INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Programme 2007 - 2013 Central Europe

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

In micro and small medium enterprises innovation application and R&D expenditures are noticeable low, in particular in regions with a high concentration of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In today’s working process these enterprises are overall dependent on quick solutions and support for their businesses. RTD and innovation application is no longer a simple mechanism applicable at local level but European strategies and common shared instruments must be identified. To find the hidden champions in the different regions and to spread these good examples is one of the goals of the project: I3SME. Furthermore the project aims to improve the level of innovation application and R&D instruments in small and media enterprises by supporting business and technological centres and public administrations in charge of the promotion of innovative policies. SMEs performances can be improved by the identification of the most suitable instruments, methodologies and strategies to improve innovation within business sectors. The project aims to boost the level of innovation based on investments in personal and financial resources allocation for the adoption of innovative systems (ICT, RTD, and spin off solutions). New and computer based technologies will create a better transnational communication and cooperation between innovation systems and set up the preconditions for making access to high-level technologies easier on a transnational level.

Achievements (EN):

The CENTRAL EUROPE project I3SME (Including Innovation Inside Small and Medium Enterprises) aims at improving the level of innovation of the small and medium enterprises in the involved countries, which are Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovenia. The project started in November 2008 and end in March 2011 providing a set of useful instruments for the involved companies. The main project focus has been the setting up and implementation of an on line software platform useful for a benchmarking analysis. It’s the main project tool where each partner inserts the outcomes of the questionnaires submitted by the facilitators to the companies in each country and allowing as a results a personalized report on innovation. The on line platform contains data on around 100 companies per country, 852 in total. The data were collected by the facilitators who participated to the training sessions and visited the companies to submit and fill in the questionnaire. The facilitators participated to five training sessions from July 2009 to June 2010 and to a the study visit in October 2010. After the fulfilment of the benchmarking phase in June 2010, this training prepared the facilitators in even more depth for carrying out the analysis of the innovation reports produced by the web platform and setting and identification of the pilot actions. The report contains an analysis of the level of innovation of each company and at regional level, according to a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators. The report produced also a list of the more innovative companies, called the “Hidden Champions” (unknown highly successful companies that can be considered as the best practices as result of the benchmarking analysis) and the best have been include in the Hidden Champions catalogue, a publication containing a description of the analysis methodology and a brief profile of the companies. The Catalogue has been produced in order to disseminate the best practices identified. The partners collaborated also for the identification of methodologies and innovative actions for the pilot actions definition. Each partner implemented the pilot action following a common set of guidelines. The partners focused on strategic workshops allowing the experts and the facilitators in assisting the companies in apply concrete methodologies for innovation application, for example via links with research centres and universities, innovative financing system application, relationship with local stakeholders. Public events were also organised; namely: research cocktails in Italy and conference, in Austria the project final international conference, three research cocktails and one international conference in Maribor, the Hungarian partner organised one international conference and research cocktails.

Thematic information

Innovation capacity and awareness-raising SME and entrepreneurship Knowledge and technology transfer

Partners (9)

Lead Partner: Province of Bologna

Address: Via Zamboni 13, 40125 Bologna, Italy

Legal status: n/a

TechnoCenter at University of Maribor

Name: TechnoCenter at University of Maribor

Address: 1000 Vzhodna Slovenija, Slovenia

Legal status: n/a

Start-up & Service Centre Fürstenfeld

Name: Start-up & Service Centre Fürstenfeld

Address: 8774 Fürstenfeld, Austria

Legal status: n/a

AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF TRENTO

Name: AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF TRENTO

Address: 38100 Trento, Italy

Legal status: n/a

National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Sized businesses – CNA Regional Association of Emilia Romagna

Name: National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Sized businesses – CNA Regional Association of Emilia Romagna

Address: Via Rimini, 40128 Bologna, Italy

Legal status: private

Website: www.cnaemiliaromagna.it

South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency

Name: South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency

Department: Foreign Relations Unit

Address: Mária u., H-7621 Pécs, Hungary

Legal status: public

Website: www.ddrfu.hu

Pannon Business Network Association

Name: Pannon Business Network Association

Address: 9700 Nyugat-Dunantul, Hungary

Legal status: n/a

Regional Development Agency

Name: Regional Development Agency

Address: 41940 Slaskie, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Brandenburg Economic Development Board

Name: Brandenburg Economic Development Board

Address: 14772 Brandenburg-Südwest, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

TechnoCenter at University of Maribor

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Start-up & Service Centre Fürstenfeld

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF TRENTO

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Sized businesses – CNA Regional Association of Emilia Romagna

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Pannon Business Network Association

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Province of Bologna

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Regional Development Agency

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Partners and Projects info

Brandenburg Economic Development Board

INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Project acronym: I3SME

Project start date: 2008-10-01

Project end date: 2011-03-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 752 512.89

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 157 252.03

Co-financing sources:

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

Financing programme

2007 - 2013 Central Europe

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

2014-10-01

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

124 / 124 (100%)

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

1 331 / 1 331 (100%)

Notes on the data

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INTRODUCING INNOVATION INSIDE SMEs

Description

Thematic information

Partners (9)

Partners map

Summary

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

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