Support services to IMProve innovation and competitiveness of business in Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna

Project Information

KAMINLER

Grant agreement ID: 674867

DOI

10.3030/674867

Project closed

EC signature date 5 August 2015

Start date 1 January 2015

End date 31 December 2016

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 522 974,00

EU contribution

€ 522 974,00

Coordinated by

FINANZIARIA REGIONALE PER LO SVILUPPO DELLA LOMBARDIA (FINLOMBARDA)
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - KAMINLER (Support services to IMProve innovation and competitiveness of business in Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna)

Reporting period: 2015-01-01 to 2016-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The activities carried out and the results achieved by the KAMINLER Consortium are in line with the main goal of the project: to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability and to favour the growth of the SMEs in Lombardy and in Emilia-Romagna, through the establishment and delivery in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna of a specific, new, Enterprise Europe Network service designed to enhance the innovation management capacity of SMEs, by providing in-depth support in the areas where these services are absent or unaffordable on local markets. The new service will also aim at supporting beneficiaries of the SME Instrument (H2020) dealing with coaching assignments and addressing specific innovation weaknesses.
The action of the partners aimed at meeting the needs of the SMEs of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. Partners offered individual support services tailored on the characteristics of the small size of the two regions companies. They offered services with the aim to help SMEs to improve their capacity to manage innovation. to successfully develop new products and services and obtain a high economic impact from their market exploitation.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The activities of the KAMINLER are included in two Work Packages:
- WP1: Key account management” for the beneficiaries of the SME instrument
- WP2: “Enhancing SME innovation management capacity” for innovating SME independently from a specific project.
The main objective of the WP1 was to provide support services to the beneficiaries of the SME Instrument in order to identify weaknesses in the innovation management capacities and specific needs of the companies and identify suitable coaches to address the identified weaknesses and moderating the coach-client relationship through the SME instrument project.
On the whole the cases of beneficiaries of the SME Instrument which received KAM services were 136, of which 75% in phase 1 and 25% in phase 2, 63% in Lombardia. and 37% in Emilia-Romagna.
The main objective of the work package was to carry out innovation diagnostic audits of SMEs, in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy regions in order to identify and propose actions for improving their Innovation Management performance.
Partner delivered the EIMC service to 106 SMEs using IMP³rove and Innovation Health Check tools.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

On the whole, KAMINLER partners provided KAM or EIMC services to 242 SMEs located in Lombardy and in Emilia-Romagna regions.
In order to achieve synergies with COSME activities, partners have promoted EEN services to the SMEs especially with regards to support for internationalization, to find international partners and to access to finance. In particular partners organized a B2I event in Milan on 21/11/2016 (PMI innovative e investitori si incontrano), where 25 SME Instrument beneficiaries met 11 investors (Business Angels, Venture Capitalists, Banks, etc.).
Beneficiaries of the SME Instrument and SMEs which received a Seal of Excellence were supported with EEN services concerning access to finance, partner search, IPR service, participation in Brokerage Events and Company Missions, etc. In particular SMEs which received a Seal of Excellence were supported to meet investors and to access to regional funding.
The expected impact from the project’s actions is to contribute to enhance the competiveness and the growth of the SMEs receiving the services. The expected benefits for SMEs are: Improved knowledge in Innovation Management, enhancement of Innovation performances, improvement of their business model, improved communication, increasing results coming from innovation activities, improve capacity to finance innovative ideas, etc.