Smart Network and Sustainable Innovation Cluster to increase RDI Competitiveness of SMEs in the Adriatic, Adratic CBC Programme IPA 2007-2013
Project duration: 1st November 2013 to 31th March 2016
Lead partner: Provincia di Rimini (Italy)
Other partners:
- 1 project partner in Albania (AULEDA Local economic development agency)
- 1 project partner from Bosnia and Herzegovina (LIR Evolution)
- 2 project partners prom Croatia (Juraj Dobrila University of Pula; Istrian Development Agency)
- 2 project partners from Greece (ATLANTIS Consulting S.A.; E.R.F.C. – European Regional Framework Co-operation)
- 5 project partners from Italy (Association of Chambers of Commerce of Veneto Region; Friuli Innovazione Research and Technology Transfer Centre; Scientific and Technology Park technopolis PST S.C.A.R.L; SIPRO – Local Development Agency; Agency for Innovation of Administration and Public Local Services)
- 1 project partner in Montenegro (Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises)
- 2 project partner from Serbia (Uzice Regional Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia – CCIS)
- 3 project partners from Slovenia (Regional Development Agency from Inner-Karst Region; Regional Development Centre Koper; Primorska Technology Park).
The project SMART INNO addresses the priority of innovation.
The main expected results are:
- foster cooperation between stakeholders and policy makers to increase RDI capacity,
- create mechanisms oriented to SMEs to support their RDI capacity to improve their competitiveness.
The project bridges regions from 8 Adriatic countries, with the vision of capitalizing on existing Research & Innovation (R&I) results and establishing a smart networking system for monitoring and fostering research & innovation capacity in SMEs, to increase competitiveness, and support SMEs sustainable growth through cluster synergies and the use of financial instruments and coaching schemes on improving investment readiness, with emphasis on cross-border cooperation across the Adriatic.
Main SMART INNO objectives are:
- Support sustainable growth and improve competitiveness in the Adriatic by strengthening R&I capacity and fostering SME innovation, emphasizing cross-border collaboration through clustering.
- Establish smart cluster mechanisms for promoting to SMEs technology transfer of high added-quality innovative products and technologies that lead to long-term capitalisation of innovation outputs and results.
- Create transAdriatic network of R&I institutions, SMEs and Business Incubators to improve competitiveness, and facilitate exchange of best practices in SMEs and startups sustainable growth.
- Identify business and technological capacities in the transAdriatic network in view of building sustainable cluster and promote cooperation between R&I, SMEs and policy makers to create cluster synergies and build capacity in Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I).
- Engage policymakers and regional/national stakeholders in decision making for formulating favorable policies in RD&I.
- Build Adriatic Business Angels Network to increase access of innovative SMEs and young entrepreneurs to financing, and investigate alternative cross-border co-investment facilities and new trends in fund-raising.
- Develop and test smart coaching schemes for SMEs and Startups; provide information and knowledge in financing opportunities, with direct impact on improved investment readiness of start-ups/SMEs.
- Organise workshops to bring together innovative SMEs, academia, and investors to present research results and innovative products, in view of fostering business collaboration; organise webinars to foster awareness and train SMEs and local/regional stakeholders in managing innovation and finding the way from idea conceptualization to sustainable business exploitation and internationalised business.
- Develop specs and sustainable joint research & training programmes for smart innovation cluster.
Contact person: Tina Jančar Matekovič, e- mail: tina.matekovic@rrc-kp.si, tel.: +386 5 66 37 590