This summarizes the activities of the project “Enhancing Enterprise Europe Network’s Innovation Management Assessment Capacity (EEENIMAC)” during the months 1-18 across the following four work packages: 1) Provision of innovation management assessment tool, 2) Provision of training activities, 3) Continuous coaching and support activities and 4) Project management.
Work Package 1 concentrates on continuously offering access to the functionalities of the IMP³ROVE online platform. This includes the Innovation Management Assessment (IMA) tool, which is in line with the technical standard CEN TS-16555-1, the IMP³ROVE Digital Innovation Quotient (DIQ) and additionally, further enhancing its user-friendliness and functionalities in line with the needs of innovation advisers of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).
Major achievements of the first project phase are the release of a new assessment platform fulfilling the criteria of being leaner, more secure, more adaptive and more dynamic while building up on the asset of a proven database. Therefore, the databases of the IMA and of the DIQ have been transferred to the new system. During the development phase of the new assessment tool, IMP³ROVE also started to set up an online learning management system and a Skill Self-Assessment helping users to identify their training needs. On top, frameworks for two new assessments (Stages-of-Excellence in Innovation Management and Sustainability) have been developed and tested already.
Work Package 2 concentrates on the development of new training contents and formats and the delivery thereof, in order to support the EEN in improving their business advisor skills and innovation management capabilities. A newly developed Skill self-assessment serves to evaluate the status quo of the EEN staff members’ business advisor skills to help them prioritize suitable training and support contents and to tailor their individual learning journeys. In the project phase of months 1-18 we have developed and released our first e-learning module “Removing Cultural Barriers”, which also allows participants to learn new content at their own time, pace and leisure in a more convenient setting without compromising the quality of training content. Furthermore, we launched several Boot Camps in collaboration with Europe-based consortia, which delivers concentrated training contents within 4 days and allows for lively discussions, close teamwork and networking opportunities. Due to the current situation we also introduced another new training format, which due to the overwhelming response, we will continue to offer as a standard format, i.e. virtual training courses. Adapting to the volatile situation this quickly allowed us to accommodate the EEN’s training and support needs. The virtual training courses were very well received, which increased the number of training participants tremendously. We also successfully developed and launched six new training courses.
Work Package 3 is designed to provide continuous support to EEN staff members in the use of the IMP³ROVE assessments and training programme. The following major activities took place as part of our support and coaching services: mentoring mailings proposing individual training programmes; individual one-on-one coaching requests have been answered; web sessions have been scheduled and conducted; support documents received updates based upon the upcoming changes of IMP³ROVE processes; ad hoc technical support has been provided via email and phone on a daily basis.
Work Package 4 meets one of its requirements with this report. Prior to that, WP4 was established to ensure optimal collaboration with all stakeholders involved. This was especially shown with IMP³ROVE’s reaction to the COVID-19 countermeasures, such as lockdown situations in several countries: keeping the high-quality capability building support services available to all EEN members by directly allocating more resources to the adaptation of training content to a purely virtual format. This quick reaction allowed for a continuous support service on all channels. The close communication and collaboration with the contracting authority secured a high level of information transparency at all times. Due to regular agreements with the EASME and the advisory board, and the resulting flexible adaptation of the support services the pandemic crisis impact on the project was minimized.
