Europe INNOVA. Annual Report 2010

Transcription

1 E u r o p e I N N O V A P a p e r n 1 5 Europe INNOVA Annual Report

2 E u r o p e I N N O V A P a p e r n 1 5 Europe INNOVA Annual Report 2010 Europe INNOVA Communications

3 Europe INNOVA is an initiative of the European Commission s Directorate General Enterprise and Industry which aspires to become the laboratory for the development and testing of new tools and instruments in support of innovation with the view to help innovative enterprises innovate faster and better. It brings together public and private innovation support providers such as innovation agencies, technology transfer offices, business incubators, financing intermediaries, cluster organisations and others. Additional information on Europe INNOVA is available at Legal Notice This publication has been produced as part of the Europe INNOVA initiative. The views expressed in this publication, as well as the information included in it, do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the European Commission and in no way commit the institution. Cover photo : Cyber business istockphoto

4 Contents 1 Europe INNOVA IN THE CONTEXT OF THE europe 2020 Strategy The Europe 2020 Strategy and the seven Flagship Initiatives Europe INNOVA s Approach and Vision EUROPE INNOVA 2010 HIGHLIGHTS Europe INNOVA 2010 Events The Potential of Innovation Voucher Schemes Innovation in Services Highlights in European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services ACHIEVE MORE KIS4SAT KIS-PIMS KISPLATFORM B Creative GreenConServe ImMediaTe MOBIP Eco-Innovation Highlights in European Eco-innovation Platform REMake BIOCHEM INNOWATER ECOLINK Eco-Innovation Observatory Cluster Cooperation Highlights in European Innovation Platform for Clusters ABCEurope EcoCluP European Cluster Observatory European Cluster Collaboration Platform Novel Tools and Services: TAKE IT UP 43 7 SECTORAL INNOVATION WATCH 45 8 INNOVATION MANAGEMENT: IMP³ROVE 47 9 LOOKING FORWARD Ways to promote innovation by using Structural Funds New actions for 2011: supporting Emerging Service Sectors and World-Class Clusters

5 1. Europe INNOVA in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy 1.1 The Europe 2020 Strategy and the seven Flagship Initiatives In 2010, the Europe 2020 Strategy was adopted. The EU is facing an economic crisis and also growing global competition in relation to knowledge, education and innovation. Thus, the European 2020 strategy highlights the need for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and sets five ambitious objectives for employment, innovation, education, climate and energy and social inclusion to be reached by Each Member State will adopt its own national targets in each of these areas that will be underpinned by action at EU level. The areas most in need of attention will be addressed through seven flagship initiatives and in all of these initiatives, the EU and the national authorities will coordinate their efforts. The initiatives are: In Smart Growth The Digital agenda for Europe; Innovation Union; Youth on the Move; In Sustainable growth Resource efficient Europe; An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era; In Inclusive Growth An Agenda for New Skills and Jobs; European Platform against Poverty. The Europe 2020 Strategy Antonio Tajani, the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, presented the Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era, which is an ambitious strategy that aims to promote competitive European industries. These industries should boost growth and create well-paid jobs, whilst becoming less carbon intensive. It outlines 10 key actions for European industrial competitiveness including: analysing the competitiveness impact of new legislation; cutting costs for business in Europe; supporting SMEs by making it easier to access credit; strengthening standardisation; upgrading transport, energy and communication infrastructure; presenting a new strategy for raw materials; developing a space policy and supporting innovation for energy-intensive industries. It will also report annually on the competition performance of the EU and its Member States. This flagship initiative received the approval of all the Commissioners on 28 October, at the same time as the Europe INNOVA Annual conference was held in Liège, and the conference addressed several of its main themes. The Communication contains reflections and recommendations on topics such as innovative services associated to the manufacturing industries, the roles of European-wide innovative clusters, and on an eco-innovation and resource-efficient European industry, which correspond directly to the three Innovation Platforms established under Europe INNOVA. The flagship initiative was published together with the European Competitiveness Report 2010, which analysed the factors influencing EU competitiveness in world markets. One of the report's important observations relates to the creative industries sector. This sector represents 3.3% of the total EU GDP and 3% of all employment and 5

6 is already one of the most dynamic sectors in Europe with huge growth potential. These industries have been one of Europe INNOVA s foci during Representatives of several partnerships were amongst the experts who participated in the seminar Towards a Pan-European initiative in support of creative industries in Europe. This seminar produced the Amsterdam Declaration, which calls for a more strategic approach in support of innovation in the creative industries. Unlocking Europe s creative potential was also one of the three main themes of the Europe INNOVA s conference, in October. Rainer Brüderle and Antonio Tajani presenting the communication "An industrial policy for the globalisation Era", on 28 October 2010 Europe INNOVA aims to identify the right incentives for structural change so that new industries can emerge and societal challenges can be better addressed. This aim is very much in line with those of another Europe 2020 flagship initiative - the Innovation Union. Innovation Union has over thirty action points and will include an innovation scoreboard to monitor development and progress in future years. Its starting point is the creation of excellent, modern education systems in all Member States. The initiative promotes increased investment in research and development even during periods of financial constraint. As part of the plan, the Commission will support the establishment of an independent, multi-dimensional, international ranking system to benchmark university performance. The flagship initiative also calls for affordable intellectual property rights that support innovation. One of the initiative s key priorities is to support the establishment of European Innovation Partnerships. The scale and urgency of the societal challenges and the scarcity of resources in Europe increases the need to pool knowledge and expertise in research and innovation. The new innovation partnerships are meant to design and implement research and development, finding appropriate investment and cutting lead times to market. This is a novel concept, which the Commission first wishes to test through a pilot partnership on active and healthy ageing. Other potential partnerships could include 'smart cities', water-efficiency, the sustainable supply of nonenergy raw materials, European citizen and business mobility, and agricultural productivity and sustainability. 1.2 Europe INNOVA s Approach and Vision Since 2009, the Europe INNOVA initiative has focused on three high priority policy areas: transnational cluster cooperation, knowledge-intensive services and eco-innovation. Both the themes and approach used by the Europe INNOVA initiative can be found in the Europe 2020 Strategy and its related flagship initiatives. 1 The new industrial innovation policy described in the flagship initiative An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era 2 includes Europe INNOVA s main thematic areas. The importance of clusters and networks is emphasised, as well as the need to build upon existing successes to develop more globally competitive clusters. Under the section dedicated to resource, energy and carbon efficiency, eco-innovation appears as one of the key instruments in the EU s sustainable industrial policy, creating growth and jobs. As for innovative services, a specific focus is given to the role of cultural and creative industries, which has been one of the main interests of the KIS Innovation Platform in Last but not least, this flagship initiative underlines the role played by the Sectoral Innovation Watch (SIW), which was established under Europe INNOVA, in identifying key challenges in a number of sectors across Europe and in illustrating major differences between countries and sectors. The work of Europe INNOVA has served to further identify focus points for future innovation support from 2011 onwards. These include specific actions for the Promotion and Development of World-Class Clusters in Europe and also the establishing of the European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance and the European Creative Industries Alliance. 1 Please see: 2 Please see: 6

7 2. EUROPE INNOVA 2010 highlights 2.1 Europe INNOVA 2010 Events The 3 rd Europe INNOVA Conference Reshaping Europe: Addressing Societal Challenges through Entrepreneurship and Innovation took place between 27 and 29 October 2010, in Liège, Belgium. Organised by the Region of Wallonia within the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the EU and the European Commission s DG Enterprise and Industry, the conference brought experts from a range of different disciplines to discuss the theme: Reshaping Europe: Addressing Societal Challenges through Entrepreneurship and Innovation Within this framework, three main topics were discussed: Unlocking creative potential; Greening industries and; Supporting innovative entrepreneurship. Jean-Claude Marcourt of the Belgian EU Presidency and Walloon Minister for the Economy summarised the debate by noting the importance of innovation and industry, especially when placed under the spotlight of meeting Europe s challenging 2020 targets. We live in a landscape of permanent Jean-Claude Marcourt and DG Enterprise Director Minister for the Economy of the Walloon Government General Heinz Zourek at the Europe INNOVA change and it is our duty to innovate, he said and added It is the answer to re-boosting Conference in Liège the competitiveness of the EU, and regions are the best possible units to face the challenge of innovation. [...] Innovation is not just about technology. It is about the response to our needs in terms of climate change, the ageing population and also the economic crisis, he continued and in the future, regions will have an important role in stimulating innovation, particularly through intelligent specialisation. Heinz Zourek, Director General for Enterprise and Industry, highlighted the important role that enterprises must play in order to meet Europe s 2020 targets. He believed that Industry was hit hard by the economic crisis In order to reach pre-2008 levels we have to do so with lower CO 2 levels and at lower prices. We need to do this through innovation. Kornelis Blok, Scientific Director of Ecofys in the Netherlands, felt that improvements, rather than radical change, would help achieve the EU s very ambitious 2020 targets in eco-innovation. He maintained that eco-innovation must come through new technologies in energy efficiency and that research is needed just as much as R&D in energy supply. The conference featured policy actions that could create seedbeds for the growth of innovation, including real-life examples of successful policy implementation in the Region of Wallonia. The Commission rounded the conference off by outlining its own activities within the wider European scope including the establishing of the European Creative Industries Alliance Initiative, the Innovative Public Procurement Scheme and the European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance. Reinhard Büscher, Head of Unit Support for Industrial Innovation at DG Enterprise and Industry, underlined the importance of services in providing a development platform for both regional and national economies. He explained that Service innovation offers the best opportunity for young people to engage in business activities as it has low barriers to entry and is a high growth area. Service innovation will help us raise productivity and increase the global competitiveness of our companies. It provides new solutions to better address societal challenges. We will not be successful in lowering energy consumption without helping companies develop and use new technologies. This reflected a common thread in the EPISIS INNO-Net and the Europe INNOVA Annual Partnering Event, which had been held in Copenhagen, during June The focus in Copenhagen was on 'Service Innovation as a Catalyst for the Europe 2020 Strategy'. The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation co-hosted the conference, which was jointly held for the first time by the EPISIS INNO-Net and Europe INNOVA. Charlotte Sahl- Madsen, the Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, highlighted the value of service innovation and stated her belief that Service innovation will unfold the potential of technologies. Roughly 70 percent of the total employment in Europe is related to services and around 72 percent of the gross value added generated by the EU Member States stems from the service sector. Service innovation therefore plays an increasingly important role in the European economy. She added that Not only is service innovation a key source of job creation Whether speaking of climate change, environment or demographic change great economic and societal potential can be realised through service innovation. Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Annual partnering event in Copenhagen 7

8 Other common themes of the two conferences were how policy can promote service innovation and the emphasis on the need for evidence of the impact of policy actions. Mette Koefoed Quinn, from the Support for Industrial Innovation Unit at DG Enterprise and Industry, noted in Copenhagen that The new concept of transformative service innovation helps to better identify those areas where service innovation has a strong impact on the economy and on society. Then in introducing the European Creative Industries Alliance Initiative in Liège, Mette Koefoed Quinn stated that The ECIA will provide an open platform for policy learning and an exchange of good practices, highlighting the importance of measurable results identified a key point in Copenhagen. Both the conferences in Liège and Copenhagen demonstrated that innovation must be fostered in Europe in order to meet the EU s challenging 2020 targets. To do so, policy in Europe s key sectors of services and industry must create an environment in which innovation can prosper. 2.2 The Potential of Innovation Voucher Schemes Since 2006, there has been increased interest in innovation voucher (IV) schemes. Even though innovation vouchers have been widely introduced throughout the EU, there are no agreed definitions of the scope of this type of measure and this presents a challenge when benchmarking the impact of the different national and regional schemes. However, the Commission services have studied the experiences, potential and leverage effects of innovation vouchers. By consolidating the results of the recent study on the innovation voucher schemes in the EU 3, a great variety of administrative features and activities was identified, including: A typical objective is to support SMEs to purchase services for generic and applied research, technical development and testing, IP protection and management. Under the influence of the contemporary innovation paradigms, the scope of the supported services has been widened. It now also covers management consultancy in innovation, design, marketing and business development, but in most cases training services are still not eligible. Compared to the typical R&D grant schemes, IV schemes are 'lighter' and 'faster' both in their application, reporting and payment. The voucher is issued by a regional/national agency that makes a commitment to pay the service provider or occasionally, to reimburse the SME; The schemes are administrated as projects, as many of them are (co-)financed from the Structural Funds, including the use of INTERREG. These survey results are based on 23 national or regional schemes 4 and show that the ultimate, strategic objectives of IV schemes are mostly either to catalyse first innovation activities or to accelerate the market orientation of universities and R&D institutes. The latter organisations are also in the focus of service provision, as virtually all schemes only accept public and public-private organisations as core service providers. Private providers are generally only accepted if they focus entirely on R&D. There are also basically two types of funding arrangements either a small, 100% financed voucher that is suited to micro and small companies and first innovators or larger vouchers starting from around that require co-financing from the applicant, at usually around 50%. Still, the various exceptions to this general picture, such as lower co-financing requirements or total funding volumes, indicate a more customised, or target-group oriented approach by certain national funding agencies 5. 3 Availability and Focus on Innovation Voucher Schemes in European Regions. DG ENTR-Unit D2 Support for innovation. Brussels, November Regional schemes represented by North Rhine Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg (Germany), NE-England (UK), Yorkshire & Humber and West Midlands (UK), Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium), Euroregio Middle Benelux; National schemes: France, Poland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Slovenia, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Portugal, Switzerland. 5 E.g., there are specific schemes for micro-companies, schemes excluding medium-size companies, schemes targeting only start-ups, or accepting only regional organisations and service providers in place, depending on country/region. 8

9 In the most cases, schemes are implemented nationally but in countries like Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium, there are various regional measures, which are administered, and also often funded, by regional governments. In addition to the consolidation and the presentation of the best experiences, a number of Europe INNOVA partnerships are focusing on the development and testing of new IV schemes: KISPIMS and KIS4SAT (Europe INNOVA ) as well as GreenConServe, B Creative, ImMediate, REMake and Innowater (Europe INNOVA ). Other recent projects have also tested specific innovation support services in different targeted sectors that rely on existing voucher schemes such as VALOR and INNET (PRO INNO Europe ). In addition to these actions by DG ENTR, an INTERREG IV project RAPIDE was organised as fast track to encourage regions to replicate good practice in this area. The outcomes of these initiatives confirm that vouchers stimulate more innovation activities in SMEs and strengthen SMEs ties with the R&D sector and other knowledge providers 6. One aim of these projects is to open up schemes to public and also private service providers from other countries. The relatively modest leverage effects of these initiatives is based on the fact that these schemes have been developed as pilots, which should then be taken up and implemented by other intermediaries after the end of the project. While some projects like MOBIP and GreenConServe seem to be more successful in leverage, others require further improvements. The developments monitored and coordinated by Europe INNOVA have also revealed some practical topics for further action. One idea to facilitate the national and regional experiences is that of a European Innovation Voucher System, which was actively discussed at the INNO Partnering Council meeting, in Vienna, last May. One aim would be to accelerate and institutionalise cooperation between independent national and regional schemes. Another aspect of international collaboration to consider is the opening up of the national schemes to foreign service providers, as they are still not accepted in the majority of the existing schemes 7. With a view to exploiting the experience and future potential of innovation vouchers, the participants at the Baltic Dynamics Conference, in Riga, in September 2010 discussed the practical implementation and future perspectives of national schemes. The cooperation between the Europe INNOVA platform and managers of innovation voucher programmes at Member State and regional levels resulted in the formulation of seven principles and policy recommendations, known as the Riga Declaration. More specifically, the main messages from this conference were: The primary objective of innovation vouchers is strengthening the innovation capacity of SMEs; Innovation vouchers should support all forms of innovation; The administrative costs of implementing innovation voucher schemes should be kept as low as possible, and the administrative procedures and control mechanisms should be proportionate to the size of the innovation vouchers; Innovation voucher schemes should be the subject of regular impact assessments, with the focus on the impact on the innovation capacity of SMEs: Innovation voucher schemes should be implemented at local, regional and national level, thus fully taking into account the subsidiarity principle; Innovation voucher programmes have the potential to raise the quality of innovation support to SMEs. Finally, the Commission, the Member States and regions are invited to consider wider use or promotion of innovation vouchers wherever possible, with the objective of supporting all forms of innovation more effectively and cost efficiently and of reducing the gap between innovation leaders and those still lagging behind. 6 OECD (2010) Regions and Innovation Policy - 24 th Session of the Territorial Development Policy Committee (TDPC) Volume II 7 By the 2009 study (DG ENTR), the international collaboration of any kind is very limited under the majority of the schemes, and some regional vouchers schemes launched in 2008/09 in the UK but also in other countries have limited the eligible service providers located in the region onlyits is noteworthy that contracting of foreign providers from the EU or outside is in place in these countries commonly characterised by a good innovation performance (by Innovation Scoreboard) and abundant high quality R&D. The schemes are from Germany (2), France, Denmark, Flanders, Austria, Netherlands and Euroregio Middle Benelux. 9

10 3. Innovation in Services 3.1 Highlights in 2010 Without any doubt, the European economy is a service economy. The innovative performance of the European services sector is crucial to future job creation, growth and competitiveness. In 2010, service innovation in the Europe INNOVA initiative really came to the fore. Its full potential was tested and promoted in Europe INNOVA activities, and service innovation finally began to gain the political recognition at European level, which it deserves. The highlights of the year are related to the work undertaken by the Expert Panel on Service Innovation in the EU and the two main events that focused on Creative Industries and on Satellite-enabled Services. The progress made in all these three areas will have a fundamental impact on future policies and actions related to service innovation in Europe. In order to exploit the full potential of service innovation and its contribution to the implementation of the Europe 2020 growth priorities, DG Enterprise and Industry appointed an Expert Panel on Service Innovation in the EU, at the beginning of This panel involves leading service innovation experts, policy-makers and practitioners. Together they have explored service innovation policies across the EU Member States and determined those specific steps which should be taken to support service innovations. During the year, the panel has been working on an Interactive Policy Roadmap, which is a collaborative tool that engages other experts in the field in the formulation of recommendations and in sharing background information, case studies and relevant evidence. The panel has also tried to ensure that the right environments and initiatives are harnessed to promote service innovation. The Expert Panel has emphasised the concept of transformative power as being the key to understanding the value of service innovation. The concept relates to the catalytic impact that service innovation can have across the economy. The panel has also stressed the importance of raising awareness of the transformative power of services which will require an extensive mindset change in industry, in the public sector and in the research community. The final findings and recommendations of the Expert Panel are eagerly awaited and will be presented early in The workshop Towards a Pan-European initiative in support of innovative creative industries in Europe was held in Amsterdam, in February The event was organised by the European Commission s DG Enterprise and Industry and hosted by the City of Amsterdam, the European Design Centre, the Association of Dutch Designers and the innovation platform IIP Create. The workshop focused on the huge potential of the creative industries but it was noted that to take full advantage of this potential, arts and creativity must be combined with entrepreneurship and innovation. The concrete outcome of the workshop was the Amsterdam Declaration, which is addressed to regional, national and European policy-makers. At the workshop, more than 75 experts adopted this declaration that proposed a more strategic European approach to the support of innovation in the creative industries. The declaration suggested the establishing of a European Creative Industries Alliance to better exploit the innovation potential of the creative industries across Europe by bringing together those who can deliver improved policies, practical instruments and support. The aim of this European Creative Industries Alliance is to turn Europe s cultural diversity into a competitive advantage for the rejuvenation of European industry. The declaration urges regions, Member States and the European Commission to promote a favourable ecosystem for creative industries, in particular, by developing new cluster concepts and by making more efforts to understand their specific framework conditions. The declaration also suggests that more foresight activities should be carried out and that the creative entrepreneurs should become more aware of the need to be investment-ready at the earliest possible stage. Satellite-enabled services also featured prominently during the year. The central event was held in May in Stuttgart, Germany. Around 50 experts, policy-makers, representatives of companies and other stakeholders attended the 10

11 workshop entitled Towards a European Partnership supporting Satellite-Enabled Downstream Services. At this workshop participants discussed the forms of improved support policies and the types of coordination that could accelerate the growth of satellite-enabled applications and services markets. These experts were in agreement that the main barriers faced by downstream service industries in their innovation processes are still the unreliability of technology, poor networking and a lack of both financial and human resources. It was suggested that some of these shortcomings could be addressed by an improved use of existing technologies, in a cheaper, sustainable and more reliable way. However, a more coordinated approach to encouraging regional support for local companies was also seen as an important step forward. In addition, the experts called for new and more pervasive horizontal measures aimed at providing powerful leverage for satellite-enabled services. They highlighted the fact that horizontal measures were vital in maximising this leverage and confirmed that more tailor-made measures were needed to foster the growth of companies. At the same time, they stressed the importance of support to demand generation and lead users such as that provided through public procurement and living labs. All the participants supported the European Commission s idea of establishing a European Partnership to address the fragmentation of markets by establishing a real, single innovation market in this field. 3.2 European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services The European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services (KIS-IP) has one horizontal action and seven sectoral networks for ICT, renewable energy, space-based services, mobile services, creative industries, digital content and construction. During the second phase of Europe INNOVA, these projects have acted as laboratories searching for, and experimenting with, better practices in supporting innovative services companies. Through their networking activities; entrepreneurs, researchers and cluster and finance organisations have come together to join in the common goal of assisting services innovators. The essential efforts of these partnerships relate to business training, as well as to investments and to more flexible funding mechanisms that reflect more accurately the real needs of services companies. At the beginning of the year, the KIS Partnering Forum was held in Rome, and it brought together over 140 innovation practitioners, policy-makers, companies and investors. The forum was organised with the support of BIC Lazio Business Innovation Centre, and it provided insights for the sectors of energy and environmental services, ICT, digital media, mobile services and space. During the event, participants discussed new forms of support for innovation that could take account of the specific needs of services companies, as well as the potential role of service innovations in meeting societal needs. An interesting feature of the forum was a series of presentations from selected start-up entrepreneurs who had been coached in investor readiness during the Venture Academy review sessions. Experienced coaches from the relevant industrial areas worked very pragmatically with these company representatives to prepare their approaches to potential investors. The important role of regions was also highlighted in Rome, where it was accepted that regions have a great potential to help knowledge intensive services companies to succeed. The discussion on this potential was continued during three Regional KIS 100 Events held in Tartu on 11 May, in Stuttgart on 18 May, and in Athens on 3 December. These Regional KIS 100 events were open fora to debate how regions can support the emergence and growth of knowledge intensive services companies. In addition, the events offered an opportunity for local, successful SMEs to showcase their approaches to service innovation. During the regional events, knowledge intensive services were recognised as being quite crisis-resistant and also as creators of high-income employment. However, it was noted that competition is speedy and fierce, and all companies are facing challenges, especially in their internalisation efforts. This suggests that public authorities should find ways to promote regions as international services providers. This year, Europe INNOVA combined forces with the EPISIS INNO-Net for the Annual Partnering Event which focused on the theme of Service innovation as a catalyst for the Europe 2020 Strategy. This joint event took place between 14 and 16 June in Copenhagen, and brought together over 200 innovation stakeholders. The event helped to clarify the links between the overall policy level and the implementation levels and identified important synergies and complementarities. In this way, it provided the participants with a coherent overview of all ongoing activities in the area of service innovation. 11

12 During the event, the new business support services, which will be needed to promote service innovation in support of the Europe 2020 Strategy, were discussed. As a multi-dimensional, multi-level phenomenon, service innovation creates challenges for traditional innovation policy. Its success calls for a horizontal approach and requires transnational cooperation in areas such as knowledge transfer and policy frameworks. In addition, it is crucial to adapt a demand-driven, customer-centred approach to service innovation if policy recommendations are to be produced that will really make a concrete impact. More than ever, the partnerships funded under the Europe INNOVA Initiative have been encouraged to concentrate on substantive, tangible objectives that can result in such positive impacts. There is still a lot to be done to create a single market for innovation in Europe and this task has been also addressed by the KIS-IP Horizontal Steering Group (HSG). Each sectoral KIS partnership is represented on the HSG, which is responsible for assessing and commenting on the methodologies and processes used by the KIS-IP. It also analyses and validates the main results that are being obtained. The mandate of the HSG is coming to an end and now the emphasis should be placed on how the projects that are about to close, and those that are still ongoing, can be linked to initiatives that will help to ensure knowledge transfer from the KIS projects. Each KIS project should identify opportunities for direct and also for indirect impacts, such as facilitating the setting up of VC funds or strengthening the collaboration between the CIP and the Structural Funds. The partnerships have also been encouraged to continue to work in public-private partnerships. The KIS-IP has been a profound learning process for all participants, and so sectoral partnerships should dedicate more efforts to promoting learning and flexibility within such future projects. The experiences of voucher schemes tested by the KIS partnerships have been promising but more ambitious action is needed. In developing voucher schemes, a broader approach should be used and schemes should support all forms of innovation and not only R&D driven innovation activities. In addition, the vouchers should not be limited to public and national consultancies, as they should be opened up to both private and international agencies and organisations. Many KIS projects have focused exclusively on increasing access to sources of finance. This has included using existing sources such as the ERDF or JEREMIE funding or developing new dedicated funds. Over 100 million of new funding was leveraged through the KIS projects in the form of VC funds, co-investment funds, seed funds and grants, some of which could be directly attributed to KIS project actions. In addition, four ongoing projects are seeking to develop new sources of finance, including a plan to establish funds for digital media as well as for the creative industries and a new cross-border VC fund for Mobiles KIS businesses. THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE COMING TO A CLOSE The aim of the European Knowledge Intensive Service innovation Platform is to develop and test new, or improved, support mechanisms for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe. The pioneers of this work in the KIS-IP have been three sectoral partnerships, KIS4SAT, ACHIEVE MORE and KIS-PIMS and a horizontal support action, KISPLATFORM, which was launched in February At the end of the 2010, KIS4SAT, ACHIEVE MORE, KISPLATFORM and KIS-PIMS reached their final phase. Many efforts have been made by the projects over the past three years to support the competitiveness of innovative services companies and the networking of business incubators, clusters, finance organisations and other stakeholders. At this final stage, the results, tools and better practices developed by the projects should be highlighted, and concrete steps are being taken to implement them further and to disseminate them more widely. In addition, measures are being taken to integrate their results and recommendations into the key policy frameworks and ongoing initiatives of the European Commission to ensure a better and more competitive future for innovative SMEs in Europe. The valuable legacy of KIS4SAT, ACHIEVE MORE, KISPLATFORM and KIS-PIMS, will be presented in greater detail in the following eight the pages. However, here are just a few short examples of their successes. ACHIEVE MORE 12

13 has addressed barriers to the growth of KIS ventures in the ICT sector by developing a new, integrated toolkit, called the EIX platform. The major achievements of KIS-PIMS have been in voucher schemes, expert training and toolbox development in the field of renewable energy. Similarly, the existing innovation voucher scheme of KIS4SAT has operated effectively and the project is facilitating the participation of private investors in order to support KIS ventures in the field of satellite downstream services. Finally, as the horizontal support action, KISPLATFORM has facilitated the creation and use of synergies between the sectoral partnerships by providing new and diverse sources of knowledge from the field of service innovation ACHIEVE MORE Activities in 2010 Several events took place during the year and these included four Investment Readiness Workshops at the Gate Garching Business Incubator, which is an ACHIEVE MORE consortium member. During these workshops, 50 entrepreneurial teams were trained in financial analysis and communications skills, and they subsequently made presentations to 10 seed fund investors, who provided feedback on their performances. A similar workshop was held recently at Timisoara, in Romania, and all five of these workshops were led by Finance Tree. Other workshops were held: In Cambridge, for ISMA, the strategic marketing tool, at which three companies developed their strategies and three coaches were trained; In London, to exchange Better Practice for Business Incubation and this was attended by six business incubator partners from Germany, Sweden and the UK; In conjunction with the EBN annual conference in Burgos, Spain UKBI and IAT organised a well-attended cluster workshop. The media library continues to be developed by euconnect. The aim is to have 43 short digital videos and a double DVD set available in six languages by the end of the project. This set will include Part 2 of the dramatised DVD on start-up and high growth companies. Coaching during an Investor Readiness Workshop Progress and results The main high points during the year have been: The establishment of the 20 million Rivers Capital Angel Fund, using ERDF/EIB/EIF and angel funds; Since the beginning of the project, there have been over 7,000 online views/downloads of materials held in the media library; The EIX online knowledge sharing community, which uses the business social networking platform NING, has grown and now has around 520 members throughout the world; The programme of workshops to introduce the ACHIEVE MORE toolkit has been continued and has been well-attended, resulting in entrepreneurs using the tools for business development and the further training of coaches to support toolkit delivery after the end of the project; A new tool called Soft Landing is being developed by EBN to enable large numbers of SMEs to establish overseas sales presences; Innovationsbron will provide an international benchmarking report on incubation and seed financing before the end of the project. 13

14 Lessons learned and exit strategy The original project objectives were to establish a partnership of 50 business incubators and 15 clusters across the EU, enabling them to share knowledge and better practices, to access the ACHIEVE MORE toolkit, and to participate in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Exchange workshops and online business networking website. In addition, a high profile goal was to establish a PPP seed fund to support early stage ventures. All of these objectives have been achieved, despite the very difficult economic conditions. The learning from this partnership has been promoted through the Europe INNOVA portal from which a very significant number of video downloads have being made. These have shared and promoted insights into incubation, clustering and the funding of early stage SMEs. One learning point is that the Europe INNOVA portal operates solely in English and cannot cope with a multi-lingual media library. ACHIEVE MORE has therefore developed a parallel multi-lingual media access and distribution channel, which will provide a gateway to its 43 films in six different language versions (French, Spanish, Italian, German and Polish, as well as English). The results of this project will, in particular, provide models for subsequent projects and programmes to fund SMEs, possibly using ERDF and regional innovation support funding. The media library will continue to be a useful asset to the innovation support community and by the end of the project, it is intended to initiate a wider distribution of some of the DVD based learning tools to incubators, clusters and business schools across the EU. The strong EIX online community is expected to continue beyond the lifetime of the project and the recently introduced Soft Landing tool will provide continuing valuable support to innovative SMEs that wish to internationalise their activities. The Panel Discussion at the Athens regional event Partners are expected to build on their use of the toolkit in delivering support to SMEs in their regions. It is certain that many of the ACHIEVE MORE tools will continue to be disseminated actively. For example, one of the ACHIEVE MORE partners has set up a subsidiary called ViaNoveo, which is now commercially distributing the ISMA 360 strategic marketing analysis tool, through a pan-european network of coaches and intermediaries that has had a considerable impact on SME development. ACHIEVE MORE Coordinator David Moir, St John s Innovation Centre Contact Details dmoir@stjohns.co.uk Websites Duration February 2008 to April 2011 Also important as a legacy, is the PPP seed fund set up within ACHIEVE MORE, which is already being seen as a model for future funding development in other Europe INNOVA projects, specifically in the context of the Creative Industries Alliance initiative and the Mobility Programme, and very probably in the context of the innovation support that might be offered through DG Regio. It seems very likely that Finance Tree, the ACHIEVE MORE partner that developed the model, will continue to provide advice in this key area of sectoral innovation funding. euconnect, another ACHIEVE MORE partner, continues to produce media resources for a variety of EU and other programmes on innovation support and entrepreneurial decision-making. The intention is that there will be a continued exposure of the ACHIEVE MORE funded media to the outside world and the introduction into the established and ongoing ACHIEVE MORE partnership of other relevant innovation-related media. So, the knowledge transfer process will continue. 14

15 3.2.2 KIS4SAT Activities in 2010 KIS4SAT has an excellent balance of public/private partnerships, regional development actors, consultants and incubators and its core role is to accompany and support innovative entrepreneurs and SME clients in facing their daily challenges of launching competitive knowledge intensive services onto the market place. KIS4SAT s core mission is to assess the research, skills and knowledge needs of KIS ventures, in order to reduce or remove their barriers to growth, facilitate partnerships and foster technological and non-technological innovations. To fulfil this mission, KIS4SAT has developed an innovation platform where SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovation intermediaries can find the business support packages they need to develop offers of critical mass and to accelerate their growth processes. Galileo constellation - artist's impression In addition, with the KIS4SAT innovation vouchers, the KIS ventures selected by regional stakeholders were able to access subsidised business consultancy services provided by the KIS4SAT platform to help them to assess and improve their competitive positioning and their investor readiness. Tailored-made solutions were offered through this free innovation voucher scheme, and amongst the other services on offer, there were partnering, B2B and investment opportunities. In close collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the platform built up a knowledge depository that included: market studies; supply chain and critical technologies for satellite based services; golden rules for building KIS4SAT business models; and good practices for the support of KIS4SAT clusters. The depository also contains an IPR manual, with information that is relevant to space programmes and information about EU certification and standardisation. This knowledge depository is available to the KIS4SAT network through an online interface based on the WIKI approach. Networking events, workshops, training course and investors fora were also established in collaboration with ESA and European Space Incubators Network (ESINET), the new Secretariat of European Network of Satnav/Space Clusters for Applications Development (ENCADRE) and the Living Labs initiative. KIS4SAT has also created a database with more than 400 entries related to SMEs, research centres, universities and innovation intermediaries that are active in the sector. The database is closely linked to the risk assessment tool developed by Technofi, one of KIS4SAT s partners. The main purpose of this tool is to analyse the risks, and to identify the current needs, of the companies and thus, whether they meet the requirements for the business support provided though KIS4SAT s vouchers. It is important to highlight that the added value of the platform is its personalised approach. KIS4SAT is a platform for customers and its key strength is not simply the creation of online tools, as it has focus on offering specific business support and on providing services such as contacts, networking, and business development and consultancy. The Business Support Packages proposed by the KIS4SAT platform will be presented to, and validated by, representatives of the research and financial communities, representatives of high-growth KIS SMEs and representatives of ESA and the Galileo Supervisory Authority (GSA), during the project s final event, in Brussels, on 24 January This will take place during the European Business and Innovation Centre Network s Annual Reception on the theme of Applied innovation: the smart entrepreneur s perspective. Following these events, the KIS4SAT s offers will be launched to a wider public. KIS4SAT has also produced a number of publications and probably the most significant of these are a Report on the European satellite downstream application market, the Supply chain for satellite based services applications, and Critical technologies for supporting satellite-based services and applications and recommendations for developing a research programme. It has also developed a White Paper on European clusters in downstream satellite applications and IPR Manual for KIS ventures. KIS4SAT Coordinator Robert Sanders; Vera Egreja Barracho, EBN Contact Details rsa@ebn.be vba@ebn.be Websites Duration February 2008 to January

16 KIS4SAT has also organised a number of events during its lifetime and perhaps the highlights were: The European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services in the Satellite downstream application sectors: benefits for SMEs in relevant sectors, how to apply for and how to benefit from KIS4SAT vouchers This was a good practice coaching example, in Darmstadt, on 6 May 2010; A collaborative workshop to tackle the challenge of Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GNES) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) downstream services business development How to create the conditions for success in the development of satellite based businesses, in Toulouse, on 7 June 2010; A workshop on Provision of access to finance: Open Sky Technology Fund (OSTF), in Milan, on 4 October 2010; The European Satellite Navigation Competition 2010, in Munich, on 18 th October Other events included the ESA Investment Forum, in Stuttgart on 19 May and again, in Milan, on 5 October, the Toulouse Space Show, during 8-10 June 2010 and three ESINET/KIS4SAT road shows in Transinne, Grenoble and Nancy. Progress, results and lessons learned The outcomes of the KIS4SAT are summarised in the following diagram. The KIS4SAT Platform Market surveys Knowledge Depository Supply chain and critical technologies for satellite based services Golden rules for building KIS4SAT business models Good practices for the support of KIS4SAT clusters IPR manual for the use of KIS4SAT ventures Networking tools Directory of SMEs Directory of experts in regions Directory of innovation intermediaries Directory of financial investors News Calls for tenders Workshops Special Tools Self assessment tools WIKI tool for rapid access to targeted information Training / Consultancy (with vouchers) for incubatores & SMEs Special events Business Plan competition Investors' forum The Impact of KIS4SAT 500 KIS companies gathered in KIS4SAT directory; 100 companies connected through the online platform; More than 150 vouchers used; Value of vouchers provided ; 65 innovation intermediaries involved; Financial support secured, in May 2010, from ESA for maintaining the platform and voucher scheme = ; Four companies presented to the ESA Investment Forum, in October 2010; KIS4SAT boost fund raising of OSTF investor fund (Triangle) total fund target 100 million 10 to 20 million leveraged by KIS4SAT, via involvement in supporting fund raising activities. Lessons learned and exit strategy In addition to the impacts mentioned above, there is pending additional financial support of from ESA. This financial support its divided into several tranches corresponding to performance indicators, such as the provision of a certain number of high quality investment-ready companies to be presented to ESA investment community. KIS4SAT results can be used in the framework of ESINET, which is the space incubators network launched by ESA and managed by EBN and also in ENCADRE that is the network of regional space clusters and key European agencies. At the moment, the exit strategy of KIS4SAT is under evaluation. The KIS4SAT final report will be published at the end of February and this will contain more detailed information, indicators, and success stories, together with the proposed exit strategy. However, it is expected the close collaboration between the KIS4SAT partners will continue after the official end of the Europe INNOVA. 16

17 3.2.3 KIS-PIMS Activities in 2010 Activities within the KIS-PIMS project concluded with a packaged toolbox of consultancy tools. The tools have been tested with up to 72 SMEs and the packaged training should facilitate the adoption of the tools by innovation practitioners. Discrepancies between countries have been observed in the application of the voucher scheme. Austria achieved results that were very much in line with the initial objectives, whereas Finland and France funded a much smaller number of applications, through tougher selection processes. The first challenge of the year was to test the voucher scheme with around 80 more SMEs. Significant efforts were made in Finland and France to attain this objective but it was the Austrian partners that kept up the required pace of testing. In Finland, the Call for Proposals leading to voucher delivery was closed in early 2010 to leave space for Step 2 funding applications whereas, in France, the Call stayed open until the end of November An Innovative Experts Training Session The second main activity has been the actual implementation of the expert training sessions after the internal testing in December Finally, the partnership prepared its exit strategy that had three main objectives: Securing funding resources for the continuation of the voucher scheme after the end of the project; Proposing IP rights for the tool exploitation rules based on the development and testing performed within the KIS-PIMS project; Preparing replication projects within other regions or Member States in EU27. Progress, results and lessons learned By the end of 2010, more than 250 expressions of interest had been recorded that proposed services ideas eligible for the voucher scheme. More than 100 of these have been transformed into real funding applications for the innovation agencies and 49 have benefitted from a voucher allocation, whilst nine are still in the selection process. A full scale experts training session was organised in Paris, in May 2010, involving 14 new experts, who were awarded their qualification certificates based upon an evaluation of the new knowledge gained during training and their practice with the tools. However, some experts did not receive any requests for support from SMEs. Another training session was organised, in December, in Cambridge to transfer the same knowledge and knowhow to the EcoCluP consortium members. It has proved difficult to trace exactly how often various tools have been used by the various experts. However: The IMP 3 rove diagnosis of innovation management capability was successfully used with at least 72 SMEs; The IPR Manual was used frequently and raised considerable interest in guiding IPR discussions during faceto-face meetings with entrepreneurs; The EIFN financial tool was used at least five times to perform sensitivity analyses of the business model profitability; and The Project Risks Assessment tool was used systematically with selected SMEs. 17

18 Voucher value: The innovation voucher scheme of KIS-PIMS has been tested in France, Finland and Austria Finland France Voucher value: up to Issued by: TEKES Contact: Timo Määttä timo.maatta@motiva.fi +358 (0) Voucher value: Issued by: OSEO Contact: Jacques GAUTRAY jacques.gautray@oseo.fr +33 (0) Austria / Styria Issued by: LandesEnergieVerein Steyermark (LEV) Contact: Christian Sakulin c.sakulin@lev.at +43 (0) Lessons learned and exit strategy The first conclusion is that the voucher scheme has appealed to many SMEs. The 20% selection ratio observed during the testing is a reflection of four process parameters: Some SME Managers would have needed external support to further shape their proposal for new service to be supported by the voucher scheme; This support would have required individual coaching which the KIS-PIMS partners were unable to provide extensively because of a lack of internal resources; The multiplying effect of the new expert training was not as high as expected; The selection process adopted by the public innovation agencies sought to identify, and consequently reject, any opportunistic attempts of SMEs to acquire additional funding without really respecting the requirements of the voucher scheme. As a result around 50 high quality projects were supported. Consequently, the tools have been tested but feedback is still limited. Some potential for improvement has been identified for the financial planning and risks assessment tools. An upgraded version of the second tool has now been developed by the GreenConServe project. 18

19 The exit strategy has addressed the need to secure funding resources to provide long-term support to the voucher schemes in each of the participating countries. In Austria, LEV together with Technofi and MH, has planned an international workshop entitled Innovation Vouchers Smart Support Services for 25 January Then, the lessons learnt from Innovation Voucher Schemes in Europe will be presented to other agencies and the Ministry of Innovation to familiarise them with the outcomes and then to discuss the continuation of public funding beyond the end of the project. In Finland, Motiva and Advansis have planned a workshop on service innovation support schemes in the Finnish renewable energy sector. This will be organised during January 2011 in collaboration with the Tekes national programme on Groove (Growth from Renewables ). The Groove programme enhances the business capabilities of Finnish SMEs working with renewable energy by improving their international competitiveness and networking capabilities. The workshop will focus on the results achieved by the KIS-PIMS project in supporting SMEs in securing research, development and demonstration funding. In France, OSEO and Technofi have provided the Ministry of Industry with field data on KIS-PIMS in order to promote future public funding of service innovation in France. Once the voucher funding has been secured, the scheme may be adjusted in terms of its objectives and the range of expertise to be provided to SMEs may be extended through a training and qualification process. KIS-PIMS Coordinator Vincent Morfouace, TECHNOFI Contact Details vmorfouace@symple.eu Website Duration February 2008 to July KISPLATFORM Activities in 2010 Over the year, the project increased its efforts in dissemination and the involvement of external partners. This was crystallised in a number of developments. Videos were added as a new tool feature to the European Repository of knowledge and better practices on innovation in services. In addition, the 2 nd Partnering Forum in February 2010, in Rome, was recorded and presented in an excellent innovative video. The business community of young innovative knowledge intensive services (KIS) companies was expanded through four regional events where a total of some 40 companies were also selected through the videos that they presented. These four regional events were organised by contracted regional partners in Stuttgart in May 2010, Tartu, in May 2010, Athens, in December 2010 and Paris, in January The four additional KIS networks that joined in 2009 were further supported, mainly through the High-Level Steering Group which held additional meetings in Rome, in February 2010, and in Liège, in October In both instances the in-depth discussion and interaction stimulated mutual learning. The work of the Commission to establish a European Creative Industries Alliance was supported by the presence of the KISPLATFORM at the successful event in Amsterdam. This was then linked through to the Rome event and to the attendance of representative of the KISPLATFORM at the Europe INNOVA Conference. Finally, the 3 rd Partnering Forum is being prepared and will take place on 27 and 28 January 2011, in Warsaw. This event is on the important theme of supporting innovative services through the Structural Funds and will be hosted by the Warsaw Stock Exchange. KIS 100 regional event, Athens, December

20 Progress, results and lessons learned The project can boast of several tangible results and outcomes. A community of national, regional and local policy and cluster initiatives has been nurtured with the support of the project. This community has been transformed with, and by, the European Commission s services into a European Creative Industries Alliance which won the backing of key players in Amsterdam, in February The concept and importance of Innovation has been successfully promoted and is now firmly established. This can be demonstrated by the increasing number of national regional, local and cluster initiatives that came together in Amsterdam, Rome and Liège and will come together in Warsaw. New video tools to showcase the importance of Innovation in Services have been developed and successfully presented at both the policy level and the level of enterprises, during the Rome event and the KIS100 Regional KIS 100 regional event, Athens, December 2010 events, respectively. The need to foster more Innovation in Services at regional level has been demonstrated by the successful take-up and organisation of a Call for Regional Events. This led to four regional events being implemented in the short time frame of less than 1 year and with a very limited budget. This shows that there is an appetite for the concept and for the further development of policies, at regional level. In general, the project has been more successful with its event than with its repository, as more events were organised than were initially foreseen. There was also a shift towards involving more policy-makers rather than companies. The KISPLATFORM has evolved to become a catalyst in Europe for public agencies and policy-makers looking for ways of supporting their services sectors. Thus, there is less need for the project to support the enterprises directly. Nevertheless, the support to enterprises element continues, notably through the Venture Academies and the Business Presentations at the KIS Forum. In both cases, there was a high satisfaction rate amongst the enterprises that participated. The Contest and Award concept worked very well at a regional level. Tying the KIS100 regional events to the European-level KIS Club and Award provided a major incentive for regions to organise the events and for regional companies, policy-makers and agencies to attend. KISPLATFORM Coordinator William Stevens, Europe Unlimited Contact Details william@e-unlimited.com Website Duration February 2008 to January 2011 Lessons learned and exit strategy The original objectives and the corresponding outcomes evolved towards the increased involvement of the policy-makers rather than the companies. This happened in consultation with the European Commission s services, as it was felt that the KISPLATFORM had generated sufficient interest from the national, regional and local authorities and agencies to consider promoting and developing service innovation at these levels. This move was vindicated by the strong support for the European Creative Industries Alliance just two years into the KISPLATFORM s work. There is a clear need to support the fast-growing community, of public agencies and policy-makers in Europe, which is looking for new ways of supporting its services sectors. The Final Conference in Warsaw, on 27 and 28 January 2011, on the theme of New Ways to promote Service innovation in Europe: the Role of the Structural Funds demonstrates the potential of accelerating service innovation across the regions. 20

21 ON-GOING PARTNERSHIPS B Creative Activities in 2010 During 2010, B Creative has designed and developed an Innovation Support Toolbox in response to the needs of the creative industries. The toolbox will available to via the How to Grow online platform that will be launched in January The decision on the spectrum of tools and services to be made available has been supported by B Creative s research. This research looked into the generic and specific innovation support tools in six European countries and explored their relevance to the How to Grow online platform. B Creative has also reached out to regional and national partners to establish long-term collaboration for the codevelopment of services and tools or for linking existing services to the platform. In some cases, the negotiations have been finalised and joint services are under development and, in other cases, negotiations are still underway. In 2010, B Creative has presented and discussed the How to Grow Platform at several events, including Amsterdam s seminar Towards a Pan-European initiative in support of innovative creative industries, DG Regio s Open Days in Brussels, Amsterdam s most acclaimed Creative event Picnic and TAKE IT UP s Baltic Dynamics workshop in Riga. Progress, results and lessons learned B Creative underwent some changes, as it became more evident that the best way of reaching and engaging the Creative Industries would be to set up an online platform. Such a platform could be a one-stop-shop for creatives in search of appropriate and easy-to-use innovation support. This realisation required a considerable revision of the work plan, not only in terms of the system for making the tools available but also in the scope, format and functions of the proposed tools. How to Grow's Homepage At the close of 2010, B Creative partners have agreed on the set of How to Grow tools and are ready to launch the first stage (beta) of the web-platform, which will include the majority of the agreed tools and services. The launch will be followed by an intensive communication campaign aimed at attracting a critical mass of users. It will also help to ensure enough feedback to improve the available tools and to fine-tune those that will be launched with the second phase of How to Grow platform, in June It has also become evident that more focus needs be placed on the provision of specific financial instruments adapted to the needs of creative industries. Therefore, services such as innovation voucher schemes for creative enterprises in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, have been, or are still being, developed. Innovative investment systems such as crowd-funding, a project donation tool, and access to seed funds will be part of How to Grow from June Future developments The first version of How to Grow will include a range of features such as sign-posting for grants and funds, networking tools, interactive access to live streaming of events, access to exclusive training materials and audio-visual content. It will also offer links to mentors, an online forum, access to established Innovation Voucher Schemes and a compass to growth that helps users find the platform s tools best fitted to their needs. The platform will be actively promoted by B Creative partners to attract intermediaries such as development agencies, mentors, investors and other financial actors that wish to support, interact and partner with innovative creative European enterprises and entrepreneurs. The final version will include more financial instruments such as Bank of Time, the crowdfunding project donation tool and access to seed funding. The platform will also include exploratory research mechanisms that will monitor the usage of the How to Grow tools, investigate the most and least successful tools, collect information from the online experience and evaluate the services offered in order to refine, further develop or alter them according to the user feedback. B Creative Coordinator Marija Popovic, European Design Centre Contact Details marija@edc.nl Websites Duration September 2009 to July

22 3.2.6 greenconserve Activities in was a dynamic year for the GreenConServe consortium, with the intensification of many of the activities across the different work areas of the project. The year saw the release of a promotional brochure entitled Using open standards for sustainability and efficiency in the construction sector and, in addition, a factsheet was produced on the project. Both the factsheet and the brochure can be downloaded from the GreenConServe page of the Europe INNOVA website. The consortium increased its visibility and promoted the projects activities in various venues by making presentations at conferences and events. These included the 5 th edition of the DERBI (Développement des Énergies Renouvelables dans le Bâtiment et l'industrie) International Conference 2010 in Perpignan, the Supporting Eco-Innovative SMEs: the experience of Europe INNOVA and Market Replication Projects at the 2010 European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), and also the Smart-ECO Event during EUSEW, in Brussels. The Coordinator, Katharina Krell, also chaired a session at the Europe INNOVA Conference in Liège on How can innovation help reshape Europe s social and economic model? Building strong eco-industries in Europe. Progress, results and lessons learned The major accomplishment of the partnership in its first year was the launch of Calls for Proposals by the voucher schemes that it has set up in France and Norway. Two different approaches are being tested, with France launching an open call for proposals, while Norway is testing a targeted call. The calls, which opened ahead of schedule, were launched in spring 2010 and there have already been a number of voucher applications approved. The tested voucher schemes are targeting construction SMEs that are active in services related to sustainable construction. France is offering a single voucher per SME of up to to buy technical or business expertise, whilst in Norway, the targeted call is offering a double voucher per SME, to buy both technical and business expertise up to a total of Germany is currently setting up its national scheme, and plans to launch in As a result of the GreenConServe project, Innovation Norway, together with the Norwegian Government, is considering the possibility of setting up a national service innovation voucher scheme in the near future. In parallel with the voucher activities, the consortium developed specialised training materials in English, French, German and Norwegian, which will be used to deliver training in the coming months. The training material is targeted at SMEs and it aims to raise their awareness of the importance of innovation and their capacity to develop innovative projects. The GreenConServe consortium in Oslo 22

23 The GreenConServe voucher system is being tested in France and Norway while Germany is preparing for its launch France The call for French vouchers offering innovation support to service SMEs in the construction sector was launched in Spring The call is open continuously for 12 months. Voucher value: up to Norway The call for Norwegian vouchers offering innovation support to service SMEs in the construction sector was launched in Spring The call is open continuously for 12 months. Voucher value: up to Contact: Tor MÜHLBRADT Contact: Jacques GAUTRAY Germany A voucher scheme offering innovation support to service SMEs in the construction sector is currently being set up in Germany. It is expected to become available in Voucher value: to be announced Contact: Karen BÖHME k.boehme@fz-juelich.de A variety of issues have been covered in the materials which have been developed including: Major trends in the construction industry; The characteristics of the voucher schemes; Service innovation and what it can mean to an SME; Issues related to intellectual property rights; and Selected technical subjects such as building air tightness and infra red diagnosis. All the training material is available for downloading from the GreenConServe website. Future developments Germany will launch its national Call for Proposals for vouchers in early Training will also begin in the partner countries, using the material that was developed in the context of the project. Another important output of the project will be the release of the study conducted by the Polish partner KAPE on the use of Structural and Cohesion Funds in Financing Voucher Schemes. KAPE will present this study at the KIS Partnering Forum, in Warsaw, on 27 and 28 January GreenConServe Coordinator Katharina Krell, Greenovate! Europe EEIG Contact Details katharina.krell@greenovate.eu Website Duration September 2009 to August

24 3.2.7 ImMediaTe Activities in 2010 The ImMediaTe Consortium organised three major digital media events during the course of The Mobile Applications Forum was held during June, in Barcelona. This two-day event, hosted by Barcelona Activa, attracted over 120 participants and nearly 80% of these were companies. IPR for Creative Talents was organised in Amsterdam by IIP Create, on 23 and 24 September. The event was designed to strengthen the market position of digital media SMEs operating in the Creative Industries by controlling IPR. Interactive coaching sessions for all the participating SMEs were provided by leading specialists and trainers on both legal/ theoretical and business IPR. The ImMediaTe Project Coordinator and the Maltese Finance Minister at the Mobile Gaming Summit The Mobile Gaming Summit in Malta, on 3-5 November was held by FTZ and brought together over 150 participants from 10 countries, who took part in 120 business meetings, 16 coaching sessions and 13 showcases. The event brought the video gaming and igaming communities together to discuss perspectives and skills and to analyse the inevitable convergence that is being stimulated by mobile gaming. The consortium also participated in a number of important workshops and conferences related to the Creative Industries, including the Amsterdam Creative Industries Seminar, the European Business Angels Network Congress, in Istanbul and Digital Taipei The ImMediaTe Approach 24

25 Progress, results and lessons learned ImMediaTe has scanned the digital media scene in its five media clusters in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Malta and identified the needs and constraints of digital media KIS companies. A database including more than 250 companies has been compiled along with a digital media market analysis. The ImMediaTe consortium has also agreed on a common set of services, branding three specific service packages: 1. Investment Readiness Support business plan elaboration, fund raising support and pitch preparation; 2. Going International market intelligence, feasibility studies, internationalisation action plan, showcase development, service and technology pilots and impact assessment; 3. Broadening Skills Base marketing and management, IPR and technical skills training and marketing and management and IPR mentoring. Some of these services have been tested with KIS companies during the project s events and the business plan competition, the mobilisation of investors, and the coaching sessions have already produced concrete outcomes. The consortium is currently testing its innovation voucher scheme and has determined that marketing via local clusters or events is more successful than media advertising in raising interest in voucher applications. Therefore, a key role is envisaged for network-based marketing with some support from media promotion. In addition, the consortium will identify voucher providers that can expand and integrate the support services provided by ImMediaTe. ImMediaTe partners have designed a strategy for financial leverage and resource mobilisation through important agreements that have been signed with two organisations in Europe. ImMediaTe has also associated several clusters and organisations with its consortium to strengthen internationalisation, create a stronger critical mass and enhance the effectiveness of the project s activities. At present, partners are contacting public and private investors to sign agreements and contribute to the ImMediaTe financial strategy. Innovation vouchers and specific ImMediaTe services will then be improved by taking into account the feedback received from intermediaries and SMEs. In general, project implementation is following the scheduled plan, financial leverage activities have already begun to deliver the expected results and ImMediaTe s objectives continue to adhere to the original Work Plan. Future developments The consortium is about to release a publication highlighting the most promising digital media ventures that have attended the events held by the project clusters. In May 2011, a report will be published on the integration of services packages. This will provide a state-of-the-art analysis of the ImMediaTe toolkit, including feedback from local authorities, clusters and SMEs. Finally, during the course of 2011, the Consortium will organise two further thematic events. FILAS will host an event on Digital Creativity for Cross-Media Content Production in Rome, on 7-8 April 2011, while CAP DIGITAL will host an event in Paris on June that will address health, edutainment and green-it, or in other words, the digital media services which help cities to be greener. ImMediaTe Coordinator Michela Michilli, FILAS Finanziale di Sviluppo Contact Details Michilli@filas.it Website Duration September 2009 to September

26 3.2.8 MOBIP Activities in 2010 The first MOBIP event on Partnering and Investment for Mobile Services took place in Valencia, on 10 and 11 June This provided a forum for SMEs to meet with professional experts, corporate partners and venture capital investors interested in knowledge-sharing of strategic information, market opportunities and new business trends in the Mobile Value-Added Services industry. The event was attended by 130 delegates, 30 investors and experts, and 40 mobile services SMEs. MOBIP Partnership and Investment event, Valencia 2010 In 2010, MOBIP identified more than 300 European high growth SMEs in mobile services, and profiled more than 100 to identify their R&D, innovation, training and skills needs. MOBIP also developed outlines of Grant and Voucher Schemes for mobile services SMEs, and promoted them to those national and regional authorities that are in charge of innovation programmes. One of the proposed grant schemes has been adopted by the General Secretariat of Digital Convergence in Greece. The scheme will support companies in working for the development of Innovative Added Value Services and a budget of 50 million will be allocated to innovative KIS enterprises. The MOBIP interactive online forum has been designed and developed to enable MOBIP companies and users to share knowledge, tips, and experience and to keep up to date with the project s latest activities. The web space also provides access to a database of grants and information about private sources of finance. Progress, results and lessons learned The development and testing of business support packages for SMEs was intended to focus on self-assessment tools. However in the course of the project, the consortium noted that there was a significant potential for the formation of clusters in two regions in which the partners operate Athens, and Valencia. Therefore, the partnership s activities are being re-defined towards the development and testing of a business support package for the formation of regional clusters in Mobile Services. These activities will be pilots and their experiences 26

27 will be summarised in a best practice report, which will then act as a tool for the creation of further clusters, in other regions and countries. Having noticed that the mobile services sector is one of the most rapidly growing sectors in Greece, MOBIP is working towards the formation of a mobile services cluster. This cluster will stimulate the innovative activity of SMEs, share facilities, exchange knowledge and expertise, and contribute to the internationalisation of Greek SMEs operating in this sector. The Hellenic Association of Mobile Application Companies has been created as a forerunner to the cluster and MOBIP will support it in its activities and in acquiring funds from national and European Programmes. Similar action will be taken in the Valencia region, where there is the potential to leverage additional regional funds. The profiling of SMEs has proven to be more time-consuming than expected, and will continue in Initially, it was difficult to persuade SMEs to participate, as they didn t see any immediate benefits. However, as the MOBIP brand is now increasingly being recognised, it is becoming easier to access SMEs, as they can see clear benefits, such as participating in one of the MOBIP Partnership and Investment events, or in one of the clusters that will be formed. Future developments Following the success of the first Partnership and Investment event, MOBIP intends to organise a second event, in London, during 2011, and a third event in Thessaloniki, during In preparation for the London 2011 event, MOBIP partners will organise a series of Qualifying MOBIP European events in their countries or regions. These will be used to promote the main event and will act as lead up events prior to the selection of companies for participation in the main event. The aim is to select nominated and pre-qualified MOBIP European regional winners who will then be invited to make a pitch at the MOBIP main event. MOBIP Coordinator Angelos Manglis, Atlantis Consulting S.A. Contact Details amanglis@atlantisresearch.gr Website Duration September 2009 to August

28 4. Eco-Innovation 4.1 Highlights in 2010 In the first quarter of 2010, Europe INNOVA was invited to take part in one of the workshops organised at the Sustainable Energy week 2010, in Brussels. The workshop took place on 23 March. It was called Supporting Eco-innovative SMEs: the experience of Europe INNOVA and Market replication projects. It was organised in conjunction with the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), the Eco-innovation Initiative of DG Environment and the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI). The main focus was to provide examples of successfully supported, SME initiatives, outlining their achievements in bridging the gap between ideas and the market and between research and greening technologies. One key message was that long-term impact could only be achieved by targeting and funding intermediaries, such as development agencies and chambers of commerce that would ensure eco-innovative solutions were used by SMEs. Reinhard Büscher, Head of the Support for Innovation Unit at DG Enterprise and Industry, insisted that the benchmark for these actions was to assess the mobilisation of the finance generated, or in other words, the extent of other funding invested in the projects, in addition to European financial support. SMEs should make the best of the existing, different types of support to promote eco-innovative solutions. Supporting Eco-innovative SMEs: the experience of Europe INNOVA and Market replication projects workshop, during Sustainable energy week Two Europe INNOVA partnerships presented their hopes and ambitions and also the current status of their activities. Katharina Krell presented KIS-PIMS and Peter Herzog the EcoCluP and, as a result, the audience learned more about the tools that were already available or under development in Europe INNOVA. EACI and DG Environment also presented some concrete examples of eco-innovative, resource-efficiency projects. A second development in the field, towards the end of the year, was the start of a new eco-innovation partnership. EcoTroFood will address the environmental impact of the food and drink industry by improving its access to knowledge and information about eco-innovative solutions. This will be achieved in three ways: Stimulating the creativity of eco-innovative technical solutions and supporting them; Bridging the gap between research and market for SME eco-innovations; and Creating a networking tool for stakeholders in this sector, through which they could more easily connect across Europe. One key feature will be the organisation of European-wide competitions of eco-innovative solutions in the food area, which will be open to students graduating in this field. The team is made up of four national associations for food from France, Italy, Spain and Belgium, together with the Coordinator, the Chambre de Commerce du Vaucluse, and Icelandic public authorities with expertise in food. It will join the eco-innovation platform (Eco-IP) of the Europe INNOVA initiative and will start in early European Eco-innovation Platform 2010 saw the real inception of the eco-innovation platform (Eco-IP), as most of its partnerships kicked-off at the beginning of the year. The partnerships started implementing their action plans and developing tools in their respective fields. For the voucher schemes, training or web platforms, specificities were defined in detail and the tools created. The second phase comprised the first tests on real users, and SMEs that could make the best use of the proposed solutions were identified. Time was dedicated to publicising their progress to the relevant stakeholders, through participation in events, fairs and various networks and explaining and promoting their tools. This was supported by the horizontal work of ECOLINK+, which oversees the consistency of the tools and the IP s activities, and also provides a platform encouraging business relationships, with a specific focus on the regional level. 28

29 4.2.1 remake Activities in 2010 REMake helps SMEs in the manufacturing industry to improve the eco-efficiency of production processes such as those for fabricated metal or plastic products, surface finishing, mechanical engineering and electric and electronic equipment. In particular, REMake is establishing a new dedicated voucher scheme for innovation in recycling and resource efficiency within the manufacturing industry. This combines access to technical expertise and state-of-the-art business expertise with the adaptation and further development of existing tools. To achieve this goal, the following activities were carried out in 2010: Exchange of experience on existing innovation support services addressing the recycling and resource efficiency field, comparing different strategies and identifying the sector specific SME needs; Developing an innovation voucher scheme to support innovation in resource efficiency and recycling in manufacturing SMEs; Developing and testing an easy-to-use online self assessment tool for a first analysis of the innovation and improvement potential in recycling and resource efficiency for manufacturing SMEs (RRE-SAT); Developing, promoting and testing consultancy modules and tools on eco-design, life-cycle assessment and eco-innovation management; Developing training on eco-design, life-cycle assessment, eco-innovation management and resource efficiency based on good practice examples of how to implement these subjects in manufacturing SMEs; REMake Coordinator Dr. Uwe König, Zentralverband Oberflächentechnik Contact Details u.koenig@zvo.org Website Duration September 2009 to August 2012 Developing a guidance tool for the easier access of SMEs to innovation-enabling European standards and regulations in the field of recycling and resource efficiency. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned A number of assessments or evaluations took place during the year. As a basis for developing the REMake SME support scheme, a detailed analysis of SMEs needs in the RRE field was been performed jointly by several industrial associations, identifying both cross-sector and sector-specific needs. An evaluation of existing self-assessment and consultancy tools to improve eco-innovation in the RRE field was also completed, leading to an approach for advanced consultancy support including tailored solutions for life-cycle and analysis eco-design. Finally, there Typical material flows in a surface treatment plant. Supply air Exhaust air Exhaust air Factory building Energy Store Green articles from customers Articles, unprocessed (dirty, rusty, oily ) Chemicals Grease, oil, dirt, corrosion products Articles, cleaned Cover metal Chemicals Surface treatment plant Articles, metal covered Chemicals Article covered and posttreated Store Finished articles to customers Waste to recycling Fresh water Pre-treatment (degreasing, pickling) Clean water for rinsing Waste water Clean water for rinsing Coating process Waste water Post-treatment (Conversion coating, drying) Clean water for rinsing Waste water Water recycling and waste water treatment plant Waste to disposal Waste water to discharge The first step towards improving resource efficiency is the quantitative analysis of all material flows in a factory. Then, the improvement potential will be identified and implementation measures initiated 29

30 was a detailed analysis of standards, directives and other regulations at European and national levels relevant for the RRE field, with a view to the impact of such regulation on the implementation of RRE improvement measures. The result was the development of a guidebook for easier access of SMEs to these standards and regulations. The REMake voucher scheme has been established, in accordance with respective national legal frameworks, in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and testing with SMEs has started in France, Germany and Italy. In addition, the REMake online self-assessment tool was designed and tested by 200 SMEs in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. A series of dissemination and promotion measures has already taken place, including the REMake website on the Europe INNOVA portal, the production of roll-up banners in different languages, the printing of a project flyer, participation in major industry exhibitions and conferences, publications in technical and commercial magazines, and many more. Cross-networking with other related initiatives has also been an important issue. Project management ensured that the project s objectives have been met effectively and the submission of deliverables has been made as agreed in the EC contract. So far the REMake approach seems to be successful and the project s objectives are expected to be realised. Future Developments Forthcoming challenges include: Identification of sector-specific SME needs and issues will be continued by involving further industrial associations in the REMake approach; Full online implementation of the RRE-SAT on the REMake website is planned for early 2011; Testing of the voucher schemes will start in Spain and the UK in early Completion of the voucher scheme testing with 250 SMEs to confirm the relevance of the REMake approach; Development of an exit strategy on how to implement the REMake voucher scheme in more EU countries and regions BIOCHEM Activities in 2010 Climate change and energy security are amongst the drivers for the adoption of renewable feed stocks and for industrial biotechnology to produce bio-based chemicals and materials. In Europe, the High Level Group on the Competitiveness of the Chemical Industry identified the need for innovation within the sector, especially from SMEs, and to bio-based products, in particular. Although the Commission s Lead Market Initiative further emphasised this approach, there are still many barriers. BIOCHEM (Eco-Innovation Platform for Driving Innovation in the sector of Bio-based Products) kicked-off in February 2010 to address these barriers. It started its activities with the objectives of: Completing a comprehensive assessment of the bio-based products market to fully assess its barriers, constraints and opportunities for European chemical industry; Developing a new and tailored integrated BIOCHEM toolbox providing technical and business support to reduce barriers to the take-up of industrial biotechnology (IB), particularly for start-ups and SMEs; Testing the toolbox through a European BIOCHEM accelerator process, which takes new SME-driven biobased product ideas through three accelerator phases; BIOCHEM Business Generator - Selecting novel bio-based products and ideas with high growth potential 30

31 through business plan competitions and transnational technology transfer events. Stimulating the generation of bio-based business through the online publication of demand-side driven technology or of product challenges, through an open innovation matching system; BIOCHEM Business Developer - Carrying out audits and creating individual SME development plans for a selection of at least 250 SMEs, providing personal coaching, mentoring and entrepreneurial tuition; Access to Finance - Helping fund proof-of-concept projects with vouchers or other available public funds in the bio-based private and public funding directory, venture capital events or from the Bio-Based Products Investment Fund (BBP-IF). Progress, Results and Lessons Learned During this first year, two major reports were produced to tailor the development of business support tools and maximise the impact of the BIOCHEM project on start-ups and SMEs. The first report on Assessment of the Bio-based Products Market Potential for Innovation was prepared by Pöyry Management Consulting. Aster-Societa Consortile per Azioni wrote the second one on the Needs Assessment for Research, Training and Skills of Emerging Professionals in the Bio-based Products Sector. Other key activities were the compilation of two databases to help SMEs find the right business partners for their bio-based projects. The first, compiled by Aster, listed relevant start-ups and SMEs. The second, which gave details of all the other important stakeholders, was put together by DECHEMA. An Online European Partnering Database was also created thanks to the two databases that were set up to help SMEs enter the biobased products market. This is available on-line at These activities were completed by the development of a market assessment questionnaire for use with companies wishing to innovate in the bio-based products sector. The questionnaire will provide the starting point for SME engagement during the audit phase of the project and is a key component of the BIOCHEM toolbox. BIOCHEM Coordinator Dr. Steven Fletcher, Chemistry Innovation Limited Contact Details steve.fletcher@ciktn.co.uk Website Duration September 2009 to August 2012 A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tool CCalC, developed by the University of Manchester (UNIMAN) was launched in May 2010, and the software is already available to download at Throughout the project, awareness-raising, training and dissemination activities were undertaken by CEFIC. In 2010, these activities included the creation of a web page dedicated to the BIOCHEM project, the production of a project flyer and poster and the distribution of quarterly newsletters. The range of BIOCHEM activities Report on the assessment of the bio-based products market potential for innovation Report the needs assessment dor research, training and skills of emerging professionals in the bio-based products sector Audit questionnaire for use with companies Online European partnering database Mapping of the European bio-based community Newsletters and communication material Life-cycle analysis tool Participation to key conferences 31

32 An important area of activity was participation in key conferences. CIKTN made presentations at six international conferences in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Italy. In addition, an article by CEFIC/CIKTN, published in Industrial Biotechnology, was distributed at Europabio's 3 rd Annual European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology (EFIB). Future Developments The Toolbox is being finalised and it will be available through the Europe INNOVA Portal, in spring In May 2011, a European event will train national innovation managers in the business support tools and coaching principles to engage with SMEs and start-ups during the Accelerator phase of the project. This will involve at least 100 business audits in the seven partner countries that will analyse their needs in terms of the support which BIOCHEM. The same expert or innovation manager will adopt the role of personal consultant for the assigned SME, helping to implement the selected business tools and assessing funding opportunities INNOWATER Activities in 2010 The global water crisis is one of the most fundamental challenges facing Europe in the 21 st century. Water scarcity, droughts, floods, ageing infrastructure, increasing energy demand and pollution are growing concerns. Europe will need to implement innovative technologies to be able to address these challenges. These technologies are available, but face significant obstacles in accessing the market, as innovation support for the water sector is relatively underdeveloped. The INNOWATER partnership aspires to develop and test new and better innovation support tools for innovative SMEs and first user industries in the water sector and to promote the market uptake of new technologies. INNOWATER is a public-private innovation partnership comprising 15 public innovation agencies, water associations, technology specialists, innovation experts and eco-innovative cluster organisations. They come from Belgium, Denmark, Cyprus, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the partnership is coordinated by the European Water Partnership. The INNOWATER project started on 1 February 2010 for a total period of three years. The activities in 2010 can be described in two phases. The first phase was mainly dedicated to the background research needed to decide on the focus of the project, the sectors to be addressed and the tools to be developed. The second phase, which started in the summer of 2010, focused on the actual development of tools for both the innovators and the water-using industry. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned In the first phase of INNOWATER, the consortium had to be set up, and the detailed focus of the project decided. To generate the maximum value added, research was needed into: The sectors on which INNOWATER should focus; The barriers to the uptake of the technology, both for the innovators and for the water-using industry; The tools to be developed to address these barriers; and The existing innovation support and the innovative technologies. On the basis of these results, the consortium partners decided on the sectors and the tools to be developed. Based on the results of the first phase, the second phase of INNOWATER is now dedicated to the development of the tools. The tools to support the water-using industry aim to raise awareness in the industry of the challenges it faces and the solutions available to address these challenges. The development of these tools is based on the European Water Stewardship Programme and involves: A Water Innovation Quick Scan: raising interest amongst the water-using industry to use the tools described below; 32

33 A Water Audit: based on the European Water Stewardship audit, INNOWATER will develop a tool to assess, improve and communicate sustainable water management techniques among water-using industry. This audit will include: - A benchmark to assess the individual performance of water-using industries, as compared with best European practice; - A tool to connect the improvement points arising from the audit taking into account the innovative technologies currently available. The tools to support innovative SMEs focus on bringing the technologies that have already been developed to market. These tools are intended to support SMEs to validate their innovative concept, including its technological principles and commercial value, develop their custom-made business model with a specific focus on the value proposition, customer segments, revenue streams and (international) channels to market. Additionally, SMEs are given support to identify opportunities to deliver their value proposition and the tools to select partners and potential customers and turn their business model into a concrete market development plan. Future Developments Phase 1 came to an end in the summer of 2010, and phase 2 is currently underway and should finish in April After this phase has been finalised, phase 3 will start, when the tools will actually be tested with the innovators and water-using industry. The tools to support innovators will mainly be tested in the UK and the Netherlands while the water audit will mainly be tested in Cyprus and Spain. To generate contacts with companies that might test the tools, and to improve awareness of the challenges and the available solutions, the third phase will include a series of events, including five roadshows to attract the INNOWATER focus sectors, to bring together the innovators and the water-using industry. INNOWATER Coordinator Harro Riedstra, European Water Partnership Contact Details h.riedstra@ewp.eu Website Duration February 2010 to February ECOLINK+ Activities in 2010 ECOLINK+ is the horizontal action within the Europe INNOVA Eco-Innovation Platform (Eco-IP), which was launched in January 2010 with the objectives of: Providing guidance on how to exploit the results of the Eco-IP partnerships to the greatest extent and to place the most influential issues in eco-innovation support at the very heart of the policy debate; Gathering the most promising European eco-innovators, supporting them to grow rapidly on a global scale, by providing them with opportunities to network and access services, and visibility to a community of international investors. The Horizontal Steering Group (HSG) of the Eco-IP brings together private and public providers of ecoinnovation support services for SMEs with the aim of ensuring: Overall coherence of the work carried out by the vertical partnerships within the Eco-IP and effective coordination with the Europe INNOVA Eco-Innovation Observatory; A bottom-up contribution to the policy debate from the service providers; The exploitation of synergies in the development of innovative support tools by capitalising on results and also, together with TAKE IT UP, the Europe INNOVA promotion pillar, joint activities and cross-fertilisation. ECOLINK+ presentation at the pilot regional event in Rome, May

34 Progress, Results and Lessons Learned The first ECOLINK+ HSG meeting, on 25 and 26 May, discussed how regions could support the emergence and growth of eco-innovative companies through clusters or regional support measures. Some key policy issues for the effective support of eco-innovation were singled out, in particular: Regional policy should focus on ideas, talent and knowledge circulation and networks, as gateways to talent and knowledge are extremely important for regional development; Support for eco-innovators, and particularly financial support, has to be managed and delivered via selective and competitive policies; and Environmental sustainability means social sustainability. These efforts resulted in an open letter to the Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik. The letter was written by ECOLINK+ HSG, in view of the forthcoming review of the Environmental Technology Action Plan (ETAP), and was supported by more than 100 organisations. It highlights ten key issues to be taken into account in broadening the scope of the ETAP, thus also targeting the demand-side of eco-innovation support. Particular emphasis was given to reinforcing green public procurement and introducing new forms of public-private partnerships to disseminate eco-innovative solutions. During the year, ECOLINK+ also established the ECOLINK+ 100 Business Club (BC) which aims to recruit the 100 best performing eco-innovative businesses in Europe through eight trans-regional events, co-organised with regional innovation support providers. The BC provides members with a platform from which to develop business relationships with peers, investors and service providers, ensuring: EU level visibility through assistance in developing video-presentations of the companies and their ecoinnovative solutions; The opportunity to access exclusive, professional information on innovation support services for eco-innovative companies via the ECOLINK+ online platform; Access to business experts at international level through the ECOLINK+ Annual Networking events. ECOLINK+ events and activities Virtual ECOLINK+ Club Members forum and messaging system News on eco-innovation support services Engage and Network Engage and Network Members searchable profiles Integrate Regional Events Eight events each with firms Three awards On-line platform Communicate and Reach out Communicate and Reach out Annual Networking Events ECOLINK+ 100 Business Club academy Thematic workshops Video-presentation sessions One-to-one meetings with companies, investors and service providers Eco-IP Roundtables Validation of the outcomes and findings of the Steering Group Generation of feedback for the Eco-IP Response to policy challenges emerging from the Eco-IP projects 34

35 Three trans-regional events in Rome, Vienna and Birmingham gave regions the chance to showcase their best eco-innovators and their efforts in support of eco-innovation. As a result, 32 eco-innovative companies have joined the BC. Their presentations have been recorded on videos available from the ECOLINK+ website and the TAKE IT UP Warehouse for Innovation Support. In December, ECOLINK+ also organised its first Annual Networking Event where Eco-IP members, BC companies, Europe INNOVA partnerships, regional stakeholders and financial players met to explore the possibilities for cooperation. BC members also benefited from attending the ECOLINK+ academy, where panels of experts offered professional insights into companies business models and provided feedback to improve the companies presentations. ECOLINK+ Eco-Innovation ECOLINK+ Future Developments ECOLINK+ aims to build further on its concrete achievements. CIMAX, one of the BC member companies, received a round of financing from a private international investor and entered the group of the top 25 European cleantech companies at the Eurecan European Venture Contest ECOLINK+ will continue to foster similar developments for BC companies. In 2011, the ECOLINK+ contribution to the design of better eco-innovation support policies will be strengthened and through the organisation of dedicated round-tables, the key issues will be addressed in even greater depth. The HSG will meet again in March and the first trans-regional event of the year is likely to be held in spring. In addition, the BC members will receive four economic intelligence reports about eco-innovation markets. Coordinator Andrea Di Anselmo, META Group s.r.l. Contact Details a.dianselmo@meta-group.com Website Duration February 2010 January Eco-Innovation Observatory Activities in 2010 The Eco-innovation observatory (EIO) started in December 2009, with the aim of gathering, structuring and analysing a wide range of information on eco-innovation in the European Union, as well as in other key regions of the world. In 2010, its activities focused on further detailing the methodological approach of the partnership as well as on developing the first key deliverables: the EIO database, foresight activities, thematic reports, country briefs and an annual report. The project website was launched in the second half of the year, together with an internal EU27 Eco-Innovation Performance Scoreboard 35

36 working platform and an online database of indicators. The site also includes the EIO Café - an open place where stakeholders can share their opinions. The Expert Committee advising the project comprises eight experts in the field of environmental economics, innovation policy and resource efficiency. This Committee met for the first time in June when it discussed the Methodological report, setting out the scope concepts and the definitions of the EIO s activities. The EIO also presented the project at a number of events including the Europe INNOVA Conference, the ECOLINK+ Steering Group meeting, the ETAP High Level Working Group and the Sustainable Innovation International Conference. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned The methodological report was completed by the list of data categories and indicators to be included in the evidence database. This provides a comprehensive evaluation of available data sources to be used for the EIO database and the production of an Eco-innovation scoreboard (Eco-IS). By the end of the year, 140 data sets had been uploaded onto the online database, which represents 40% of all the indicators expected to be available from the EIO. There is more data on the areas of the Socio-economic Framework, Innovation and the Environment, as the team encountered difficulties with indicators focusing specifically on eco-innovation. Thus, for the 2010 Eco-innovation scoreboard, proxy indicators were used. Another of the EIO s tasks is to provide prospective analysis and carry out foresight activities. In 2010, a Horizon Scanning Report gathered information on the current and potential trends in eco-innovation and a Real-time Delphi brought together expert opinions on the future development of selected eco-innovation areas and their drivers, barriers and impacts. This Delphi exercise consisted of two separate Internet questionnaires, targeting sustainable construction, which is one of the priority areas of the Lead Market Initiative, via the European Construction Technology Platform. Eco-Innovation Observatory During the last part of the year, the EIO also prepared two thematic reports, one on water innovation and another on sustainable construction. A series of shorter briefs, covering a wider variety of eco-innovation topics is also being prepared. Finally, country profiles are being developed for each EU Member State to give a comprehensive and concise overview of key eco-innovation policy measures and funding schemes, which will be accessible to SMEs and policy-makers at both EU and national level. A 2010 Annual report focusing on resource efficiency and eco-innovation is also being produced. The Expert Committee meeting, in January 2011, will discuss all of the above documents in view of their impending publication in February. Eco-Innovation Observatory Coordinator Michal Miedzinski, Technopolis Group sprl Contact Details michal.miedzinski@ technopolis-group.com Website Duration December 2009 to December 2012 Future Developments One of the objectives of the second year is to continue to improve the availability and quality of the eco-innovation data. The team is exploring options for using the Community Innovation Survey 2008 micro data set, which will be available from EUROSTAT by spring/summer Other options are the use of Patstat and other patent statistics data, as well as the possibility of carrying out Input-Output analyses to provide sectoral, environmental and productivity data, which currently is not reflected in official statistics. The overall objective of this work is to improve the eco-innovation related indicators. In 2011, the EIO will also deliver two thematic reports, the second round of the country reports on eco-innovative activities, eco-innovation roadmaps and impact assessments under the foresight work package, a series of thematic briefs, and the annual analytical report, the focus of which will be defined over the course of the year. There will also be ongoing work on the promotion of the website and the construction of interactive online database, as well as on the online repository of good eco-innovation practices, which will be continually updated and enriched. 36

37 5. Cluster Cooperation 5.1 Highlights in 2010 The main event in this field was the European Cluster Conference 2010 that attracted more than 450 participants. These included policy-makers from national and regional public authorities and key academic experts, as well as cluster managers and entrepreneurs from all over Europe and together this diverse representation helped to produce an overwhelmingly successful event. The central topic was the presentation and further discussion of the final report of the European Cluster Policy Group (ECPG) that was established last year by the European Commission. This report calls for improved coordination between the different EU initiatives in support of clusters and proposes that the focus of cluster programmes needs to be shifted from capacity building and compensation for poor performance towards a clear orientation towards excellence, focusing on clusters with the ability and willingness to upgrade in the face of global competition and ensuring the consistent provision of public knowledge infrastructure to support them. 5.2 European Innovation Platform for Clusters In 2010, the cluster projects actively marketed their services and promoted their activities at a wide range of events. Conferences and fairs provided the highest possible visibility for the respective sectors and, at the same time, key project activities, like internationalisation workshops or cluster manager days, were also organised. A new service for cluster experts, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, was also established and went online during the European Cluster Conference in September 2010, in parallel with the new website of the European Cluster Observatory. Whilst the European Cluster Observatory now deals more with the statistical data on clusters in Europe, the Cluster Collaboration Platform brings together companies and cluster experts ABCEurope Activities in 2010 The ABCEurope Project did not plan any specific events in 2010 because of the initial need to define its new services. Its main activities were the drafting of the Service Directory on Internationalisation, the organisation of Boot Camps and Tech Showcases with templates for their implementation and the setting up of the Non-Executive Directors Database and Shared Facilities Platform. At the Europe INNOVA Annual Partnering Event in Copenhagen, an ABCEurope project member from Medicon Valley Alliance gave a speech on the Ambassador Programme and this project was also promoted during Biotech 2010, in Milan, and Bio Europe, in Munich, in November The ABCEurope partnership was very active but not all of the partners were involved in all of the work packages. However, their support is extremely effective when it comes to collecting questionnaires, contributing to templates, working on the project s concepts and sharing cluster experiences to avoid any replication of activities. As planned, 2010 was spent shaping the templates to be used to organise and carry out the project s activities over the next two years. These include: The creation of the Directory of the Internationalisation Service, focused on the provision of general internationalisation services to SMEs, partner ports services and internationalisation vouchers; The creation of templates for the organisation of boot camps and tech showcases. These short handbooks will be the reference documents for organising the project s events in 2011 and 2012; The definition and creation of the NED database (Non-Executive Directors database) and the creation of the future NED database group on LinkedIn; 37

38 Cluster Cooperation ABCEurope ABCEurope Coordinator Mara Tumiati, Camera Di Commercio, Industria, Artigianato e Agricoltura Di Milano Contact Details tumiati.mara@mi.camcom.it The setting up of the EU platform of shared facilities in Europe to collect data on SMEs and institutions and research centres providing laboratories and research facilities to SMEs; Studies on the Ambassador Programme, its limits and possible evolution in the framework of the project and beyond; Collaboration with the European Cluster Platform on the inclusion of the ABCEurope project in this new tool. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned For the rest of the project s life cycle, ABCEurope needs to reinforce its collaboration with other European projects so that synergies can be established to enhance internationalisation activities. Some fruitful contacts have already been made with other biotech-oriented projects and with projects focusing on innovation topics such as the voucher schemes. In 2011 the spotlight will be on all the project s work plans being implemented around Europe and this will enable the consortium to give the project a much higher profile. In general, the project is adhering to its original plans. Some minor discrepancies have occurred with some delays in delivering results owing to an overlap of activities which was not envisaged when the project was set up two years ago. The rationalisation of deliverables is now planned to overcome any problems of overlapping and/or double deliveries. Any potential delays will be resolved in the next few months and the smooth management of the project should continue to provide successful results. However, the withdrawal of one partner from the consortium has highlighted the need to spread the project s activities and, in particular the former responsibilities of that partner, amongst the other partners. ABCEurope project partners recognise that they have to be ready to face unexpected situations and to find rapid solutions to any problems that might occur in the implementation of the project. Website Duration September 2009 to August 2012 The ABCEurope project wants to provide better and more efficient services to biotech companies, not only to those directly involved but also to the others. The handbooks and its templates for providing internationalisation services can be an inspiration when implementing new services and the methodology used to implement them can also be useful to clusters from industrial sectors other than biotech. All the results of the partnership will be at the complete disposal of all interested biotech clusters in Europe and throughout the world. Future Developments In 2011, the ABCEurope project will focus on the technical provision of the services drafted in 2010 including: Boot Camps for biotech entrepreneurs; Tech Showcases to link industry and academia; Soft-landing Mechanisms; Special Interest Group Meetings and Cluster Manager Exchanges; IPR training; The Shared Facilities Platform; and The development of the Ambassador Programme EcoCluP Activities in 2010 This was the first year of the Eco-Innovation Cluster Partnership for Internationalisation and Growth, or EcoCluP for short. Accordingly, the core activities of the partnership focused on setting the project s objectives to meet the overarching goal which is to adapt, validate, test and implement innovation services and tools supporting the growth and internationalisation of eco-innovative companies organised in environmental clusters across Europe. 38

39 EcoCluP progress meeting Specific tasks and activities were undertaken mainly during the second half of 2010 to meet the overall objectives. Generally speaking, each cluster partner looked after its own specific tasks. To begin with, each cluster developed an internationalisation strategy based on the current needs and demands of its member companies. This was assessed through a combination of cluster surveys, telephone exchanges and one-to-one meetings. In order to be able to provide the best individual support for the member companies, the Scottish Enterprise Toolkit, which is an internationalisation assessment tool, was adapted to the specific requirements of SMEs so that the member companies internationalisation potential could be better evaluated. The internationalisation profiles that were subsequently generated enabled the cluster managers to develop a cluster strategy based on these requirements. The eco-innovative cluster partners have also started to run internationalisation workshops for around 20 of their member companies. These workshops aim to provide key market intelligence and advice to companies that will facilitate their entry into new foreign markets. During 2010, four of these workshops were run very successfully. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned Another of the project s main objectives is to develop and implement new, customised, support services for innovative cluster companies according to the consecutive growth states of cluster SMEs. SP Borås, Sweden FINNISH CLEANTECH CLUSTER Lahti - Kuopio - Oulu, Finland Therefore, the work package coordinator, ECO WORLD STYRIA, received training from i.con. innovation on risk assessment and risk management projects. This enabled the coordinator to begin to adapt the KIS-PIMS Risk Assessment Tool, which assesses companies on risks surrounding innovation to ensure that they have all the resources in place to succeed. In addition, an innovation management tool has been identified and improved. In order to make these modified tools available to the member companies, they were presented to all EcoCluP partners at a trainthe-trainer session in December 2010, during which the cluster personnel were briefed and trained. ENVIROCLUSTER Peterborough, United Kingdom CEPV Bilbao, Spain Map of EcoCluP Network Bayern Innovativ GmbH Nurnberg, Germany Umweltcluster Bayern AXELERA Lyon, France FIONIA Odense, Denmark AIM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Augsburg, Germany OEC Ökoenergie-Cluster Linz, Austria COPCAP Copenhagen, Denmark ECO WORLD STYRIA Graz, Austria ENIN Miskolc, Hungary 39

40 A third tool is being used to help SMEs focus on investor-readiness. EcoCluP partners have started the process of running InvestorNet training master classes with their cluster companies to help identify the best routes to seek investment and how to go about it in the best way to achieve success. Two master classes took place in In addition, a central topic for the clusters and cluster managers in 2010 was the development of close relationships and the exchange of experiences via progress meetings, cluster manager days and staff exchanges. The partners were also in regular contact with the project coordinators through monthly conference calls and ad-hoc and telephone exchanges. EcoCluP Coordinator Coordinator: Gareth Jones or Samantha Demaio, UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED) Contact Details g.jones@ukceed.org s.demaio@ukceed.org Website Duration September 2009 to August 2012 Last but not least, communication and cooperation were two of the key activities in EcoCluP has produced a communications plan on how to develop marketing materials to promote EcoCluP s activities. So far, EcoCluP has established an online cluster web portal on the Europe INNOVA platform and published several online articles and activity reports. A project leaflet, poster and presentation materials have also been produced. In addition, the Enterprise Europe Network and Cluster IP collaborated to cross-promote each project s activities. During the periodic conference calls and progress meetings, further ideas for cooperation with European clusters will be collected and then reflected in specific project strategies. Future Developments After the completion of the first period, the tools and the services implemented for eco-innovative industries were evaluated. The feedback from the member companies provided useful information and, based on the experience of each cluster, best practices for further action have been identified. These considerations will be applied when running future workshops and when planning business trips or matchmaking events in order to provide further support for member companies. The next step will be to provide the new and enhanced assessment tools for use by the cluster companies European Cluster Observatory Activities in 2010 The European Cluster Observatory s work in 2010 was dominated by the development of the new Cluster Observatory website and the Cluster Collaboration Platform. In preparation for this, user surveys were conducted and 576 responses were received and analysed, with the results being published in spring Also, Orkestra arranged a workshop to develop the Business Environment Framework. With the help of web development firms, CSC/Ivory Tower prepared the Cluster Observatory website and Clusterland/ZENIT developed the Cluster Collaboration Platform. These were both formally launched in late September at the European Cluster Conference in Brussels in beta version. Work on both websites to add new functionality continued throughout The Observatory s cluster mapping tool gives access to a wide set of cluster and regional competitiveness data. In addition, several publications were presented during the year. In February, a Priority Sector Report on Creative and Cultural Industries was presented at an expert workshop, and another on Mobility Industries was delivered to the Commission, in December. As part of the Observatory s international outreach, the first Mediterranean Observatory Newsletter was released by Foundation Sophia Antipolis. The Observatory was also presented to Indian authorities, in November, with the aim of exploring possible EU-India cooperation in cluster mapping. Another presentation of the Observatory, in Washington, generated considerable interest. The Observatory s Cluster Library contains hundreds of cluster-related documents Progress, Results and Lessons Learned The new websites represent major advances in the services offered to the European cluster community. The Observatory, focusing primarily on the cluster policy community, is now offering a wider range of data and, in 40

41 The Observatory s cluster mapping tool gives access to a wide set of cluster data and regional competitiveness data particular, a growing number of indicators of regional competitiveness. The user interface has been upgraded, and allows for adding new regional and sectoral definitions such as Creative and Cultural Industries and the Baltic Sea Region. For the first time, the Collaboration Platform offers a dedicated space where cluster managers can interact, present themselves and their organisations, build communities and search for funding and project partners. Development work still remains to be done, and more data will gradually be added to the Observatory by including more indicators and coverage for additional countries. The Observatory s Cluster Library contains hundreds of cluster-related documents. However, the project is not limited to the work on the websites. During the remainder of the project, further reports will be prepared, for example on Priority Sectors and on Best Practices in Cluster Organisations. In addition, the Observatory aims to provide as much support as possible to the Commission and other parties through data and analysis for other cluster-related projects. On the whole, the project has progressed on time and as expected. However, one notable deviation from the original project plan was that, despite ambitions to the contrary, it became clear that it was technically and legally difficult to develop the Collaboration Platform as an integral part of the Observatory. Instead, the Collaboration Platform is now a separate website, coordinated more closely with the European Cluster Excellence Initiative. Future Developments Work during 2011 will include several important deliverables. As part of the study of practices in cluster organisations, CSC and Ivory Tower will prepare another issue of the Global Cluster Initiative Survey to be released late in the year. Orkestra will also prepare another survey, for mapping regional competitiveness conditions. Additional Priority Sector reports will be published, and an Observatory Conference will be held in Sophia Antipolis. On a more general level, it is expected that 2011 will see an increased interest in cluster dynamics, such as how clusters evolve over time and how new industries emerge from established ones. During 2011, work will also be undertaken to assist the launch of cluster observatories in other parts of the world, primarily in India and the USA. European Cluster Observatory Coordinator Prof. Örjan Sölvell, Center for Strategy and Competitiveness, Stockholm School of Economics Contact Details orjan.solvell@hhs.se Website Duration September 2009 to August

42 5.2.4 European Cluster Collaboration Platform Activities in 2010 Launched in 2010 under the PRO INNO Europe initiative, the Cluster Collaboration Platform provides high-quality, online information and networking support for clusters. It assists clusters to improve their performance and increase their competitiveness through the development of transnational and international cooperation. Cluster Conference Launch of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform A new online portal has been established that aims to build bridges between cluster players from the same or a different sector. The ultimate goal is to facilitate cluster cooperation, both between cluster organisations and cluster members. The European Cluster Collaboration Platform is user-driven. The basis of its development lies in the results of the largest European survey of cluster organisations and cluster policy-makers. Some 420 individuals provided detailed responses that outlined their expectations of such an online portal and these were all taken into account as the portal was being created. However, the platform must keep up with the changes in the needs of its users if it is to be useful over a longer period of time and ideas for improvement from users will continue to be considered and the necessary adaptations made. The European Cluster Collaboration Platform offers the following features: Mapping - The new platform aims to offer an overview of the real European cluster landscape by countries or regions and/or sectors. It not only maps the cluster organisations but also shows their internal structure and their members, which enables internationalisation and collaboration processes to be initialised; Information - The new platform attempts to offer centralised information on European and international projects and programmes exclusively related to clusters and, of course, this contains modules on news and events related to cluster activities; Marketplace - This is a virtual forum where cluster organisations can post their offers of, and requests for, cooperation, expertise and support; Library - The library contains a collection of documents on cluster issues and also media-related support for videos and photos; Benchmarking - The platform offers an anonymous online benchmarking facility to support the profiling process; Social Networking - Cluster managers, facilitators, administrators and other people working in clusters need to be excellent networkers. Blogging, creating and maintaining a personal network by inviting friends to join, instant messaging and monitoring the activities of your friends are now familiar ways of exchanging information or keeping in contact. On the new platform, these functions are intended be the technical seeds that will germinate a genuine spirit of a European Cluster Community. European Cluster Collaboration Platform Coordinator Juan-J. Carmona-Schneider, ZENIT GmbH Contact Details jc@zenit.de Website Duration September August

43 6. Novel Tools and Services: TAKE IT UP Activities in 2010 In February 2010, at the KIS Partnering Forum in Rome, TAKE IT UP launched the Expert Validation Platform (EVP) with the aim of enhancing the uptake of the new tools and instruments developed within Europe INNOVA by: Identifying higher-impact tools/services; Supporting the capitalisation process and engaging pen holders; Facilitating the adoption of tools/services and capturing emerging needs; Shaping policy recommendations. The EVP also met in Copenhagen, in June, at the Europe INNOVA Annual Partnering Event and again in September, in Riga. Members collected feedback on the Europe INNOVA projects and attended competence building workshops and roundtable discussions organised by TAKE IT UP, such as the plenary session on testing methodologies for novel tools and services. In order to provide support to improve the showcasing of the innovative tools and services that have been developed, TAKE IT UP organised an online seminar on How to effectively draw-up a pitch for innovation services, which was attended by more than 40 European professionals. In collaboration with TII and EURADA, TAKE IT UP also designed and animated the Best Pitching Award at the TII Innovation Tools Fair 2010, where contestants had the chance to participate in a coaching session to test their pitch presentations and fine-tune them in a more effective way. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned During 2010, TAKE IT UP succeeded in creating an impact for the tools and services developed under Europe INNOVA and in offering a platform of initiatives covering the whole innovation support value chain. The launch of the TAKE IT UP Expert Validation Platform in February

44 TAKE IT UP s stream of actions is focused on: Establishing and animating the Expert Validation Platform (EVP), a high profile panel of innovation professionals providing qualified advice to fine-tune the tools and services; Launching the Testing Community to collect feedback to enhance the effectiveness of the tools and services; Showcasing the codified for use new tools and services for innovation support, linking them to relevant stakeholders by organising Matchmaking Events and, with the Warehouse for innovation support, developing a navigable map of exploitable tools and services; TAKE IT UP key actions and actors involved Coaching Europe INNOVA partnerships in identifying the most appropriate capitalisation strategy to ensure the widest impact. TAKE IT UP wanted its promotional activities to have greater impact and so created the resource-ware for better innovation support and a space fully dedicated to Innovation Service Providers. The resource-ware contains: The Warehouse for Innovation Support, a database of the best tools and services for innovation support developed by European Innovation Service Providers to accelerate the growth of innovative SMEs, such as the IMP 3 rove services and the presentations from the eco-innovative companies in the ECOLINK+ 100 Business Club; The Testing Community, a group of more than sixty European innovation intermediaries who expressed their willingness to act as test-beds for the innovative tools and services, and to provide feedback to ensure effectiveness and usability; The Learning Corner, where tested methodologies, toolkits, documents, papers and capacity building and training opportunities can be downloaded for free. The TAKE IT UP papers on the Methodology of the Testing Process and on How-to pitch New Tools and Services are already available, as is the video-document from the TAKE IT UP seminar on How to make Effective Presentations for Innovative Services. TAKE IT UP also helped to draft the Riga Declaration on voucher schemes to provide better support mechanisms for innovation services and started the one-to-one coaching activities offering specialist advice to Europe INNOVA projects. TAKE IT UP Coordinator Andrea Di Anselmo, META Group Contact Details info@takeitup.eu Website Duration September 2009 to August 2012 Future Developments In 2011, TAKE IT UP is ready to pursue and strengthen its efforts for better innovation support in Europe. TAKE IT UP is mapping future trends in innovation services and new support delivery mechanisms. It is also providing one-to-one coaching to help Europe INNOVA projects to finalise their capitalisation strategies and link them with selected pen holders and experts to facilitate the adoption, and leveraging the impact of, innovative services. Furthermore, the papers on the methodology of developing capitalisation strategies and additional capacity-building documents will be available in the Learning Corner and in the TAKE IT UP media-gallery on the Europe INNOVA portal. Visit the TAKE IT UP open group on the LinkedIn social network and the Europe INNOVA portal to keep up to date with the latest progress and development. 44

45 7. Sectoral Innovation Watch Activities in 2010 The focus of the Sectoral Innovation Watch (SIW), in 2010, was to deliver a series of reports based on analyses of the project s various tasks. SIW delivered nine reports describing the current innovation performance of, and dynamics in, nine different sectors. In addition, SIW produced a foresight report, describing the future trends and dynamics in these sectors. SIW also worked on five horizontal reports, discussing trends and developments in cross-sectoral issues, including service innovation, gazelles, eco-innovation, national specialisation and lead markets. Four of these horizontal final reports have been delivered. SIW also identified and analysed current and potential bottlenecks that influence sectoral innovation performance, paying special attention to the role of markets and regulations On 11 and 12 May 2010, SIW, together with the European Cluster Observatory, organised the workshop Tomorrow s innovative industries: Regional and national specialisation patterns and the role of the regional business environment. Some 60 representatives of industry, academia and government attended this workshop in Brussels. A background paper was prepared, as well as an output paper presenting the results of the discussions at the workshop. A summary was also published in the SPARKS Newsletter. Tomorrow s innovative industries: Regional and national specialisation patterns and the role of the regional business environment, May 2010 Representatives of SIW attended and gave presentations at the Europe INNOVA KIS Partnering Forum, in Rome, and at the 3 rd Europe INNOVA Conference, in Liège, when a consortium meeting was also organised. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned SIW aims to provide policy-makers and innovation professionals with a better understanding of current sectoral innovation dynamics across Europe. The project started in 2008, but hit its stride in 2009 and In 2010, the research carried out resulted in a substantial number of reports. In addition to these reports, SIW organised thematic workshops to present and discuss the research insights with a broad group of experts, from academia, industry and government. In 2010, one thematic workshop on national specialisation took place, whilst the consortium began preparations for the workshops that will take place in the first quarter of However, some of the deliverables have been delayed. Problematic access to Eurostat data, as well as an insufficient response to the questionnaires were the main reasons for this delay. The delay in publishing the reports had a knock-on effect in terms of when the thematic workshops could be organised and thus, the project was extended by six months until the end of February In the first two months of 2011, SIW will organise three thematic workshops on eco-innovation, gazelles and organisational innovation and the value chain. On 24 February, SIW will organise a Final Conference, presenting the results of its research. In addition, SIW will deliver its final report outlining the role of markets and regulation in innovation performance, the horizontal report on lead markets and the nine Final Sector Reports integrating all the interim sectoral and cross-sectoral results. SIW will complete the project by delivering a Final Synthesis Report. Sectoral Innovation Watch aims to provide policy-makers and innovation professionals with a better understanding of current sectoral innovation dynamics across Europe. A fundamental question is to what extent, and why, innovation performance differs across sectors. 45

46 Sectoral Innovation Watch Coordinator Carlos Montalvo, TNO Contact Details Website Duration March 2008 to February 2011 The current SIW consortium updates the activities on innovation indicators, models and statistical analyses at sectoral level, which began during the first phase ( ), and aims to provide further depth along with more qualitative analyses. So far, SIW has succeeded in providing these updates, although official statistics are always somewhat behind and substantial changes in innovation performance have not been detected. Nevertheless, the stronger focus on more qualitative analyses, as well as on the efforts to provide more detailed analyses of the current and future drivers of, and barriers to, innovation performance and dynamics, resulted in evidence-based insights into sectoral innovation dynamics. These insights are essential for the development of effective innovation policy. The various deliverables presenting sectoral and cross-sectoral perspectives on innovation dynamics therefore provide useful insights for policy-makers supporting the process of adapting existing, and designing new, tailor-made, innovation policies.the results of the study will be presented in various sectoral and horizontal reports and the synthesised results will be presented at the Final Conference and in the Final Synthesis Report. Several partners in the SIW consortium are already collaborating on other research projects or will start new joint projects after this project ends. 46

47 8. Innovation Management: IMP³rove Activities in 2010 In 2010, the four main pillars of IMP 3 rove assessment, training, networking and research were further developed and promoted to provide enhanced services for a large number of SMEs. Progress, Results and Lessons Learned The functionality and design of the IMP³rove online platform ( has been significantly improved. With these changes, IMP³rove has been transformed into a resource for professionals. The IMP³rove benchmarking reports now provide the information, whether they are based on a self-assessment or an assessment assisted by a professional innovation management support provider. The additional functionalities include enriched directories for consultants and financial actors, as well as a short video and the IMP³rove Performance Monitor. The IMP³rove video highlights IMP³rove s services and benefits for the various stakeholders. The IMP³rove Performance Monitor provides a monthly up-date on the development of the IMP³rove up-take and the IMP³rove Consultant Network. In the meantime, almost 3000 SMEs are registered on the IMP³rove platform together with almost 500 IMP³rove Consultants from all over the world. Apart from the IMP³rove online assessments, the IMP³rove Certification Process was established on the IMP³rove platform. The IMP³rove - European Innovation Management Academy was developed to provide a curriculum for innovation management professionals seeking the combination of practical experience and theory in innovation management support. The curriculum is designed for the different levels of proficiency in innovation management that were defined for IMP³rove: IMP³rove Guide; IMP³rove Expert Level I; IMP³rove Expert Level II; and IMP³rove Auditor. The courses run on a regular basis across Europe and, on request, beyond. The programme for each term is published on the IMP³rove web-site. The IMP³rove Partner Services range from individual support and collaboration between the IMP³rove Consultants and the IMP³rove Global Coordination Team to online webinars and international IMP³rove Partner Network meetings. The online webinars were offered to inform the IMP³rove Partners about the improvements and new features of IMP³rove. Two international meetings were held, in July and October 2010 and during these meetings good practices in leveraging the IMP³rove services were shared. Also, approaches to creating even higher value added were discussed so that IMP³rove can be successfully transformed into a sustainable model. The IMP³rove Research activities led to the study on Innovation Management in High- Growth SMEs from the Knowledge-intensive Services (KIS) Setting the Pace for Growth in Europe. This study was published in 2010 and was cited by the German daily business newspaper Handelsblatt, amongst others. In November 2010, an IMP³rove Roundtable was organised in Rome, bringing together representatives from all stakeholder groups including consultants, policy-makers, intermediaries, academia and SMEs. In light of the Europe 2020 strategy launched by the European Commission, topics such as new innovation indicators and open innovation were discussed and reflected in the context of IMP³rove. The promotion and marketing activities in 2010 also included numerous articles and speeches in Europe and beyond. Future Developments In December 2011, IMP³rove II will come to an end. Thus, one of the key objectives in 2011 is to ensure the sustainability of the IMP³rove tools, services and value-propositions. This will be the main topic of the next IMP³rove International Partner Network meeting on 3 February, in Munich, which will also investigate integration with the Structural Funds. IMP 3 rove II Coordinator Eva Diedrichs, A.T. Kearney GmbH Contact Details eva.diedrichs@atkearney.com Website Duration December 2009 to December

48 IMP³rove Services IMP³rove Contests and Awards to demonstrate the innovation power of enterprises 3 Assessment Training Improve your Innovation Develop your Innovation Management Management competency Research3Network Get the latest information Become part of the about Innovation international IMP 3 rove Management Partner Network IMP³rove Study results for policy makers to launch programs that last Qualification as certified IMP³rove consultant Facts and figures for well-founded investment decisions of financial actors Amongst other things, the research activities will focus on the innovation management support providers. These research results provide interesting insights into innovation management in SMEs in various sectors and regions. They are valuable for policy-makers, financial actors, academics and media representatives. The new IMP³rove online assessment tool on sustainability-driven innovation management is being tested and will be available at the beginning of With this new IMP³rove Assessment Report, SMEs can demonstrate the degree to which their innovation management is geared to economic, ecologic and social sustainability. Once IMP³rove is transformed into a sustainable model, the IMP³rove Academy will become the legal entity for IMP³rove. Under the title of IMP³rove European Innovation Management Academy, it will also further encourage the active participation of the IMP³rove Consultants and partners. All in all, the wider dissemination and up-take of IMP³rove products and value-propositions in 2011 will serve to secure the transition of IMP³rove into a sustainable model, with the on-going aim of increasing European competitiveness in a globalised economy. 48

49 9. Looking forward 9.1 Ways to promote innovation by using the Structural Funds The Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs set out policies and reforms to make Europe s regulatory and economic framework more innovation friendly. The Member States (MS) are encouraged to employ targeted measures to promote innovation, using the Structural Funds (SF) 8, and with the 278b budget in , the SF are one of the most significant sources of investment in knowledge and innovation. The national delivery of the SF is set out in National Strategy Reference Frameworks, and various assessments of the national programmes, (co)-funded by the SF, are referred to in the country reports of ERAWATCH and TrendChart portals. Other European networks and initiatives have also been set up to exchange practical experiences of using the SF. One core conclusion of an earlier study 9 on the use of the SF for innovation in six MS is that if, in , the share of ESF expenditure allocated to R&D was relatively low, funding during the period is expected to have a much stronger impact on R&D and innovation. The study also demonstrates that public support, including the SF, plays a decisive role for innovation. Several thematic studies were carried out by Europe INNOVA, focusing on the development of specific services including tourism, ITC and creative industries, in connection with the SF 10. In terms of practical thematic collaboration, the KIS Innovation Platform is planning a Partnering Forum, in January 2011, to study existing successful policy approaches and measures to promote service innovations, funded by the SF. Another initiative, the Regions for Economic Change, is a new learning, testing and best practice transfer platform, that includes a Policy Learning Database and interregional fast track networks, funded by the INTERREG IVC and URBACT KIS Partnering Forum in Warsaw, January 2011 II programmes. As such, it will also boost concepts for regional smart specialisation strategies 11. The INTERREG IVC Programme is financed from the ERDF with a budget of 321million for the period. Some 55% of this budget is allocated to projects in the first Programme priority of Innovation and the knowledge economy. Innovation and creativity are also a focus of the URBACT II programme which has five projects out of a total of 44 working on this theme. The SRNeurope network was established by 13 European partners from eight countries to share good practice in the delivery of the SF at sub-regional level. It corresponds to the increasing role of the regions in the facilitation of the SF - local authorities and other sub-regional organisations have an increasingly more visible part to play in meeting European objectives for growth and jobs, innovation and sustainable development and also an expanded role in programme management Some other prominent Community measures in that respect are: Seventh Framework Programme, Joint Technology Initiatives, The Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, the Risk-Sharing Financial Facility and the JEREMIE Initiative (Joint European Resources for Micro-to-Medium Enterprises) 9 Ana Mafalda Madureira, Jan-Evert Nilsson and Victor Gheorghe Structural Funds as an instrument to promote Innovation - Theories and practices - Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sweden, See more at 11 European Commission Communication on 'Regional Policy contributing to smart growth in Europe 2020' - 6 October See more at 49

50 9.2 New actions for 2011: supporting Emerging Service Sectors and World-Class Clusters In 2011, two new calls for proposals will be published by DG Enterprise and Industry. The first targets the two new and emerging service sectors of the Mobile and Mobility Industries and the Creative Industries. This call seeks to establish alliances, and will be open to public authorities and public-private partnerships in the two sectors. The second call relates to the promotion of world-class clusters in Europe. Innovative mobile and mobility services respond to the three challenges defined by the Europe 2020 Strategy. Europe is already traditionally strong in mobile technologies, starting with the success story of GSM and followed by new technologies like GNSS and soon Galileo. In order to boost the development of emerging industries that are essentially driven by the mobile and mobility industries, the Commission is planning to set up a European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance (EMMIA). This Alliance aims to promote entrepreneurship in mobile and mobility services, to launch large-scale demonstration projects with active user involvement and also to create a favourable business environment for services innovation. The objective is to bring together all the relevant stakeholders in Europe who believe in such industries as drivers for future competitiveness, growth and jobs and to facilitate cooperation between them. Reinhard Büscher at the Europe INNOVA Conference in Liège, presenting the European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance Through the initiative, entrepreneurship in mobile and mobility service industries will be fostered by developing and testing new forms of business support that help service companies to bring ideas faster to the market. Its activities will be conducted through public-private partnerships and will be piloted in three key areas focusing on vouchers for innovation support, on access to finance and on interoperability test-beds. Altogether, a total of 4 million will be allocated to set up the alliance and its pilot schemes. Numerous studies, speeches and recommendations point to the fact that creativity really matters to innovation. The cultural and creative industries are not only important in themselves, but they also help other sectors to become more innovative and thus competitive. The challenge is to make these industries more entrepreneurial and to use creativity better to re-create other sectors. The Green Paper, which was published last spring, has been analysed, and this has resulted in the proposed establishment of a European Creative Industries Alliance (ECIA). Through this initiative, the European Commission intends to raise general awareness of the increasing importance of creative industries in Europe and of the need to invest more in creativity and its improved use by other sectors. The alliance will develop a range of activities that will be carried out in public-private partnerships and focus on innovation vouchers, access to finance and cluster cooperation. The combined funding for these activities will be around 7.5 million. Some Europe INNOVA partnerships were asked to explain their plans in terms of collaboration with these new alliances. Some projects already have a clear picture of their forms of cooperation whilst others are waiting for the alliances to start their work and will then decide on the nature and depth of the collaboration. For instance, the REMake project envisages collaboration with the European Creative Industries Alliance, especially in the field of eco-design. The partners from the GreenConServe also showed some interest. If, for instance, architects participate in the European Creative Industries Alliance, GreenConServe plans to share knowledge and experiences in order to maximise the visibility and outcomes of the partnership. 50

51 The KIS4SAT initiative will continue after the life of the project and the KIS4SAT core services and activities will be embedded into ESINET ( ESINET has become the leading network of incubators focusing wholly, or partially, on space-related technologies used in all sectors. ESINET members offer high technology business Mette Koefoed Quinn at the Europe INNOVA Conference in Liège, presenting the European Creative Industries Alliance incubator facilities with a proven track record. Clients of these incubators include companies in the mobile and mobility services sectors. Inside ESINET are hundreds of KIS companies that could engage with the European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance to test new approaches to innovation support and potentially access finance through public-private partnerships. In 2011, the European Commission will also present a new strategy to promote world-class clusters in Europe. This initiative stems directly from the Communication on An integrated industrial policy for Globalisation Era. This communication proposes a new strategy for globally competitive clusters and networks, including specific actions to promote globally competitive clusters and networks in both traditional and emerging industries. Against this background, the call for proposals on world-class clusters will focus on: Stronger international links amongst European clusters will be created, as existing national and regional cluster programmes will be encouraged to collaborate and prepare joint internationalisation strategy. A second action will address the professionalisation of cluster management, and foster the use of common tools developed under the European Cluster Excellence Initiative; The third action is designed to engender a better comprehension of cluster activities, and, in particular, to increase and broaden the cluster-specific analysis provided by the European Cluster Observatory. This action will be the subject of a separate call for tenders. The calls are expected to be published in the first quarter of