French Mediterranean Support for Innovative SMEs

Project Information

MED4INNO

Grant agreement ID: 831313

DOI

10.3030/831313

Project closed

EC signature date 4 February 2019

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 December 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 151 822,50

EU contribution

€ 151 822,50

Coordinated by

RISINGSUD
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MED4INNO (French Mediterranean Support for Innovative SMEs)

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

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

MED4INNO Project is an extension of the running MED2EUROPE Project financed under COSME Program for Enterprise Europe Network activity. The project covers the whole French Mediterranean area with 3 regions: SUD Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (SUD), east of Occitanie (former Languedoc – Roussillon) (OCC) and Corsica (NUTS1 region - FR7). The project is carried out by 3 partners located in the 2 major regions (SUD and OCC), Corsica being covered by signposting for this specific Action:
- risingSUD (former Agence Régionale de l’Innovation et de l’Internationalisation des entreprises de la région PACA (ARII PACA) for Sud, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region (SUD)
- Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Région PACA (CCIR PACA) for Sud, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region (and Corsica through Signposting)
- AD’OCC (former Transferts LR (TLR) for Languedoc-Roussillon as part of the Region Occitanie (OCC)
The main objective of the project is to contribute into the increase of competitiveness of our most promising companies. Our action aims to support them to challenge, analyse and improve their innovation leverages to be more competitive. Our challenge is to provide support actions to innovative & high growth SMEs by giving them mixed & dedicated service packages and a specific attention during the follow-up.
2 types of Service Packages are proposed according 2 “cases” of regional SMEs we have to address for this project:
- for SMEs which are benefiting from EIC Program grants (SME-I/Accelerator/FET/FTI), which are future European Champions, => service named Key Account Management action (KAM);
- for SMEs with significant innovation activities and/or with a high growth potential for international development, selected among our Clients database or signposted from partners, => service named Enhancing Innovation Management Capacity Action (EIMC).
According to the budget granted to our geographical area, the MED4INNO project has a global objective to support 53 SMEs with a full Service Package: 7 for KAM, 46 for EIMC.
Finally, project partners achieved 42 services packages (12 in KAM and 30 in Innovation Management), which is about 80% of the expected target for 2019.

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

Project partners achieved 42 services packages (12 new KAM and 30 in Innovation Management), which is about 80% of the expected target for 2019 (target of 53 cases (7/46)).

These figures are very good for 2019. Indeed we delivered KAM services to 12 new granted SMEs on SME Instrument & EIC Accelerator, 6 projects balanced in the 2 regions: 5 on phase 2 project, and 7 on phase 1. This result has been outstanding as we didn’t get so many awarded SMEs previously.
We started 30 EIMC service package for Innovation Management in SMEs. This figure is little bit lower than expected, but the main issue is not the number of SMEs supported : it is much more our difficulties to invest the whole service packages of 7 days and to stick to action plan agreed with SMEs. It is difficult to keep SMEs “warm” during the whole EIMC process. Anyway we continue, in particular with the Client’s journey approach.
Our beneficiaries remain small of medium sized companies or startup companies. But we also continued to work with larger companies : 30% of our SMEs supported in 2019 are companies with turn over between 5 & 25M€.

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)

In 2019 KAM services are entered in their 5th year, and our team is now very experienced in this job. Fortunately 2019 has been a great year with 12 new cases started : 7 phase 1 project and 5 phase 2, very interesting cases with most of the time companies which carry out true disruptive technologies to the market.
EIMC services are more oriented on advices and action plans done by our local advisors, and delivered accordingly to SMEs which are more “incremental innovators”. EIMC services still need to be well marketed to our clients. We still have to demonstrate what will come out from a diagnostic on innovation process to help them to go deeper on their strategies or project management.
A better communication about this offer will be done in 2020 at consortium level, and a new partner will join the project (CCI Occitanie) for EIMC delivery in Occitanie region.

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