policy

• EU institutions policy