“Making Progress and Economic Enhancement a Reality for SMEs”: New Approaches Towards RTDI Programmes
6 October 2011
Austria
The Opening ceremony had the following distinguished participants: Mr Gianluca Spinaci (Member of the cabinet of president of Committee of the Regions), Mrs. Lieve Van Woensel (DDG Research, European Commission), Mrs Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortinés (Member of the European Parliament) and Dr. Julián Seseña, chair of the European Experts Panel on Research by SMEs and Coordinator of the MAPEER SME FP7 project, funded by the European Commission.
Mrs Gutiérrez-Cortinés asked for better focus of the use of the Structural Funds and their applicability to innovation and research investments. Mr Spinaci offered the debates within the Committee of the Regions to further debate on the push of Innovation and SMEs. Mrs Lieve Van Woensel reminded the efforts of the European Commission supporting SMEs, being MAPEER SME, together with other two projects (Rapport and Gprix), examples of the actions conducted to identify best practices for connecting SMEs and Research. Dr. Seseña thanked the participation of distinguished representatives from the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission and the European Parliament in this importance Conference.
During the Conference the main findings and conclusions of studies on more than 200 national and regional RTDI programmes from across Europe and the related views of over 800 SMEs were presented. An opportunity was provided for European SME programme managers, policy-makers, representatives and other SME stakeholders to discuss how to improve the participation of SMEs in the RTDI arena and how to enhance the regional, national and European RTDI programmes which specifically target SMEs in order to make those programmes more attractive to potential participants.
The audience was encouraged to participate in the debate and, during the three sessions, the speakers gave their opinions about the state of the art of current RTDI programmes. Session I, presented the lessons learned as a result of the MaPEeR SME studies as well as challenges for the future participation of SMEs in RTDI programmes and projects. The presentation of good practiceS, by programme managers from Germany, Italy, Sweden and Hungary, enabled the participants to understand the value of the Europe-wide research and analysis carried out on the RTDI programmes. Session II introduced the innovation and research experience of SMEs in the Open Living Labs initiative. This was followed by a presentation of the results of two other EU-funded projects on SMEs in traditional industries and of the knowledge needed for business innovation in SMEs.
In the afternoon a round table discussion was held on The Way Ahead with the participation by the major European networks active in the RTDI arena. The discussion was opened by Ms. Lieve Van Woensel, European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, with the presentation of Horizon 2020, the new EU Framework Programme for research and innovation. Various points of view and different experiences related to SMEs’ requests and needs related to the EU’s current 7th Framework Programme and the upcoming Horizon 2020 were shared. The latest measures to assist SMEs, contained in the new Common Strategic Framework Programme, were discussed and analysed by the different representative of the most important networks in Brussels: EEN, ACC1Ó, NESSI, EUREKA, EBN, ARTEMIS, VUB and Scottish Enterprise.
The overall debate contributed to a final set of recommendations about measures to enhance the suitability and relevance of European, national and regional research and technology development programmes in order to enhance the participation of SMEs therein.
Mrs Gutiérrez-Cortinés asked for better focus of the use of the Structural Funds and their applicability to innovation and research investments. Mr Spinaci offered the debates within the Committee of the Regions to further debate on the push of Innovation and SMEs. Mrs Lieve Van Woensel reminded the efforts of the European Commission supporting SMEs, being MAPEER SME, together with other two projects (Rapport and Gprix), examples of the actions conducted to identify best practices for connecting SMEs and Research. Dr. Seseña thanked the participation of distinguished representatives from the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission and the European Parliament in this importance Conference.
During the Conference the main findings and conclusions of studies on more than 200 national and regional RTDI programmes from across Europe and the related views of over 800 SMEs were presented. An opportunity was provided for European SME programme managers, policy-makers, representatives and other SME stakeholders to discuss how to improve the participation of SMEs in the RTDI arena and how to enhance the regional, national and European RTDI programmes which specifically target SMEs in order to make those programmes more attractive to potential participants.
The audience was encouraged to participate in the debate and, during the three sessions, the speakers gave their opinions about the state of the art of current RTDI programmes. Session I, presented the lessons learned as a result of the MaPEeR SME studies as well as challenges for the future participation of SMEs in RTDI programmes and projects. The presentation of good practiceS, by programme managers from Germany, Italy, Sweden and Hungary, enabled the participants to understand the value of the Europe-wide research and analysis carried out on the RTDI programmes. Session II introduced the innovation and research experience of SMEs in the Open Living Labs initiative. This was followed by a presentation of the results of two other EU-funded projects on SMEs in traditional industries and of the knowledge needed for business innovation in SMEs.
In the afternoon a round table discussion was held on The Way Ahead with the participation by the major European networks active in the RTDI arena. The discussion was opened by Ms. Lieve Van Woensel, European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, with the presentation of Horizon 2020, the new EU Framework Programme for research and innovation. Various points of view and different experiences related to SMEs’ requests and needs related to the EU’s current 7th Framework Programme and the upcoming Horizon 2020 were shared. The latest measures to assist SMEs, contained in the new Common Strategic Framework Programme, were discussed and analysed by the different representative of the most important networks in Brussels: EEN, ACC1Ó, NESSI, EUREKA, EBN, ARTEMIS, VUB and Scottish Enterprise.
The overall debate contributed to a final set of recommendations about measures to enhance the suitability and relevance of European, national and regional research and technology development programmes in order to enhance the participation of SMEs therein.