Project description
Creating a safe foundation in agriculture for SMEs
Strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food sector is a top priority in the EU. SMEs in agriculture are critical to the development of sustainable food systems. In this context, the EU-funded CollSupportSMEs project will define a new innovation support programme for rural SMEs in the agri-food sector. The overall goal is to promote transnational collaboration and the development of relevant tools and projects. CollSupportSMEs will also highlight good practices and increase social awareness about innovation opportunities. The new programme will be outlined in a Design Option Paper that will include key recommendations for the improvement of innovation systems in the agri-food sector.
Objective
The project focuses on establishing an international collaboration network on an international level in the field of development of public programs that support SMEs, specifically in the agri-food sector. For this purpose, the project uses a twinning methodology based on the identification of best practices and the collaboration and implication of all agents of the R&D+I system that contribute to innovation and the competitive improvement, within the framework of Smart Specialisation Strategies. As a result, a new support program for innovation for rural SMEs in the agri-food sector will be defined and implemented. The proposal is part of the INNOSUP-05 program for the peer-learning of regional and national Innovation Agencies that are working on innovation with SMEs and the three partners are: FIA (Chile), IDEPA (Asturias) and Dev'Up (Loire).
The Agri-food is one of the sectors that enjoys a prominent presence in RIS3 Strategies of Europe (such as in Asturias and Loire). For this reason, the current project aims to improve the measures to support innovation by key agencies of the agri-food sector following these specific objectives:
• Encourage and Promote transnational collaboration
• Development of specific tools and projects for the sector
• Establishment of a mutual learning work methodology between innovation agencies
• Diffusion of best practice cases, focused on the rural sector and SMEs
• In the long-term, Social awareness regarding innovation opportunities
The expected results of the Project are to generate a stable network of collaboration, to define a new program for SMEs in the agri-food sector and Design Option Paper (DOP) with a compilation of recommendations for the improvement of innovation systems in agriculture and the food industry.
To achieve this, a work plan has been defined in five activities:
1) Desk analysis
2) Sharing experiences
3) Design of a Support Program
4) Recommendations for Support Agencies for Innovation and Development
5) Plan
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
7850601 Santiago
Chile