📋 Tender Overview
Project No.
SMEWG_102_2025A
Project Title
*
Empower SMEs through AI Adoption: Unlock Growth Potential with Innovative AI Applications
Project Status
Project in Implementation
Fund Account
*
APEC Support Fund
Sub-fund
ASF: Digital Innovation
Project Year
2025
Project Session
*
Session 1
APEC Funding
78,062
Co-funding Amount
124,100
Total Project Value
202,162
Sponsoring Forum
*
Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group (SMEWG)
Topics
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Digital Technology and Innovation
Committee
SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE)
Other Fora Involved
Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved
Proposing Economy(ies)
Chinese Taipei
Co-Sponsoring Economies
Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Peru; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Viet Nam
Expected Start Date
01/12/2025
Expected Completion Date
31/12/2026
Project Proponent Name 1
Isan Chung
Job Title 1
Section Chief
Organization 1
Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration
Telephone 1
+886223662251
Email 1
ischung@sme.gov.tw
Project Proponent Name 2
Lillian Chen
Job Title 2
Assistant Research Fellow
Organization 2
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER)
Telephone 2
+88622366 2235
Email 2
d33705@tier.org.tw
Declaration
Isan Chung
Project Summary
This initiative seeks to pave the way for SMEs to unlock their growth potential by comprehending innovative AI applications and expanding AI adoption. It will focus on enhancing SMEs' understanding of AI application scenarios and related capabilities, driving operational efficiency, and bolstering competitiveness across economies.
Aligned with the innovation and digitization priorities outlined in the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, the project also supports the APEC SMEWG Strategic Plan 2025-2028, which stresses the importance of expanding SMEs' digital transformation capabilities, including through emerging technologies like AI.
As for outputs, Chinese Taipei plans to host an event in Taipei no later than July 2026, and produce a report that includes pre-event research and case studies on SMEs' use of AI and capacity-building efforts by October 2026. The project implementation, including the event preparation, will engage experts from the public and private sectors in the APEC region.
Relevance
Region
In response to the global rise of AI applications, businesses are accelerating their adoption of AI technologies to enhance work efficiency, foster creative thinking, and strengthen digital competitiveness. According to McKinsey’s 2024 report, 72% of surveyed companies indicate they have adopted AI, and 65% regularly deploy generative AI in at least one business function. In the APEC region, MSMEs, which make up the majority of businesses, play a pivotal role in advancing global digitalization. APEC economies have been pr
