Value-added Innovation in fooD chAins

Leistungen

Online training courses: 5 in total. There is already a wealth of support materials available to support SMEs, both conventional and unconventional sources. As opposed to duplicating these materials and resulting in potential wastage, the consortium will seek to bring together the existing materials into a format that is directly applicable to the situations and challenges encountered by SMEs. Over 25 existing courses will be collated in this way. As such 5 new courses will be developed, tailored towards specific challenges encountered by SMEs (e.g. IPR, innovation management, project management etc.) identified in Task 2.2.

Project branding

Project branding (logo and templates). Common branding will be developed including templates for project deliverables, databases, presentations, e-newsletters, ensuring the consistency and common image of all documents developed during the project (in task 6.2.1).

The first 5 VIDA innovation challenges which are selected and supported by the VIDA advisory board.

The VIDA advisory board will define a list of innovation challenges from which the 5 most urgent/promising challenges will be selected to be solved by a multidisciplinary group of European SME’s for the first call of Demonstration Projects. A list of priority lines in which the innovation challenges will be framed is presented in section 1.3 in table 1.3a in the proposal.

VIDA Alumni and legacy

Report detailing the establishment of the VIDA Alumni where former beneficiaries as well as unsuccessful applicant SMEs are invited to become members of a club which through regular activities should actively grow and promote the legacy of the VIDA project

Assessment of VIDA’s project activities and results.

Assessment of VIDAs project activities and resultsVIDA has purposefully defined a set of measurable performance indicators and respective target values which will be used to monitor and assess the implementation of the project and its impact Table 21a of the proposal These indicators will be used to evaluate the contribution VIDA is making across all its activities to the innovation performance of SMEs and innovation actors Table 21b of the proposal A series of evaluation tools will be developed including surveys feedback forms secondary data collection and analysis We will critically evaluate the results to determine what has worked as well as what hasnt worked to continuously improve our delivery and inform our postproject exploitation Task 64 We will also determine how the results have impacted other sectors and how far they have reached cascading trickle and rebound effects The tools will be tailored for different audiences eg clusters SMEs large organisations etc to determine what impact the project has had on different stakeholder groups including different levels and which activities had the desired impact as well as support crossvalidation of project results

Evaluation process published.

Evaluation process published. A set of evaluation criteria and a proposal scoring system for each of our three funding schemes will be developed and widely disseminated, it will be hosted and highlighted on CLOU5 to ensure that potential applicants fully understand the criteria against which their proposals will be assessed. It will include e.g. TRL level, job creation potential, economic / social / environmental impact, involvement across borders and sectors, female leadership. This is to optimise the quality of submissions and transparency of the evaluation process (WP4). The project team will also prepare guidelines (such as setting out how the evaluators are selected and the process for feedback of results), terms (such as eligibility criteria) and template grant agreements.

Final evaluation and award of Validation projects

Evaluation and award of Validation projects. These projects are designed to provide rapid, targeted support to existing new industrial value chain initiatives, to enable them to validate the potential impact and to facilitate their commercialisation. Eligible activities will include product/process validation at TRL5-8. Validation Voucher applications represent a joint action between one benefited SME and a service provider who supports technological validation. SMEs will be invited to complete a short application form detailing their project idea and describing its suitability for the specified challenge related to their prefered service provider. The application process will be conducted virtually through CLOU5 (developed in Task 2.1), thereby reducing costs and ensuring the process is efficient, giving potential participants enough time to develop their idea and implement it. Submitted proposals will be assessed as a group by 3 members of the project team who will review/score each team using the methodology determined in Task 2.3. Funded projects will be initially limited to 6 months however organisations can apply to extend the length of the project if required. A short project cycle has been specified in order to provide the targeted, fast support to enable fast validation and accelerate the commercialisation, driving revenues for the SMEs to secure the return on their investment to date. Moreover, validated technologies can also be the basis for the continuation of a Demonstration Project. The applicant will be supported by VIDA consortium financially and with services. These services from the VIDA partners could include the search for appropriate demonstration sites, lab-facilities and personnel. In total, a voucher would be maximum 25.000 euro with a total reserved budget of €250,000. Around 10 projects are expected during the open call. The task leader (FPI) will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.3, notifying applicants of the decision. The coordinator (CEW) will be responsible for disbursing the funds (held by Coordinator). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3. Example projects are shown in Table 1.4 (a and b) of the proposal. A final report at the end time of the open call (M24) will be published, which contain publishable information of the awarded Validation projects and the used budget.

Regional RIS3 recommendations report.

D53 Report on supported SMEs in the regionRegional RIS3 recommendations reportUsing our project results Task 11 WP4 and Task 52 a series of regional national and European level summaries for policymakers will be produced to enable the project outputs to directly feed into current and future EC policy development We will actively feed our results into the Research and Innovation Smart Specialization strategies RIS3 across the participating regions NorthernNetherlands NL Norte PT MecklenburgVorpommern DE and North RhineWestphalia DE Lombardy IT Aragn ES Denmark DK see Box 21 by providing lessons learnt and recommendations to further develop and support newly created industrial value chains in these regions Support can be given in the form of advice on funding matchmaking technical and business Innovation barriers can be taken away and launching costumers can be more easily located

Evaluation and award of innovation support vouchers

Evaluation and award of innovation support vouchers An innovation support voucher scheme will be made available to assist specific organisational activities not covered under the project grants described above. Eligible activities for funding will include IP and innovation management support, consultancy and technical assistance provided by innovation experts in advanced manufacturing, ICT, eco-innovation, new business models and emerging technology applications, among others. The application process will be activated through CLOU5 (Task 2.1). Applicants will identify their preferred supplier and justify their selection in the application form. All applications will be assessed as a group by 3 members of the project team. The reputation of the supplier will also be reviewed. Once the funding has been issued and support provided, successful applicants will write a short report detailing the support they received and the impact it has had on their business. Claims submitted under this scheme will be verified by the Task leader to ensure the innovation voucher has been utilised for an appropriate purpose, and suppliers have adequately undertaken the work specified. All recipients of this voucher scheme will be required to submit an expenses claim form containing all relevant details. The launch of these vouchers will be timed to coincide with the matchmaking events (Task 3.2) given the significant benefit to recipients that have been demonstrated when voucher schemes are twinned with brokerage and matchmaking activities. Approximately 25 innovation support vouchers are expected to be distributed under this scheme, with a total reserved budget of €125,000 (average grant value €5,000). The task leader (CEW) will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.3, notifying applicants of the decision and supporting the disbursing the funds (held by CEW as they have the necessary administrative structures). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3. A final report at the end time of the open call (M24) will be published, which contain publishable information of the awarded Innovation Support Vouchers and the used budget.

Report of results from cross-sectoral and cross-border working groups.

Report of results from cross-sectoral and cross-border working groups. Working groups will be established in line with our innovation challenges. These groups will be eligible and encouraged to develop joint project proposals which can be funded under the large-scale innovation project scheme (Task 4.1). Each working group will emphasise the cross-sector / cross-border challenges arising within their innovation challenge. Outputs from the meetings will be shared to enable wider cross-sector and cross-border discussion through CLOU5. These working groups are anticipated to operate for the duration of the project and after its completion to sustain innovation.

The second 5 VIDA innovation challenges which are selected and supported by the VIDA advisory board

The VIDA advisory board will define a list of innovation challenges from which the 5 most urgent/promising challenges will be selected to be solved by a multidisciplinary group of European SME’s for the second call of Demonstration Projects. A list of priority lines in which the innovation challenges will be framed is presented in section 1.3 in table 1.3a in the proposal.

New industrial value chains impact report, and journal article.

New industrial value chains impact report and journal articleThe impact of the new industrial value chains created in WP4 is evaluated A monitoring procedure will be developed and effective engagement established in conjunction with Task 44 to collect both direct and indirect impacts of each VIDA funded projects in terms of new innovationvalue chains created and also income and employment opportunities created Data will be extrapolated to show the overall impacts expected postproject over a 5 and 10 year horizon The wider expected impact of these activities on different sectors will also be qualitatively evaluated Responding to our evaluation procedures will be a condition of receiving funding from VIDA

Evaluation and award of Demonstration projects, first call.

Evaluation and award of demonstration projects. Demonstration Vouchers are expected to target large scale projects comprising between 2-7 SMEs and innovation actors from within the participating clusters, ESCP-4is memberships and its regions. This structure is designed to promote cross-sectoral exchanges of knowledge and best practice at the organisation level, thereby leading to the development of new industrial value chains capable of addressing current (increasingly complex) cross-sectoral challenges, already identified in section 1. Eligible activities will include prototyping, testing, piloting at TRL6-8. Sandpit style events about the innovation challenges will be held alongside the project consortium meetings (2 during the project). Each of the awarded projects will be invited to attend these events. The sandpits will be facilitated to enable the attendees to develop new and highly innovative cross-sectoral projects. Sandpit attendees will be invited to pitch their awarded project and sign their VIDA grant agreements with VIDA coordinator. The review panel will comprise 3 relevant experts (Task 1.2) who will review/score each team using the methodology determined in Task 2.3. Funded projects will be initially limited to 12 months including preparation time. A short project cycle has been specified in order to prioritise higher TRL projects and encourage the pursuit of ‘quick-wins’ - projects yielding clear, rapid and tangible benefits, for example repurposing a technology dominant in one field to another or demonstration of an already proven technology. 10 projects are expected to be funded under these funding calls (around 5 during each funding round), between €20.000-60.000/project participant (up to €250,000/project), with a total reserved budget of €3,000,000. The task leader will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.4, notifying applicants of the decision and supporting the disbursing the funds (held by the Coordinator). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3.

Evaluation and award of ISV Booster vouchers

The ISV Booster scheme was conceived after some money allocated to other voucher schemes failed to be used or was returned due to errors in accounting. In order to benefit the SMEs who had applied in earlier rounds but had not been selected, the Booster scheme was created to use up this money or SME ISV projects which were innovative and creative. The process used to select candidates was the same as with the other ISV vouchers. A call was followed by submission of applications, evaluation and selection. A main difference here was the duration which was fixed at maximum 4 months, due to the approaching end of the project. 10 projects were selected for ISV Booster funding.

Interim evaluation and award of Validation projects

Evaluation and award of Validation projects. These projects are designed to provide rapid, targeted support to existing new industrial value chain initiatives, to enable them to validate the potential impact and to facilitate their commercialisation. Eligible activities will include product/process validation at TRL5-8. Validation Voucher applications represent a joint action between one benefited SME and a service provider who supports technological validation. SMEs will be invited to complete a short application form detailing their project idea and describing its suitability for the specified challenge related to their prefered service provider. The application process will be conducted virtually through CLOU5 (developed in Task 2.1), thereby reducing costs and ensuring the process is efficient, giving potential participants enough time to develop their idea and implement it. Submitted proposals will be assessed as a group by 3 members of the project team who will review/score each team using the methodology determined in Task 2.3. Funded projects will be initially limited to 6 months however organisations can apply to extend the length of the project if required. A short project cycle has been specified in order to provide the targeted, fast support to enable fast validation and accelerate the commercialisation, driving revenues for the SMEs to secure the return on their investment to date. Moreover, validated technologies can also be the basis for the continuation of a Demonstration Project. The applicant will be supported by VIDA consortium financially and with services. These services from the VIDA partners could include the search for appropriate demonstration sites, lab-facilities and personnel. In total, a voucher would be maximum 25.000 euro with a total reserved budget of €250,000. Around 10 projects are expected during the open call. The task leader (FPI) will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.3, notifying applicants of the decision. The coordinator (CEW) will be responsible for disbursing the funds (held by Coordinator). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3. Example projects are shown in Table 1.4 (a and b) of the proposal. An interim report at half time of the open call (M17) will be published, which contain publishable information of the awarded projects and the remaining budget.

Journal article on comparing approaches to develop innovation capacity.
Exploitation strategy for competitive goods and services.

Exploitation strategy for competitive goods and services. An Exploitation Strategy is developed and implemented to support the SMEs that participate in funded innovation projects (Task 4.1 and 4.2) in the exploitation of their results. This will include support in leveraging private or public (national and regional) funding. When possible, synergies with other projects (e.g. involved ESCP-4i) will be exploited. Case studies will be promoted through the project website and social media. Additionally, each cluster will be available to provide guidance to their member SMEs for the exploitation of results, for example informing them about financial support mechanisms available at the national or international level, potential markets, customers or partners, relevant trade fairs etc.

Evaluation and award of Demonstration projects, second call

Evaluation and award of large-scale projects. Demonstration Vouchers are expected to target large scale projects comprising between2-7 SMEs and innovation actors from within the participating clusters, ESCP-4is memberships and its regions. This structure is designed to promote cross-sectoral exchanges of knowledge and best practice at the organisation level, thereby leading to the development of new industrial value chains capable of addressing current (increasingly complex) cross-sectoral challenges, already identified in section 1. Eligible activities will include prototyping, testing, piloting at TRL6-8. Sandpit style events about the innovation challenges will be held alongside the project consortium meetings (2 during the project). Each of the awarded projects will be invited to attend these events. The sandpits will be facilitated to enable the attendees to develop new and highly innovative cross-sectoral projects. Sandpit attendees will be invited to pitch their awarded project and sign their VIDA grant agreements with VIDA coordinator. The review panel will comprise 3 relevant experts (Task 1.2) who will review/score each team using the methodology determined in Task 2.3. Funded projects will be initially limited to 12 months including preparation time. A short project cycle has been specified in order to prioritise higher TRL projects and encourage the pursuit of ‘quick-wins’ - projects yielding clear, rapid and tangible benefits, for example repurposing a technology dominant in one field to another or demonstration of an already proven technology. 10 projects are expected to be funded under these funding calls (around 5 during each funding round), between €20.000-60.000/project participant (up to €250,000/project), with a total reserved budget of €3,000,000. The task leader will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.4, notifying applicants of the decision and supporting the disbursing the funds (held by the Coordinator). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3.

Interim evaluation and award of Innovation Support vouchers

Interim evaluation and award of Innovation Support vouchers. An innovation support voucher scheme will be made available to assist specific organisational activities not covered under the project grants described above. Eligible activities for funding will include IP and innovation management support, consultancy and technical assistance provided by innovation experts in advanced manufacturing, ICT, eco-innovation, new business models and emerging technology applications, among others. The application process will be activated through CLOU5 (Task 2.1). Applicants will identify their preferred supplier and justify their selection in the application form. All applications will be assessed as a group by 3 members of the project team. The reputation of the supplier will also be reviewed. Once the funding has been issued and support provided, successful applicants will write a short report detailing the support they received and the impact it has had on their business. Claims submitted under this scheme will be verified by the Task leader to ensure the innovation voucher has been utilised for an appropriate purpose, and suppliers have adequately undertaken the work specified. All recipients of this voucher scheme will be required to submit an expenses claim form containing all relevant details. The launch of these vouchers will be timed to coincide with the matchmaking events (Task 3.2) given the significant benefit to recipients that have been demonstrated when voucher schemes are twinned with brokerage and matchmaking activities. Approximately 25 innovation support vouchers are expected to be distributed under this scheme, with a total reserved budget of €125,000 (average grant value €5,000). The task leader (CEW) will be responsible for implementing the evaluation process determined in Task 2.3, notifying applicants of the decision and supporting the disbursing the funds (held by CEW as they have the necessary administrative structures). Unsuccessful applicants will receive signposting support in Task 4.5. Project evaluation is conducted in Task 5.1. Exploitation support is provided in Task 6.3. An interim report at half time of the open call (M17) will be published, which contain publishable information of the awarded projects and the remaining budget.

Project website and social media presence.

The project website will be used to present general information about the project and be updated with regular news about activities implemented and results achieved. The project website will aim to reach all target groups and the general public. Additionally, a special section on each project partner’s home website will be launched by M3 of the project. These webpages will contain several pieces of information including: project objectives, partners and activities. This section will be kept updated and linked with the project results and activities, project website and our collaboration platform, CLOU5. This is task 6.2.2 of the proposal.

Virtual knowledge sharing and matchmaking events.

Ten networking and business brokerage virtual events will be coordinated. These events will create new links between organisations which are unable to attend the physical networking events (Task 3.2), as well as provide additional opportunities for organisations to discuss points raised at the larger physical events in an open-forum style virtual environment.

Project marketing collateral

Development of promotional materials: an online project brochure summarising the key work areas, maintained throughout the project and developed into a slide deck for use at external presentations. This is task 6.2.3 of the proposal.

Physical business and investment brokerage events

Physical business and investment brokerage events. Three physical international brokerage, matchmaking and networking events will be organised in M10, M22 and at the end of the project in M40 (to coincide with the consortium meetings (Task 7.1)). These events, lasting 1 day, will involve the participation of experts and problem owners from the advisory board identified and engaged through VIDA, with a particular focus on SMEs. The objective of events 1 and 2 will be to support the implementation and use of the innovation vouchers (Task 4.3), while event 3 will be more focused on ensuring the sustainability of the collaboration resulting from VIDA in the long-term (after the project’s completion). Invited experts and organisations will gain up-to-date and topical insights and practical examples of challenges and opportunities for innovation throughout the food chain in line with our thematic priorities (Task 1.1).

VIDA CLOU5 platform.

Consortium partners will engage their SME networks to use the existing open innovation platform - CLOU5 (Figure 1.3d) – to initiate discussions towards cooperating in innovation project development. CLOU5 effectively combines bespoke collaboration tools comparable to dropbox, skype, doodle etc., and is accessible regardless of individual hardware and software configurations. Users will be facilitated through the platform’s interface to develop cross-sector and cross-border innovation projects based on the 10 selected innovation challenges (that will be realised in WP4).

E-newsletters and press releases.

Enewsletters and press releases At least twice a year an enewsletter will be created to disseminate the project activities and results The lead story from this will also be circulated as press releases for local national media coverage These materials will also be disseminated through the project website CLOU5 and social networks This is task 625Social networks VIDA will use the European Cluster Collaboration Platform ECCP Twitter Facebook and LinkedIn to widely disseminate the implementation of project activities especially aiming to foster the engagement of relevant stakeholders promoting the profiles of partners and ESCPs involved in the project and the project results The consortium will optimise social media activities using tags and groups and these will be linked with the online collaboration platform CLOU5 where possible Social networks will be crucial for the dissemination of project activities and to foster the participation of stakeholders mainly SMEs in open calls for innovation projects thus in close relation with Task 24 This is task 624 of the project proposal

Online submission system, live within CLOU5.

Online submission system, live within CLOU5. Consortium partners will engage their SME networks to use the existing open innovation platform - CLOU5 (Figure 1.3d) – to initiate discussions towards cooperating in innovation project development. CLOU5 effectively combines bespoke collaboration tools comparable to dropbox, skype, doodle etc., and is accessible regardless of individual hardware and software configurations. Users will be facilitated through the platform’s interface to develop cross-sector and cross-border innovation projects based on the 10 selected innovation challenges (that will be realised in WP4). All discussions take place in the environment of trust (platform is on Western European Server, German law) of the involved network organisations (enabled through the innovation management activities outlined in Task 7.3). Additionally, users may individually decide who can see their information e.g. one special group, the selected network, all platform users or the broad public etc. As such, both open and closed groups will be created. During the project lifetime, we will have >250 experts’ profiles registered and continually active on the platform. To efficiently handle the e-submission and the evaluation of the proposals (Task 4.2 and Task 4.3), CLOU5 will be used. This will include managing access to view proposals by the expert evaluation panel (comprising experts from the consortium and advisory board, see Task 1.4); evaluation scoring; and provision of direct evaluation feedback (linked to signposting Task 4.4). All submitted proposals will be anonymised automatically by CLOU5. This anonymised proposal will be provided to the relevant experts. Clou5 will be everything from one source ensure in a safe and fair submission system.

Leistungen

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