The three project partners (KEPA- Greece, MBB-Malta, LUX Innovation-Luxemburg) implemented a peer-review process focused on design driven innovation support programmes for SMEs in order to drive competitiveness and growth. By combining forces, the partners have created the guidelines of a support instrument for integrating design innovation to SMEs.
The peer-learning process was based on two workshops (2 days each in Luxemburg and Malta) aimed at learning from the best and sharing good and bad practices in funding design support initiatives and schemes, as preparatory activity for the DOP preparation.
The workshops were organized through:
- the creation of a peer learning group (≥9 persons, from the 3 partners + representatives from regional authorities) in order to strengthen the competences in supporting SMEs in design driven innovation
- the cooperation with other initiatives that promote design driven innovation for the private sector in Europe (BEDA, Design for Europe, Design for Innovation).
Moreover, the partners implemented a pilot action by the means of a Design Diagnosis with 15 SMEs from the project partners' regions, with the aim of understanding what are the real and the unseen needs of the companies regarding design driven innovation and how to design a user friendly dedicated for them design driven innovation support scheme.
Such activities were functional for the preparation of the DOP - Design Options Paper, which identifies and documents the existing options, guidelines and implementation alternatives that DesignShot partners have experienced and would recommend to other agencies interested in implementing the proposed best practice.
Furthermore, the partners implemented different communication and dissemination activities about the project results, among which the organization of:
- a public event in Thessaloniki during European Innovation Forum (June 2018)
- a presentation of DesignShots and the DOP during Design4Innovation Project Workshop for policy Makers in Valetta (April 2018)
- three local workshops (one per each partners’ regions) presenting to SMEs how to design driven innovation can support their competitiveness.