Innovation is a one of the most important key driver for the success of SMEs. Lack of innovation management capacity is recognised as an important barrier to transform SMEs innovation activities in economic impact (competitiveness, growth and jobs). Consulting services enhancing the innovation management capacity are not available to SMEs. SMEs need support to develop an internal environment (culture, attitude, organization, procedures, methods, tools) able to exploit innovation and turn it into competitive improvement.
The main objective of I-KAM2EU was to make available the opportunity for SMEs to have a structured support to develop and maintain an internal innovation management system to facilitate their growth of competitiveness and cross-border partnerships. It can allow SMEs to become more innovative and to achieve more success with their product, service, process, organisational design and business model innovation. This would foster SME results, value and competitiveness.
The project was developed by the partners of SME2EU, the Enterprise Europe Network consortium for the three Italian regions Marche, Tuscany and Umbria.
Two kinds of services were addressed:
1. Key Account Management (KAM) service, for beneficiaries of Horizon 2020 SME Instrument/EIC Accelerator, FET Open and Fast Track to Innovation. It includes assistances to identify gaps and suitable coaches, and support their work to improve SME’s strategies and approaches to facilitate the exploitation of the founded project.
2. Enhancing Innovation Management Capacity (EIMC) service, for SMEs with significant innovation activities and concrete potential for international growth (about product, process, service or business model innovation) but with low expertise to manage innovation activities. It consists of an innovation management capacity assessment, a gap analysis and the provision of an action plan to address recognised gaps.
