The services helped the clients to define priorities and to tackle challenges in their innovation process. This should support conducting the innovation projects successfully. In the KAM case the support should result in a smoother transition into the phase 2 of the project and to other sources of financing.
Further expected results are a higher commitment to a structured innovation management and a stronger involvement of the staff into the innovation process.
The project contributes to the aims of the Europe 2020 strategy in terms of increasing business and innovation performance of SMEs.
The EEN Hessen assisted 14 companies within the KAM process in 2017-2018, 12 of them beneficiaries of phase 1 and two beneficiaries of phase 2 of the SME Instrument. Six cases out of them are in progress. In line with the client journey concept of the network, there is a close synergy between the advisory within the COSME activities and the KAM process starting from the advisory and application support for SME Instrument through discussing evaluation results, analysing client’s needs for the project implementation, defining necessary steps for the project and beyond, facilitating the coach-SME interaction, supporting the phase 2 applications and advisory on alternative finance sources as well as phase 3 activities.
Within the EIMC process EEN Hessen has advised 12 companies in 2017-2018, two cases still being in progress. In general, the service has a positive impact especially in terms of improving the company’s position on the market, increasing the added value associated with the product or service, developing the potential to enter new markets, improving the quality of the product or service and increasing clients’ satisfaction. Finally, the service contributes to improving the innovation strategy and innovation management capacities of the client companies. Following a client-centric approach, the service is interlinked with the COSME activities. Most of the clients use the advice on funding schemes and on internationalisation and use EEN’s support in finding international partners and strengthening the regional network.
