Futures By Design (Copy)

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB North Sea

Date of latest update: 2024-01-30

Description

Description (EN):

Futures by Design (FBD) aims to enable less prosperous SMEs, in regions of lower economic success, to innovate, grow or increase productivity. Such SMEs are often critical to regional economies but their capacity for success can be limited by insufficient access to data and the inability to analyse data to drive innovation and improved results. The six project regions are: Cambridgeshire (UK), Antwerp (B), Groningen (NL), Osterholz (DE), Halland (SE), Fryslan (NL). Each has a sub-region of lower economic success. Health technology, light engineering and agri-technology are the new common industry sectors within the regions, all a with clear SME demand for supporting growth through better data - about finance, legal changes and markets; how to respond to technology, data-analytics and disruptive change. We will work with 50+ SMEs in each partner region, sharing knowledge, ideas and regional experiences to support SMEs to become more data-driven and better informed about the economic, technological, policy and supply chain changes that will shape their futures. We will create a virtual transnational horizon-scanning and knowledge transfer (HSKT) hub connecting 6 real hubs in each region to support sustainable SME growth, innovation and productivity. Amongst our target 300+ SMEs we expect to enable 150 to grow, innovate, increase productivity and 150 (many the same SMEs, but not all) to make a major step to being better equipped for the digital age, and for future success. Information added on 2020-05-18, regarding the mitigation of the effects of COVID-19 (the coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019) (English language only): FBD is developing resources to help SMEs who are looking for ways to use data and data tools to drive innovation that will help them out of the current crisis. They will provide tools, guidance, a series of webinars and online support from mid- June 2020.

Achievements (EN):

The key features for FBD were: The project moved into full operations and by the end of the period had been achieving RESULTS. It is to be remembered that with FBD there was a linear sequence of CONCEPT > TOOLS > OPERATIONS > RESULTS > DISSEMINATION. This means that we have by now exceeded all OUTPUT targets except the key one: Number of organizations/ enterprises adopting new solutions by project end. Here, the target is 250. By 31 March 2022 42 SMEs had achieved at least one (and usually 2 or 3) FBD RESULTS and in 5 of the 6 regions it is expected, based on SME engagement with FBD projects as at 31 March 2022, that the RESULTS target of 30 SMEs completing projects in each region will be achieved. However, there have been significant problems in Groningen which have been related to the Secretariat and may mean that target will either be delayed or not met here. In addition to the RESULTS achievement, FBD partners will be returning to all SMEs engaged with FBD via workshops and self-evaluations, to determine the number who did not do an FBD project but did use FBD tools to adopt new solutions by the end of the Operations phase of FBD. This will add to the total for the target of 200 SMEs. The pandemic exerted some impacts on FBD. On the one hand it accentuated SME interests in digitising and online meetings could facilitate SME engagement in less time. On the other, 'zoom fatigue', SMEs facing critical challenges and the actual need for real time with companies meant progress with SME FBD projects was much made more difficult and slowed things down to a greater degree than had been anticipated. This has meant that the pipeline runs from 1007 SMEs engaged with SME via outreach, webinars etc., to 220 self-evaluations, 144 projects started and so far 42 projects completed with FBD RESULTS achieved. So, we have a lower conversion of initial interest to self -evaluation. But this is balanced by a slightly better than expected conversion from here to projects, than we had estimated at the outset and better conversion of project starts to completions. The pace of progress with an FBD project by an SME is determined by the pace the SME wants to take things. This is because FBD is about capacity building for digitisation, not doing projects for the SME. This meant that the RESULTS have been delayed as we need SMEs to sign off on their FBD RESULTS for innovation, growth and productivity. However, there were sufficient numbers of SME projects ongoing and planned as at 31 March 2022 to nourish confidence that the RESULTS Targets will be substantially achieved in 4 of the 6 regions and there are remedial action plans to do as well as possible in the other 2 regions The HSKT central hub created a series of insights for SMEs and these have been disseminated by the NSRP FBD website, the HSKT website, www.futuresbydesign.net, and by Beneficiaries. Some new tools have been invented and a good start made with the data projects that will underpin the dissemination phase and the setup of FBD legacy organisations. FBD has end-loaded much of its dissemination based on the principle that we can best inform about what works when we have completed a lot to the projects with SMEs. The pandemic also restricted opportunities for live events very significantly. So, we have made sure our Communications Plan included online promotion of HSKT papers and FBD Tools; we plated a good part in several international conferences: and we initiated 15 data gathering and data analysis and synopsis operations to analyse SME data skills base, develop HSKT operations to improve the quality of the services for SMEs and tools to enable innovation, growth and productivity.

Website: https://northsearegion.eu/fbd

Thematic information

SME and entrepreneurship

Specific Objective: Enhance regional innovation support capacity to increase long-term innovation levels and support smart specialization strategies

Thematic Objective: (01) strengthening research, technological development and innovation by:

Investment Priority:

(01b) promoting business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centres and the higher education sector, in particular promoting investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, public service applications, demand stimulation, networking, clusters and open innovation through smart specialisation, and supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production, in particular in key enabling technologies and diffusion of general purpose technologies

Partners (11)

Lead Partner: Provincie Fryslân

Address: Tweebaksmarkt 52, 8911 KZ Leeuwarden, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.fryslan.frl

Total budget: EUR 338 984.00

ERDF budget: EUR 169 492.00

Agentur für Kommunikation, Organisation und Management

Name: Agentur für Kommunikation, Organisation und Management

Address: Bördestraße 9, 27711 Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.atenekom.eu

Total budget: EUR 508 200.00

ERDF budget: EUR 254 100.00

Alexandersoninstitutet

Name: Alexandersoninstitutet

Address: Otto Torells gata 16c, S-43280 Varberg, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.alexandersoninstitutet.se

Total budget: EUR 851 196.00

ERDF budget: EUR 425 598.00

Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation

Name: Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation

Address: LAIBS, ARU, Cambridge Campus, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, Cambridgeshire, UK, CB1 1PT Cambridge, United Kingdom

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.anglia.ac.uk

Total budget: EUR 805 045.00

ERDF budget: EUR 402 522.00

BLENDERS vzw

Name: BLENDERS vzw

Address: Campus Blairon 714, 2300 Turnhout, Belgium

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 367 456.00

ERDF budget: EUR 183 728.00

Northern Knowledge (by Business Generator Groningen)

Name: Northern Knowledge (by Business Generator Groningen)

Address: L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9713 GX Groningen, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.businessgenerator.nl

Total budget: EUR 154 062.00

ERDF budget: EUR 77 031.00

Open Manufacturing Campus

Name: Open Manufacturing Campus

Address: Slachthuisstraat 96, 2300 Turnhout, Belgium

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.openmanufacturingcampus.com

Total budget: EUR 306 421.00

ERDF budget: EUR 153 210.00

SIRRIS

Name: SIRRIS

Address: Sirris, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 48, 9052 Gent, Belgium, B-9052 Gent, Belgium

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.sirris.be

Total budget: EUR 36 257.00

ERDF budget: EUR 18 128.00

Stichting Katholieke Universiteit Brabant

Name: Stichting Katholieke Universiteit Brabant

Address: Sint Janssingel 92, 5211 DA ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.jads.nl

Total budget: EUR 977 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 488 500.00

UGNWG GmbH

Name: UGNWG GmbH

Address: Hauptkanal rechts 74, 26871 Papenburg, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.ugnwg.de

Total budget: EUR 152 510.00

ERDF budget: EUR 76 255.00

University of Groningen, Faculty of Spatial Sciences

Name: University of Groningen, Faculty of Spatial Sciences

Address: Landleven 1, 9747 AD Groningen, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website (not verified): http://www.rug.nl/fss

Total budget: EUR 405 382.00

ERDF budget: EUR 202 691.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Province of Fryslân

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Agency for Communication, Organization and Management

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Alexanderson Institute

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

BLENDERS vzw

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Business Generator Groningen / Northern Knowledge

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Open Manufacturing Campus

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Sirris

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

Tilburg University – Jheronimus Academy of Data Science

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

University of Groningen North West Germany

Futures By Design (Copy)

Partners and Projects info

University of Groningen, Faculty of Spatial Sciences

Futures By Design (Copy)

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Futures By Design (Copy)

Project acronym: FBD

Project start date: 2019-01-07

Project end date: 2023-01-06

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 5 386 478.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 693 237.00

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, .

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB North Sea

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-02-14

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

73 / 73 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

871 / 871 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.northsearegion.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-09-20 and 2023-01-12.

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Futures By Design (Copy)

Description

Thematic information

Partners (11)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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