Imagine you run a small bakery or plumbing shop and no one can find you on Google because big chains pay to show up first. More than 40% of Europe's smallest businesses don't even have a website. OBP built a dedicated, ad-free search engine just for micro SMEs — think of it as a fair Yellow Pages for the internet age, where small businesses get visible without paying for ads. They tested it across Spain, Portugal, and Germany using a mix of open data and their own database technology.
Millions of micro SMEs across Europe are invisible online. More than 40% don't have a website, and those that do get buried under paid and optimized search results from larger competitors. This erodes their individual sales and cuts into local economic activity for both B2C and B2B transactions.
The team built OBP V1.0, a dedicated ad-free search platform for micro SMEs using semantic database technology and crowd-sourced data. The platform was validated and released as country pilots in Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
If you are a local business directory provider struggling to compete with Google and paid listings — this project developed a crowd-sourced, ad-free search ecosystem using semantic database technology that gives micro SMEs transparent visibility. The European online directories market is growing at 17.5% CAGR, and OBP was piloted across Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
If you are a business support organization trying to help local SMEs gain online visibility — this project built a platform specifically designed for micro SMEs that lack websites. With more than 40% of micro SMEs having no web presence, OBP combines open data and private data sources to create transparent B2B and B2C matchmaking without paid rankings.
If you are a B2B marketplace operator looking to onboard hard-to-find local suppliers — this project created semantic database technology that aggregates SME data from open and private sources. OBP was validated in country pilots and designed to eliminate disintermediation, making it easier to discover and connect with Europe's millions of micro businesses.
The project received EUR 1,136,975 in EU funding under the SME Instrument Phase 2. Specific licensing terms or pricing models are not disclosed in the project data. The platform uses a crowd-sourced, ad-free model, suggesting revenue comes from data services rather than advertising.
The project was explicitly designed for European-wide deployment. Phase 2 covered Spain, Portugal, and Germany as pilots, with Phase 3 planned to expand to the rest of EU countries through further private investment.
The IP is held by DATACENTRIC PDM SA, a Spanish SME that was the sole consortium partner. As a single-company SME Instrument project, all IP rights remain with the coordinator. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly.
The project closed in February 2018. The deliverable confirms OBP V1.0 was validated and released in country pilots. The project website (onebusiness.place) was established, but current operational status would need to be verified independently.
Based on available project data, OBP uses semantic database technologies and combines open data with private data sources to create an ad-free search ecosystem. Unlike paid directories, results are not influenced by sponsored or optimized listings, giving micro SMEs equal visibility.
The platform combines open data sources with DATACENTRIC's private data assets. As a big data company specializing in databases, the coordinator brought existing data infrastructure. The crowd-sourced model also allows businesses and users to contribute information.
This is a single-company project run entirely by DATACENTRIC PDM SA, a Spanish SME specializing in data management. With 100% industry composition and no academic or research partners, the project was purely commercially driven. The EUR 1,136,975 SME Instrument Phase 2 funding went entirely to one company, which means all development knowledge and IP are concentrated in a single entity. For a potential business partner, this simplifies negotiations — there is one decision-maker — but also means the technology's fate depends entirely on one company's commercial trajectory after the project ended in 2018.
DATACENTRIC PDM SA is a Spanish data management SME. Contact their business development team for licensing or partnership discussions.
Want to explore OBP's SME visibility technology for your business directory or local search platform? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the team behind this EU-funded platform.
