I-KAM2EU implemented the two services in close collaboration between all partners and in connection with the activities developed by all the partners themselves as Enterprise Europe Network members, about: the promotion of the services, the identification of candidates for EIMC service and the suggestion of further targeted opportunities for companies.
The partners agreed common operating procedures for the two services.
The partners have worked on a regional basis. Inside Tuscany and Marche where two active partners were involved, SME Instrument beneficiaries were equally allocated among the partners. Partners have informed each other about contacts for EIMC services, too.
About KAM services, the activities have been constrained in the times and numbers from the results of the participation of local companies at the SME Instruments cut-offs.
An efficient way to assign the beneficiary to a partner and to start immediately the services was enabled. In the most cases, the SME’s needs analysis was done with the “smE-MPOWER” tool. All the activities were registered and monitored in the “Case Tracker”.
I-KAM2EU supported 31 SME Instrument beneficiaries. 20 of these achieved the complete service for Phase 1. All the served clients were very satisfied with the results of the coaching.
About EIMC services, the start of works was delayed because the timing of the Grant Agreement signature. Moreover, for a long period, I-KAM2EU adopted a single tool (“IMP3rove”), but the difficulty of using it with the large majority of companies from Marche, Tuscany and Umbria (because very small) caused the inability to activate new services. Meanwhile, a few partners completed the activities with the clients activated in 2014. By the half of May 2016, “Innovation Health Check (IHC)” was approved by EASME as a second tool for the assessment, and made it was possible to reduce the gap.
I-KAM2EU completed the EIMC service in 33 companies, 14 of which approached with IMP3rove and 19 with IHC. Other 24 cases are started, and will continue in 2017; assessments were done using IMP3rove in 1 case and using IHC in other 23.
The companies involved have considered interesting the approach that stimulated a nontrivial and unusual reflection on internal processes. In general, the companies gave positive feedbacks, with a growing awareness on innovation management processes and improvements on specific points. Difficulties were: heaviness of IMP3rove questionnaire, poor benchmarking in IHC tool, the needs for access to finance to carry out the improvement plan.
Only three companies achieved both KAM and EIMC services. In total, I-KAM2EU’s activities involved 85 companies, of which 63.5% in Tuscan, 23.5% in Marche and 13% in Umbria.
