Knowledge sharing is power, and many companies are aware of this fact. However they still face a range of problems putting knowledge sharing into practice. Whereas large knowledge-intensive enterprises struggle with documenting and making existing knowledge accessible in a suitable way, SMEs hardly manage to get access to relevant knowledge at all.


CoPs are based around the fact that interpersonal knowledge exchange within communities supports learning processes far more efficiently than making knowledge explicit through documentation. Following the example of large companies - such as DaimlerChrysler, IBM, Siemens, Shell and Xerox - which have successfully implemented CoPs in the past, the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) of the University of Stuttgart is supporting the creation of Russian CoPs within the EU-funded project RUSMECO.


The first RUSMECO CoPs will be established within industrial clusters in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Ekaterinburg. Supported by a web-based platform, RUSMECO intends to foster especially those SMEs that operate in dynamic, high-tech markets. It will predominantly promote exchange on topics that are crucial for the SMEs' long-term development. This includes subjects such as innovation management, the improvement of internal processes, and the integration into value chains.


The project, which started in May 2005, includes organizations from Russia, Great Britain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany. The first phase concentrated on gathering the requirements of Russian SMEs and on translating them into an initial platform prototype that will be evaluated and adapted in the next few months. The start of the CoPs is scheduled for November 2006.