Mutual learning and common tools and resources for national/regional schemes supporting innovation projects of start-ups and SMEs

This aims to enhance cooperation among innovation agencies of the European innovation ecosystem by establishing a mutual learning process at national and regional level, as well as by developing joint tools and resources to assist start-ups and SMEs to innovate.

The pilot action will create an enhancing, supporting and cooperative environment across EU that will allow national and regional agencies to:

• cooperate, learn from each other and exchange knowledge by using join tools in order to provide high-level services and support high-quality start-ups and SMEs for their innovation projects;
• create and operate national and/or regional support schemes regarding feasibility studies and external expertise, thus ensuring that the most promising high-potential innovation proposals of start-ups / SMEs are supported at their critical stage of development.

In particular, the cooperation that will notably involve the participation of national or regional innovation agen

Start-ups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the primary source of innovation in Europe and globally. However, the fragmentation of innovation ecosystems and the lack of connectedness among public national and regional agencies appear to be one of the main bottlenecks towards ensuring the support of the most promising start-up and scale-up companies in the EU.

The start-ups and the SMEs very often lack tools and resources (human and financial) that will enable them to promote the deployment and uptake of innovative solutions, and thus grow and compete at global level. Moreover, they are at a disadvantage to recruit external experts to help them in their innovation and business development, including at transnational level to exploit the potential of the Single Market and global trade opportunities. Both are essential for start-ups and SMEs to ensure product/market fit, successful launch and later scaling of their innovations.

A key stage of this process is to elaborate a feasibil

This will enhance the quality of support provided at national and regional levels to the most promising innovative start-ups and SMEs, by enabling:

• exchange of information and best practice and closer dialogue between the innovation agencies involved
• the national/regional agencies to establish or improve supporting schemes from their respective national/regional budgets that will cover the feasibility study stage of innovative products/services from start-ups and SMEs
• transnational cooperation in evaluation processes to select the most promising innovation projects with high growth and international potential
• cooperation between national/regional/EU levels in ensuring “world-class” coaching/mentoring services