Business Innovation Support Network for the Czech Republic – Enhancing the innovation management capacities of SMEs by EEN in 2019

Project Information

BISONet PLUS3 ENH

Grant agreement ID: 831240

DOI

10.3030/831240

Project closed

EC signature date 30 November 2018

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 December 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 70 259,00

EU contribution

€ 70 259,00

Coordinated by

TECHNOLOGICKE CENTRUM PRAHA ZSPO
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BISONet PLUS3 ENH (Business Innovation Support Network for the Czech Republic – Enhancing the innovationmanagement capacities of SMEs by EEN in 2019)

Reporting period: 2019-01-01 to 2019-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Specific challenges the project addresses are 1) lack of quality and affordable consulting services in the area of enhancing the innovation management capacity for SMEs the Czech Republic, 2) lack of innovation management capacity and experience with innovation management in Czech SMEs we have witnessed as significant.

In all cases we will contribute to improvement of the innovation management capacity in the client SMEs and they will help to remove (at least partly) the barrier to achieve positive economic and social impact from innovation activities (preservation and new job, better competiveness and increase of export, economic growth of European companies).

The overall objective of the “BISONet PLUS3 ENH” project for year 2019 was to deliver services to enhance innovation management capacity of SMEs, in particular to the SME Instrument beneficiaries (European Innovation Council).
BISONet PLUS3 ENH project set 3 specific objectives it aimed to achieve:
1. Building up the capacity of EEN in the Czech Republic to assure availability of services “Enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs” by close cooperation, mutual trainings in smE-MPOWER methodology and sharing of experience.
2. Implement the services of “Enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs” in the Czech Republic. Under WP2 “Enhancing SME innovation management capacity” both project partners will visit 38 companies.
3. Deliver targeted support to beneficiaries of SME Instrument (EIC) in facilitating coaching to address specific innovation weaknesses. Under WP1 “Key account management for the beneficiaries of the SME Instrument (EIC)” 4 beneficiaries should receive KAM services.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Thanks to the project BISONet PLUS3 ENH 2019 innovation management capacity assessment and support services to SMEs were further developed in the Czech Republic and offered to wider spectrum of innovative SMEs. These SMEs have higher potential to commercialize their innovation on foreign markets and scale-up rapidly.
KAM services were provided for 11 companies (9 cases under phase 1 and 2 cases under phase 2). Needs analysis carried on and action plans developed (EIMC) were provided to 39 SMEs (same number as initially planned). Majority of these 50 cases were finalised. The consortium partners are currently working on 7 cases which started in 2019, but have not yet been finalised by 31st December 2019.
Both partners use the same smE-MPOWER methodology and approach towards companies ensuring the standardized services are delivered throughout the whole Czech Republic. There was unique occasion to map innovation needs of SMEs, which means new possibility to provide Enterprise Europe Network services. Many new clients (SMEs) were identified during the project and long-term cooperation were established. Some of the clients are potential candidates for the scaling-up project or submitting the application for SME Instrument beneficiaries (European Innovation Council).
Progress of the project implementation was regularly monitored and checked during the consortium meetings of BISONet PLUS consortium. These meetings were organised 3 times in 2019. To ensure higher level of standardised services joint trainings were organised Prague and Brno (all staff involved in EIMC activities/services) took part at least in one of them. During the trainings ways of using the assessment tool and working with companies were explained, discussed and reviewed.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The main activities and benefits foreseen by SMEs which received EIMC services are as follows:
a) Improved internal processes
b) Clarification of company´s goals/targets for next 3 years and steps to be taken to reach them.
c) Improved work with customers (better knowledge of customer needs)

The project team assumes the following impacts on the entire society mainly social impacts (almost four-fifths SMEs saved jobs and one fifth has increased the number of employees) and economic impacts (almost half of SMEs maintained turnover and more than half increased turnover).

Both project partners were active in developing new support tools and programs for Czech SMEs – e.g. for the companies which received the Seal of Excellence - national programme Seal of Excellence GAMA supported by Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the regional scheme “SME-Instrument Brno” was initiated and then implemented by JIC. TC AV and also JIC were in regular contact with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic to discuss the possibility to introduce nation-wide scheme for Seal of Excellence holders, phase 2 or support for applicants as well. Companies which were selected and offered EIMC services were also offered regular EEN services such as internationalization and/or partnership services etc. if those were relevant for the needs identified during the needs analysis. Relevant EIMC clients were introduced to SME-Instrument program.

Although this project was very successful, valued highly by participating companies in many cases (especially in WP2), overall budget for Czech Republic was significantly reduced in 2016 due to low success rate of Czech companies in SME Instrument (WP1), which slowed down the activities covered by this project in 2019, lower its impact, and as outcome likely further decrease the success rate of Czech companies in SME Instrument/EIC. That may result in the overall lower collaboration of Czech companies in the programme.

Both partners tried to address low interest in SME-Instrument programme by individually addressing potential applicants and organising several workshops and seminars in cooperation with EASME, NCPs and other stakeholders (e.g. EEN, national and regional agencies). It proved to work to a certain extent, because about 3 of later SME-Instrument beneficiaries participated in these workshops or advisory meetings before successfully applying for SME-Instrument grant. Especially, the close cooperation with the Czech NCP proved to work well.

Czech company FUTTEC, coach T. Le Séguillon (Germany), with J. Vavrinek, 5.12.2019