The European Commission has placed a firm wager on an "industrial renaissance" in which SMEs are to play a leading role. Within this context, the role the new Community instruments have assigned to the Enterprise Europe Network, as a European-wide network of entities integrated into regional innovation systems, is that of being the lever and driving force for innovation management capacities in SMEs and, in the near future, as the organisation directly responsible for the provision of advanced services. Innovation properly combined with cooperation and internationalisation, is the only path along which SMEs can improve their competitiveness in a globalised world undergoing an industrial crisis. Therefore, our main objective is to contribute to smart growth in Andalusia, through the provision of services enhancing the innovation management capacities of Andalusian SMEs. According to this call, these are the Project's Objectives expected to be attained through this project's development and implementation: • To enhance the innovation capacities of SMEs in Andalusia in order to make them more competitive through the provision of advanced services. • To drive forward non-technological catalysts for innovation in SMEs. • To develop on behalf of the entities which comprise the Enterprise Europe Network new ways and tools to provide services to SMEs that contribute to enhancing their competitive capacities. • To provide support to beneficiaries of SME Instrument, accompanying them in their transition through Phases 1 and • To identify future potential applicants to successfully take part in SME Instrument. • To develop methodologies that can be enhanced through their integration into the Andalusian Innovation Ecosystem.

The European Commission, through the Executive Agency of Small Medium Enterprises (EASME), have assigned new roles and innovative advisories services to the Enterprise Europe Network such as a European-wide network of entities integrated into regional innovation systems. Being the ground lever and driving force for innovation management capacities in SMEs and, in the near future, as the organisation directly responsible for the provision of advanced services. Specific support to these SMEs into the Innovation Management Capacities, in order to create a favourable ecosystem for its innovations and growth, providing support to research, development and innovation projects, such as the SME Instrument and other specific services aimed to improve their innovation skills and address the financing needs required by the implementation and execution of high-risk and high-potential innovation ideas to markets. As a result to this call and through the implementation of the activities and the provision of services detailed in this Proposal, we expect to achieve the following Objectives: • To address the lack of innovation as a barrier for SME growth. • To enhance the innovation capacities of SMEs in Andalusia in order to make them more competitive through the provision of advanced services. • To increase the economic impact from innovation activities in SMEs. • To drive forward non-technological catalysts for innovation in SMEs. • To develop on behalf of the entities which comprise the Enterprise Europe Network new ways and tools to provide services to SMEs that contribute to enhancing their competitive capacities. • To provide support to beneficiaries of SME Instrument, accompanying them in their transition through Phases 1 and 2. • To identify future potential applicants to successfully take part in SME Instrument. • To develop methodologies that can be enhanced through their integration into the Andalusian Innovation Ecosystem.

The European Commission has placed a firm wager on an "industrial renaissance" in which SMEs are to play a leading role. Within this context, the role the new Community instruments have assigned to the Enterprise Europe Network, as a European-wide network of entities integrated into regional innovation systems, is that of being the lever and driving force for innovation management capacities in SMEs and, in the near future, as the organisation directly responsible for the provision of advanced services. Innovation properly combined with cooperation and internationalisation, is the only path along which SMEs can improve their competitiveness in a globalised world undergoing an industrial crisis. Therefore, our main objective is to contribute to smart growth in Andalusia, through the provision of services enhancing the innovation management capacities of Andalusian SMEs. According to this call, these are the Project's Objectives expected to be attained through this project's development and implementation: • To enhance the innovation capacities of SMEs in Andalusia in order to make them more competitive through the provision of advanced services. • To drive forward non-technological catalysts for innovation in SMEs. • To develop on behalf of the entities which comprise the Enterprise Europe Network new ways and tools to provide services to SMEs that contribute to enhancing their competitive capacities. • To provide support to beneficiaries of SME Instrument, accompanying them in their transition through Phases 1 and 2. • To identify future potential applicants to successfully take part in SME Instrument. • To develop methodologies that can be enhanced through their integration into the Andalusian Innovation Ecosystem.

PPI4Waste is based on an integrated approach which will permit to define needs, targets, improvement of functional performances, and monitor the complete cycle of preparation activities for PPI process to be implemented in the waste sector, while making know-how on procedures for innovation procurement widely available through the establishment of buyer’s group, making state-of-the-art solutions accessible to other procurers, capacity building and assessment of feasibility plan of uptaking PPI in the waste sector. This 30-month project, whose workplan has a concise structure that supports the workflow to achieve its main aim: The overall objective of the project is to achieve resource efficiency, sustainable waste management and sustainable consumption throughout Europe by increasing the use of innovative public procurement through coordinated a structured and coordination action of networking, capacity building, and dissemination. The cornerstone of the project is how to boost resource efficiency through PPI, on the basis of the waste hierarchy and the establishment of the buyer’s group of public procurers in the first phase of the project will permit to achieve all objectives towards the reinforcement of early deployment of eco-innovative solutions for resource efficiency and waste management through joint or coordinated PPI processes.