In the 2010 survey by KPMG and the Economist Intelligence Unit, “The convergence challenge Global survey into the integration of governance, risk and compliance”, it is identified that the main objective of GRC is to “improve performance and efficiency”. In the same survey, approximately two thirds of the respondents said that GRC is a priority for their organization, “driven by business complexity, a desire to reduce risk exposure and a need to improve corporate performance”.Businesses of all sizes can benefit from the proper use of GRC as it ensures that an organization is operated efficiently and effectively, risks are properly managed and compliance with internal and external rules and regulations is continuous. OBJECTIVESThe “GRC Essentials” project, will amalgamate and adapt the concepts of Governance, Risk management and Compliance (GRC), into a concept that will be easy for SMEs and microenterprises to implement in their business and work environment.The intellectual outputs of the project will be a combination of learning material, a learning platform and work-based learning activities. GRCEssentials project builds on the EU project ‘CASSANDRA’ (in which emcra & Tournis participated, https://cassandra-resilience.eu), a project aimed at helping SMEs to develop a risk management system tailored to the needs of their company and to have an increased awareness of possible business risks and threats, and on the EU ‘project IPEC’ (ETA, emcra & CPMS participated, http://project-ipec.eu), a project which developed a new micro-lite Project Management methodology, based on the needs of small and micro enterprises. The project begins with the GRCEssentials Curriculum and concludes with the GRC Essentials Work-based learning. In between the project will develop the GRCEssentials Learning platform and the GRCEssentials Certification.TARGET GROUPS-SMEs (Owners, Managers, Directors etc), -Employees in SMEs, -VET providers/trainers/consultants, -Business associations, -local/regional/national & EU-wide networks, -chambers of commerce and industry, -policy & decision makers.MAIN RESULTS ARE:- Development of a GRC curriculum adopted to the needs of SMEs and micro-enterprises.- Development of a GRC methodology that will enable SMEs and micro-enterprises to implement GRC in their work environment.- Development of a GRC certification.- Improved understanding of the GRC concept and how it can support SMEs and micro-enterprises improve their efficiency and effectiveness.IMPACTGRCEssentials will result in measurable improvements in the performance of enterprises. It will make SMEs ‘efficient, effective and resilitent’, because they are likely to be more competitive and more sustainable in the long term, by equipping them with knowledge, employable skills and tools related to GRC.