Final Report Summary - CORNET II (Collective Research ERA-NET II)
Executive summary:
CORNET II has created sustainability: a core group of countries and regions has decided to continue funding transnational Collective research (CR) projects on the basis of national programmes for two up to three years. The activities will also include funding for transnational Research, technology development and innovation (RTDI) between Small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) and Research and technology organisations (RTOs) within EraSME. The Common Office will implement practical aspects of the collaboration within CORNET and EraSME. The German ministry BMWi will provide financing for coordination by AiF. The following countries and regions have closed a collaboration agreement defining the features of the continued collaboration: Austria, Belgium-Flanders, Belgium-Wallonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Germany. Some other countries that participated in the ERA-NET initiatives CORNET and EraSME or are interested in general might join at a later stage: The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain-Madrid, Israel, Spain-Austria or Switzerland.
CORNET II has organised six calls for proposals. The most successful call involved 15 countries / regions and resulted in 23 proposals, out of which 12 projects with a project budget of ca. EUR 8.6 million were funded. The CORNET II consortium has implemented in close cooperation with EraSME² a centralised evaluation procedure featuring scientific and managerial integration. Evaluation is performed by a CORNET call coordinator, supported by EUREKA IT tool and administrative support. The efficient, fast and transparent evaluation results in a binding ranking list which is accepted by Member States (MS).
The consortium was extended by four countries/regions, thus widening the possibilities for applicants. Czech Republic, Iceland, Poland and Spain-Madrid joined the consortium and participated in joint calls for proposals. The new partners were trained with regard to proposal evaluation. Further expansion activities included contacts in personal meetings and per e-mail and telephone with a wide range of countries/regions in close cooperation with EraSME in the common office. Besides establishing contacts with ministries and funding agencies in new countries, the consortium made efforts to create a need bottom-up, i.e. on applicant's side. All European technology platforms (ETPs) were contacted and informed about funding possibilities in CORNET and EraSME and their calls for proposals and presentations were given at ETP meetings and conferences.
A broad range of activities has been performed to disseminate and communicate the benefits of transnational CR and of transnational RTDI between SMEs and RTOs to all stakeholders. Within the framework of a common communication strategy for CORNET and EraSME, the common office has developed a new corporate identity and logo 'innovation for SME' and a common umbrella website (please see http://cornet-era.net online). A general leaflet, success stories, newsletters, call announcement leaflets for each call and a common Powerpoint template were provided and used by CORNET and EraSME partners for their promotion activities. The CORNET website was continuously updated and extended. A plan for effectively using and disseminating the knowledge gained in CORNET has been provided.
Project context and objectives:
CORNET I under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) has brought together 24 CR programme owners and managers from 17 European countries and regions. CR is Research and development (R&D) performed for the benefit of a broad target group of firms, especially of SMEs. The objectives of CR are often pre-competitive and pre-normative. CR may also address innovation in processes or materials of wide application in an industry. CR results are actively promoted and disseminated across the sector for exploitation. CORNET has successfully raised awareness in Europe about the value of CR, through presentations and workshops, publications, the CORNET website, and through the joint CORNET calls for proposals. A particular achievement is that three countries have launched new CR programmes as a direct consequence of their participation in CORNET: Cyprus, Greece, and Slovenia. Four CORNET calls for proposals have been implemented. The number of agencies participating in the calls has almost tripled and the number of proposals received as well as the requested budget has almost doubled.
The principal objectives for CORNET II were to establish a long-term sustainable structure for a continuously strengthened and extended collaboration on CR across Europe (Work package (WP) 1), to increase the number of CORNET calls for proposals, their budgets, the number of funded projects etc. as well as ensure coordination with similar initiatives, e.g. the Framework Programme's Research for SME associations and the EraSME ERA-NET (WP2), to further expand the CORNET consortium to integrate new partners (WP3) and to disseminate and communicate the benefits of CR to all stakeholders (WP4). CORNET II was therefore expected to consolidate the achievements of CORNET I.
Project results:
% CORNET has created sustainability in a joint effort with EraSME in managing cooperation projects between individual SMEs and research organisations across Europe. This combines the advantages of national / regional actors such as proximity to the applicants, possibilities to advice applicants in the national language, with a centralised evaluation at European level. Furthermore a combination of national / regional and European budget increases the financial resources and the effectiveness and efficiency of CR in Europe.
We expect CORNET and EraSME to have major impact on the innovation potential and competitiveness of SMEs without own research capacities in Europe. A survey among project coordinators of completed CORNET projects shows that the range of SMEs actively involved in a project during its duration varies between 14 and 35. The SME's commitment and active contribution is ensured by a CORNET rule demanding the establishment of a SME users committee which must be demonstrated by letters of commitment of 5 SMEs per country / region to be submitted with a CORNET project proposal. During regular SME users committee meetings the RTOs present the progress of the research to the SMEs. The SMEs give feedback to the RTOs concerning their practical needs and actively influence the development of the progress, thus ensuring that the project meets the SME needs. As SME associations are exclusively eligible partners in a project, broad distribution of the research results during and after a project is ensured. The project coordinators asked in the above mentioned survey indicated a number between 1500 and 25000 SMEs expected to benefit after the end of a CORNET project.
The active involvement of SMEs and the high number of SMEs that benefit from the projects are distinctive features of CORNET. The commitment and interest of the SMEs is ensured by their letters of commitment at the beginning of the projects and their active participation in regular meetings of the SME Users committee throughout the duration of the projects. The results achieved by CORNET projects therefore meet the demands of a high number of SMEs and are used by them. Given the high benefit for SMEs as described above, CORNET and EraSME are expected to have decisive positive impact on social and economic developments in Europe. As SMEs form 99 % of all European enterprises, it is of major relevance to support their economic welfare. By increasing the SME's innovation potential, European SMEs will be able to compete with companies worldwide and meet the challenges of globalisation and increasing competition. This will ensure employment and create new jobs in Europe.
Potential impact:
CORNET has created sustainability in a joint effort with EraSME in managing cooperation projects between individual SMEs and research organisations across Europe. This combines the advantages of national / regional actors such as proximity to the applicants, possibilities to advice applicants in the national language, with a centralised evaluation at European level. Furthermore a combination of national / regional and European budget increases the financial resources and the effectiveness and efficiency of CR in Europe.
We expect CORNET and EraSME to have major impact on the innovation potential and competitiveness of SMEs without own research capacities in Europe. A survey among project coordinators of completed CORNET projects shows that the range of SMEs actively involved in a project during its duration varies between 14 and 35. The SME's commitment and active contribution is ensured by a CORNET rule demanding the establishment of a SME users committee which must be demonstrated by letters of commitment of 5 SMEs per country / region to be submitted with a CORNET project proposal. During regular SME Users committee meetings the RTOs present the progress of the research to the SMEs. The SMEs give feedback to the RTOs concerning their practical needs and actively influence the development of the progress, thus ensuring that the project meets the SME needs. As SME associations are exclusively eligible partners in a project, broad distribution of the research results during and after a project is ensured. The project coordinators asked in the above mentioned survey indicated a number between 1500 and 25000 SMEs expected to benefit after the end of a CORNET project.
The active involvement of SMEs and the high number of SMEs that benefit from the projects are distinctive features of CORNET. The commitment and interest of the SMEs is ensured by their letters of commitment at the beginning of the projects and their active participation in regular meetings of the SME users committee throughout the duration of the projects. The results achieved by CORNET projects therefore meet the demands of a high number of SMEs and are used by them. Given the high benefit for SMEs as described above, CORNET and EraSME are expected to have decisive positive impact on social and economic developments in Europe. As SMEs form 99 % of all European enterprises, it is of major relevance to support their economic welfare. By increasing the SME's innovation potential, European SMEs will be able to compete with companies worldwide and meet the challenges of globalisation and increasing competition. This will ensure employment and create new jobs in Europe.
CORNET II has created sustainability: a core group of countries and regions has decided to continue funding transnational Collective research (CR) projects on the basis of national programmes for two up to three years. The activities will also include funding for transnational Research, technology development and innovation (RTDI) between Small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) and Research and technology organisations (RTOs) within EraSME. The Common Office will implement practical aspects of the collaboration within CORNET and EraSME. The German ministry BMWi will provide financing for coordination by AiF. The following countries and regions have closed a collaboration agreement defining the features of the continued collaboration: Austria, Belgium-Flanders, Belgium-Wallonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Germany. Some other countries that participated in the ERA-NET initiatives CORNET and EraSME or are interested in general might join at a later stage: The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain-Madrid, Israel, Spain-Austria or Switzerland.
CORNET II has organised six calls for proposals. The most successful call involved 15 countries / regions and resulted in 23 proposals, out of which 12 projects with a project budget of ca. EUR 8.6 million were funded. The CORNET II consortium has implemented in close cooperation with EraSME² a centralised evaluation procedure featuring scientific and managerial integration. Evaluation is performed by a CORNET call coordinator, supported by EUREKA IT tool and administrative support. The efficient, fast and transparent evaluation results in a binding ranking list which is accepted by Member States (MS).
The consortium was extended by four countries/regions, thus widening the possibilities for applicants. Czech Republic, Iceland, Poland and Spain-Madrid joined the consortium and participated in joint calls for proposals. The new partners were trained with regard to proposal evaluation. Further expansion activities included contacts in personal meetings and per e-mail and telephone with a wide range of countries/regions in close cooperation with EraSME in the common office. Besides establishing contacts with ministries and funding agencies in new countries, the consortium made efforts to create a need bottom-up, i.e. on applicant's side. All European technology platforms (ETPs) were contacted and informed about funding possibilities in CORNET and EraSME and their calls for proposals and presentations were given at ETP meetings and conferences.
A broad range of activities has been performed to disseminate and communicate the benefits of transnational CR and of transnational RTDI between SMEs and RTOs to all stakeholders. Within the framework of a common communication strategy for CORNET and EraSME, the common office has developed a new corporate identity and logo 'innovation for SME' and a common umbrella website (please see http://cornet-era.net online). A general leaflet, success stories, newsletters, call announcement leaflets for each call and a common Powerpoint template were provided and used by CORNET and EraSME partners for their promotion activities. The CORNET website was continuously updated and extended. A plan for effectively using and disseminating the knowledge gained in CORNET has been provided.
Project context and objectives:
CORNET I under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) has brought together 24 CR programme owners and managers from 17 European countries and regions. CR is Research and development (R&D) performed for the benefit of a broad target group of firms, especially of SMEs. The objectives of CR are often pre-competitive and pre-normative. CR may also address innovation in processes or materials of wide application in an industry. CR results are actively promoted and disseminated across the sector for exploitation. CORNET has successfully raised awareness in Europe about the value of CR, through presentations and workshops, publications, the CORNET website, and through the joint CORNET calls for proposals. A particular achievement is that three countries have launched new CR programmes as a direct consequence of their participation in CORNET: Cyprus, Greece, and Slovenia. Four CORNET calls for proposals have been implemented. The number of agencies participating in the calls has almost tripled and the number of proposals received as well as the requested budget has almost doubled.
The principal objectives for CORNET II were to establish a long-term sustainable structure for a continuously strengthened and extended collaboration on CR across Europe (Work package (WP) 1), to increase the number of CORNET calls for proposals, their budgets, the number of funded projects etc. as well as ensure coordination with similar initiatives, e.g. the Framework Programme's Research for SME associations and the EraSME ERA-NET (WP2), to further expand the CORNET consortium to integrate new partners (WP3) and to disseminate and communicate the benefits of CR to all stakeholders (WP4). CORNET II was therefore expected to consolidate the achievements of CORNET I.
Project results:
% CORNET has created sustainability in a joint effort with EraSME in managing cooperation projects between individual SMEs and research organisations across Europe. This combines the advantages of national / regional actors such as proximity to the applicants, possibilities to advice applicants in the national language, with a centralised evaluation at European level. Furthermore a combination of national / regional and European budget increases the financial resources and the effectiveness and efficiency of CR in Europe.
We expect CORNET and EraSME to have major impact on the innovation potential and competitiveness of SMEs without own research capacities in Europe. A survey among project coordinators of completed CORNET projects shows that the range of SMEs actively involved in a project during its duration varies between 14 and 35. The SME's commitment and active contribution is ensured by a CORNET rule demanding the establishment of a SME users committee which must be demonstrated by letters of commitment of 5 SMEs per country / region to be submitted with a CORNET project proposal. During regular SME users committee meetings the RTOs present the progress of the research to the SMEs. The SMEs give feedback to the RTOs concerning their practical needs and actively influence the development of the progress, thus ensuring that the project meets the SME needs. As SME associations are exclusively eligible partners in a project, broad distribution of the research results during and after a project is ensured. The project coordinators asked in the above mentioned survey indicated a number between 1500 and 25000 SMEs expected to benefit after the end of a CORNET project.
The active involvement of SMEs and the high number of SMEs that benefit from the projects are distinctive features of CORNET. The commitment and interest of the SMEs is ensured by their letters of commitment at the beginning of the projects and their active participation in regular meetings of the SME Users committee throughout the duration of the projects. The results achieved by CORNET projects therefore meet the demands of a high number of SMEs and are used by them. Given the high benefit for SMEs as described above, CORNET and EraSME are expected to have decisive positive impact on social and economic developments in Europe. As SMEs form 99 % of all European enterprises, it is of major relevance to support their economic welfare. By increasing the SME's innovation potential, European SMEs will be able to compete with companies worldwide and meet the challenges of globalisation and increasing competition. This will ensure employment and create new jobs in Europe.
Potential impact:
CORNET has created sustainability in a joint effort with EraSME in managing cooperation projects between individual SMEs and research organisations across Europe. This combines the advantages of national / regional actors such as proximity to the applicants, possibilities to advice applicants in the national language, with a centralised evaluation at European level. Furthermore a combination of national / regional and European budget increases the financial resources and the effectiveness and efficiency of CR in Europe.
We expect CORNET and EraSME to have major impact on the innovation potential and competitiveness of SMEs without own research capacities in Europe. A survey among project coordinators of completed CORNET projects shows that the range of SMEs actively involved in a project during its duration varies between 14 and 35. The SME's commitment and active contribution is ensured by a CORNET rule demanding the establishment of a SME users committee which must be demonstrated by letters of commitment of 5 SMEs per country / region to be submitted with a CORNET project proposal. During regular SME Users committee meetings the RTOs present the progress of the research to the SMEs. The SMEs give feedback to the RTOs concerning their practical needs and actively influence the development of the progress, thus ensuring that the project meets the SME needs. As SME associations are exclusively eligible partners in a project, broad distribution of the research results during and after a project is ensured. The project coordinators asked in the above mentioned survey indicated a number between 1500 and 25000 SMEs expected to benefit after the end of a CORNET project.
The active involvement of SMEs and the high number of SMEs that benefit from the projects are distinctive features of CORNET. The commitment and interest of the SMEs is ensured by their letters of commitment at the beginning of the projects and their active participation in regular meetings of the SME users committee throughout the duration of the projects. The results achieved by CORNET projects therefore meet the demands of a high number of SMEs and are used by them. Given the high benefit for SMEs as described above, CORNET and EraSME are expected to have decisive positive impact on social and economic developments in Europe. As SMEs form 99 % of all European enterprises, it is of major relevance to support their economic welfare. By increasing the SME's innovation potential, European SMEs will be able to compete with companies worldwide and meet the challenges of globalisation and increasing competition. This will ensure employment and create new jobs in Europe.