This proposal offers a peer learning excercise between 3 innovation agencies from small regions in the South, the North and the Centre of Europe. By means of the proven Twinning + methodology they'll focus on the common challenge of the design of innovation support for SME’s operating in crossborder business value chains. In small regions, business value chains cross easily the regional borders, so SMEs have to be agile to fit these in order to grow. Stimulating business value chains is one of the policy actions of the EU Strategic Work Program. This proposal aims to 1. learn about this sub-type of SMEs 2. investigate the current mix of instruments to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship 3. understand the criteria of ‘value chain-fitness’ 4. discuss novel approaches in the public innovation support system and make recommandations for other innovation agencies. The mutual policy learning and exchange of ‘good practices’ will enhance the transfer of good practices in SME support which is one of the specific challenge of the work programme. Futhermore, since innovation agencies are important intermediaries to SMEs, the peer learning will contribute to make public support for innovation in the EU more effectively. An information “exchange” workshop with testimonials from SMEs and economic/innovation experts will give some insights in the real needs of those SMEs. Subsequently, the participants will do a small field research in their region. The information gathered will be displayed on a digital platform working as a community of practice. Finally, the participants perform the peer learning in a 2days session collaborating together in an equal relationship and discuss novel approaches in relation to the topic. In the end, a Design Options Paper documents the implementation options and guidelines that the partners in the challenge have experienced and would recommend to other innovation agencies.

Many SMEs are not willing to invest time and resources in developing their internal innovation systems. The lack of innovation management capacity among Swedish SMEs might very well be the main reason why certain government support schemes to Swedish innovative SMEs do not indicate any significant impact. The support actions "Enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs by the Enterprise Europe Network" in 2014 and 2015 includes a standardised innovation management capacity assessment (e.g. using IMP3rove), a gap analysis and the provision of targeted services to address recognised gaps. However, the action does not involve activities, methods or tools on how these gaps could be filled, only that they are recognised. The objective of this project proposal is to address these problems by using the tool Twinning Advanced to explore an innovation support challenge, which is to develop, design and re-design new and existing innovation services as standardised modules so that support organisations can assess the needs and deliver the most appropriate support more efficiently. The peer learning will take place between three innovation agencies, who are also partners in the Enterprise Europe Network, and with external expert organisations depending on the outcome. The result will be documented in a Design Option Paper (DOP) that will identify and document implementation options, guidelines and implementation alternatives that we have experienced and would recommend to other innovation support service agencies. The DOP would particularly address Enterprise Europe Network partners in Europe to meet common needs expressed by SMEs that need to increase their innovation management capacity. The specific objective is to document at least five such modules describing how to implement 1) an innovation strategy, 2) an innovation culture, 3) an innovation life cycle process, 4) enabling factors, and 5) a system for assessing outputs of innovation management.

The Swedish consortium working with Enterprise Europe Network will deliver services within the action ”Establishing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SME’ in the Enterprise Europe Network” during 2014 and onwards. This proposal only covers services to be delivered during 2014 even though services to involved SMEs will proceed in 2015 to 2020. The project will involve six partners where The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth will be the coordinator. Swerea, Acreo and Centek will be the partners delivering services, both as Key Account Manager and as Innovation Specialists. Partners ALMI Mitt, SIK and Uminova will be involved in a reference group together with the NCP for SMEs. This application consists of four work packages: WP0 Integrate the KAM and EEN Innovation specialist services with the national supporting system for innovation and H2020 WP1 Provide Key account management (KAM) services for the beneficiaries of the SME Instrument WP2 Provide Innovation specialist services for selected SMEs to enhance their innovation management capacity. WP3 Manage the WP processes, tool development and training In total there will be six employees from Swerea, Acreo and Centek that will be delivering the services in WP 1 and 2 during 2014. The estimated number of SMEs participating in 2014 are 50 were 10 is coming from the SME Instrument and 40 will be selected for innovation management services. The selection will be made by a reference group in consensus to ensure that selected companies have a high growth potential. We will take into account both branch experience and geographic closeness to be able to signpost clients to the most appropriate partner. The tool to be used for enhancing innovation management capacity will be IMP3rove. The tool to be used by the staff working as KAM will be decided upon before the start of the action. All staff involved will be trained in using the tools before start.

Great advances were made by SISCERA partners in the development of the world’s first ceramics showing transformation induced plasticity and perfect predictability. These specifically designed materials were the main research results of the LongLife FP7 project and will be brought to market via SISCERA. The LONGLIFE material is based on a novel, highly biocompatible ceramic coupled with a specific surface modification, procuring enhanced osseointegration to implants. Its reliability and mechanical performances have been validated in accordance to the relevant standards. The core objective of SISCERA (Smart Innovations from Safe CERAmics) is to prepare market penetration by the end of 2019 of the first commercial application of this revolutionary ceramic. This new type of material can serve industries such as biomedical (implants, bone saws, prostheses), automotive & fuel cell. DMC will commercialise the material for several applications: (i) ceramic bars (for Anthogyr and biomedical customers), (ii) centering pins for car body welding (for existing automotive industry customers), and (iii) positioning devices for handling robots (for existing industrial customers). SWEREA will apply its surface modification process to facilitate production of solid-oxide fuel cells. The partners have carefully analysed the different markets and have determined that the most strategic initial biomedical application is the dental implant. This market is expected to grow annually by 6-8% during the next years, to 5.4 Billion € by 2020. Ceramics are entering the market as implant materials, but their use is still limited by inadequate toughness and osseointegration. The SISCERA consortium has the ideal material and expertise to provide the first dental implant fully meeting patient needs. The current FTI project will allow partners to obtain clinical and biocompatibility validation of the implant while also penetrating the market with promising applications in other industries.

The ‘Factories of the Future’ PPP launched in 2008/9 has been a proven success and triggered a unique cooperation between industry, researchers and the European Institutions. The objective of the FoF Impact CSA is to transform the FoF PPP from a research and demonstration programme under FP7 into an innovation programme in Horizon 2020. The FoF-Impact CSA will integrate, in one comprehensive and service-oriented package, a set of tools and measures (guidelines, technology transfer tools and market uptake mechanisms) in support of exploitation of project results generated by the FoF PPP. The FoF-Impact CSA will build upon the existing work, such as the EFFRA Innovation Portal which offers a dynamic community-based environment for sharing and retrieving information about exploitable results. The FoF-Impact CSA will also facilitate collaboration among the main stakeholders which are capable of enhancing the overall impact of the ‘Factories of the Future’ PPP in Horizon 2020 at local and company-level. These actors are: manufacturing industries (large and SMEs), national and regional and other European manufacturing initiatives and programmes (Eureka, Manunet etc); technology transfer organisations and market-uptake experts; industry-focused RTOs and institutes, marketers of exploitable results, potential users of exploitable results, possible investors and business angels. In summary, the FoF Impact CSA will provide tailor-made guidelines and tools (including a FoF-Impact helpdesk) that will service both individual 'Factories of the Future' projects as well as clusters of 'Factories of the Future' projects. The clustering of projects results will be supported both by the existing EFFRA Innovation Portal and through the organisation of specific events, oriented either to technologies, application sectors or specific challenges, and it will thus further stimulate cross-fertilisation and the identification of additional exploitation opportunities.