Project description
Supporting innovative Swedish SMEs
The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) helps businesses innovate and grow on an international scale. It is the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions. As part of the EEN programme, the EU-funded Swennis 2019 project aims at providing services to enhance the innovation management capacity of Swedish SMEs that wish to develop innovation projects with strong European or international potential. The programme is addressed to 37 SME beneficiaries of the funding schemes SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) and Future and Emerging Technologies Open (FET-Open) under H2020, and to 37 SMEs with notable innovation activities and a great potential for internationalisation.
Objective
Successful growth companies tend to be significantly better at innovation management than average. However, most SMEs and SME support organisations consider the inability to manage innovation processes efficiently and effectively as one of the most important barriers to create European economic impact (competitiveness, growth and jobs) from innovation activities in SMEs.
The objective of this project proposal is to address these problems by providing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs wishing to develop innovation projects with a strong European or international potential.
There are two SME target groups that will receive 74 7-day work packages.
1. 37 SME beneficiaries of the funding schemes SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) and Future and Emerging Technologies Open ( FET-Open) under H2020 will be supported by Key Account Managers (KAM); and
2. 37 SMEs with significant innovation activities and a high potential for internationalisation will be supported by EIMC experts to ensure that the innovation management capacity of the SME is increased
The specific objectives related to the first target group are to ensure that SME beneficiaries of H2020 can exploit their full innovation potential. A KAM will identify weaknesses in the innovation capacities of the SME, identify suitable coaches who will address the identified weaknesses and facilitate the SME- coach interaction.
The specific objectives related to the second target group are to ensure that the innovation management capacities of the SMEs increase. An EIMC export will carry out innovation management capacity assessments, set up an action plans to address identified bottlenecks and implement the action plans.
Five partners: IVF, Acreo, RISE, LTU Business AB and Invest in Skane will carry out these services and all of Sweden will be covered (i.e. all three Nuts 1 regions). The coordinator, Tillväxtverket, will have the overall responsibility.
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
102 61 Stockholm
Sweden