Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MINE.THE.GAP (Creation and Integration of Novel Industrial Value Chains for SMEs in the Raw Materials & Mining Sectors through ICT, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency & Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Support)
Période du rapport: 2022-03-01 au 2023-11-30
The overall concept of MINE.THE.GAP is to promote a support platform for the existing and the development of new industrial value chains in the raw materials and mining sectors, that enable cross-sectoral and cross-regional innovation and support services in cluster-related SMEs through synergies and interactions with providers and facilitators from the existing and emerging fields of ICT, circular economy, resource efficiency and advanced manufacturing sectors.
The project integrated an interregional-driven, systemic approach to promote technology transfer, new services, and products in the targeted SMEs through a series of cluster collaboration tools, involving direct financial support and additional business services. Furthermore, the network benefitted from Smart Specialization Strategies as a key tool to promote business support and secure future public & private investment opportunities and funding, thus ensuring the medium and long-term impact and viability of the generated ecosystem through innovation support.
This platform integrated different innovation actors, resources, tools and instruments for building new industrial value chains through a cross-border, cross-sectorial approach involving industrial clusters as the ideal ecosystem vehicle to exploit the innovation potential of SMEs through a wide range of support services.
The project integrated an interregional-driven, systemic approach to promote technology transfer, new services, and products in the targeted SMEs through a series of cluster collaboration tools, involving direct financial support and additional business services. Furthermore, the network benefitted from Smart Specialization Strategies as a key tool to promote business support and secure future public & private investment opportunities and funding, thus ensuring the medium and long-term impact and viability of the generated ecosystem through innovation support.
This platform integrated different innovation actors, resources, tools and instruments for building new industrial value chains through a cross-border, cross-sectorial approach involving industrial clusters as the ideal ecosystem vehicle to exploit the innovation potential of SMEs through a wide range of support services.
MINE.THE.GAP started officially on 01/09/2020, and from the starting date until M39, the following actions summarize the work performed and the main results achieved:
-An Advisory Board was constituted and involved, comprising diverse innovation and external actors who provide insights into the interests and views of their stakeholder communities that were and will be strategically involved in key stages of the project. The Advisory Board members were also considered to be involved in the Transparency Committee decisions to have clear and objective criteria when granting third parties.
- Drafting and implementation of a Management and Quality Plan to provide a reference and guideline on the management and quality processes that will govern the course of the MINE.THE.GAP project, and POPD requirements containing the technical, organizational and legal measures required to guarantee the security of personal data.
- Design of MINE.THE.GAP website including information about the project but also a matchmaking platform that allowed applicants of the open calls to upload their profile and find synergies to become project partners for opting MINE.THE.GAP funding.
- Design, launching and funding companies’ trough 2 open calls and Business Hub Services were offered to the Fist Open and Second call beneficiaries. 26 projects were funded, involving 63 SMEs. Among them, 40 SMEs benefitted from additional support for innovation.
- A series of webinars were designed and offered to MINE.THE.GAP community, and impact monitoring of MINE.THE.GAP project was performed inside and outside the consortium.
- Selection of open call beneficiaries was conducted after their design, and the following monitoring of projects implemented under open calls was executed.
- Design of the Support Services was conducted and executed as well, trying to involve all the funded SMEs in the open calls.
- Communication and dissemination were key tools for the exploitation of MINE.THE.GAP project. During the project, 13 flyers, rollups and posters and 10 videos were created to promote and explain the action and its developments, including 34 press releases launched. As a result, not only social networks and project website were employed to attract and involve the European actors in the raw materials, mining and ICTs value chains, but also 29 conferences (Trade mission, ECCP clusters talks, Pollutec, infodays, etc), 9 workshops (S3P and OECD collaborations, clustering, inter-platforms, etc) were organized by the project partners to amplify its collaboration while in 6 additional events MINE.THE.GAP collaborated jointly with other projects (GREENPEG, I4-GREEN, SMARTY, DigiClusterHub, etc). MINE.THE.GAP was present in 12 international exhibitions (Mines and Minerals Hall, Pollutec, International Congress of Energy and Mineral Resources, etc) and, since training was also considered a pillar for approaching industry and SMEs, 23 actions were designed on this regard (MOOCs, webinars, etc). 71 communication campaigns were launched with the advancements of the project. Indirectly, MINE.THE.GAP was involved in 11 conferences of the field (Raw Materials Week, Cluster meet Regions, EIT Raw Materials Expers Forum and Stakeholders day, EU industrial days, etc), 3 workshops (e.g. S3 community of practice), 5 events, 7 brokerage events (EU industry week, Foro transfiere, etc), 3 pitch events, among others.
- Analysis of the impact of the project at consortium level, for SMEs beneficiaries of the open calls as well as from Business Services.
-An Advisory Board was constituted and involved, comprising diverse innovation and external actors who provide insights into the interests and views of their stakeholder communities that were and will be strategically involved in key stages of the project. The Advisory Board members were also considered to be involved in the Transparency Committee decisions to have clear and objective criteria when granting third parties.
- Drafting and implementation of a Management and Quality Plan to provide a reference and guideline on the management and quality processes that will govern the course of the MINE.THE.GAP project, and POPD requirements containing the technical, organizational and legal measures required to guarantee the security of personal data.
- Design of MINE.THE.GAP website including information about the project but also a matchmaking platform that allowed applicants of the open calls to upload their profile and find synergies to become project partners for opting MINE.THE.GAP funding.
- Design, launching and funding companies’ trough 2 open calls and Business Hub Services were offered to the Fist Open and Second call beneficiaries. 26 projects were funded, involving 63 SMEs. Among them, 40 SMEs benefitted from additional support for innovation.
- A series of webinars were designed and offered to MINE.THE.GAP community, and impact monitoring of MINE.THE.GAP project was performed inside and outside the consortium.
- Selection of open call beneficiaries was conducted after their design, and the following monitoring of projects implemented under open calls was executed.
- Design of the Support Services was conducted and executed as well, trying to involve all the funded SMEs in the open calls.
- Communication and dissemination were key tools for the exploitation of MINE.THE.GAP project. During the project, 13 flyers, rollups and posters and 10 videos were created to promote and explain the action and its developments, including 34 press releases launched. As a result, not only social networks and project website were employed to attract and involve the European actors in the raw materials, mining and ICTs value chains, but also 29 conferences (Trade mission, ECCP clusters talks, Pollutec, infodays, etc), 9 workshops (S3P and OECD collaborations, clustering, inter-platforms, etc) were organized by the project partners to amplify its collaboration while in 6 additional events MINE.THE.GAP collaborated jointly with other projects (GREENPEG, I4-GREEN, SMARTY, DigiClusterHub, etc). MINE.THE.GAP was present in 12 international exhibitions (Mines and Minerals Hall, Pollutec, International Congress of Energy and Mineral Resources, etc) and, since training was also considered a pillar for approaching industry and SMEs, 23 actions were designed on this regard (MOOCs, webinars, etc). 71 communication campaigns were launched with the advancements of the project. Indirectly, MINE.THE.GAP was involved in 11 conferences of the field (Raw Materials Week, Cluster meet Regions, EIT Raw Materials Expers Forum and Stakeholders day, EU industrial days, etc), 3 workshops (e.g. S3 community of practice), 5 events, 7 brokerage events (EU industry week, Foro transfiere, etc), 3 pitch events, among others.
- Analysis of the impact of the project at consortium level, for SMEs beneficiaries of the open calls as well as from Business Services.
The MINE.THE.GAP project portfolio for the 1st open call includes 12 projects (24 proposals were received fully finalized) involving 31 SMEs from 8 European countries, meaning 1.395.791,58€ funding for project vouchers.
The MINE.THE.GAP project portfolio for the 2nd open call includes 14 projects (27 proposals were received fully finalized) involving 32 SMEs from 8 European countries, meaning 1.499.594,27 € funding for project vouchers.
Among both open calls, 36 projects involving 63 SMEs were funded and a total of 2.895.385,85€ was given as vouchers for innovation and 103.053,78€ as Supporting Business Services (activities and awards).
The MINE.THE.GAP online community with 247 registered users and a wealth of interactive tools for networking, partnership building, idea and technology co-creation which already helped numerous mining and raw materials innovators from across Europe to find partners for new collaborative activities. Moreover, more than 350 additional users were interested in joining the MINE.THE.GAP community but were not eligible.
The most remarkable events occurred during the project were organized in benefit of the SMEs: trade mission forum Morocco, invest day for SMEs, B2B-matchmaking event in Clusters meet Regions with S3P mining industry, final event and final session together with OECD and S3P mining industry as satellite event of the Raw Materials Week, interplatform workshop from Brussels and International Clustering Workshop from Porto.
The best practices of cluster-facilitated SME innovation support for the emergence of more digital, sustainable, and cross-sectoral value chains will be made available to policy makers, programme managers, clusters and other innovation support entities for peer-to-peer learning.
MINE.THE.GAP cascade funding model (mentored innovation vouchers plus business hub services and awards) for SME innovation in a sector of traditional reluctance to adopt new ideas and methodologies is a success case worthy of promotion and replication in research and innovation programmes such as HORIZON Europe.
The MINE.THE.GAP project portfolio for the 2nd open call includes 14 projects (27 proposals were received fully finalized) involving 32 SMEs from 8 European countries, meaning 1.499.594,27 € funding for project vouchers.
Among both open calls, 36 projects involving 63 SMEs were funded and a total of 2.895.385,85€ was given as vouchers for innovation and 103.053,78€ as Supporting Business Services (activities and awards).
The MINE.THE.GAP online community with 247 registered users and a wealth of interactive tools for networking, partnership building, idea and technology co-creation which already helped numerous mining and raw materials innovators from across Europe to find partners for new collaborative activities. Moreover, more than 350 additional users were interested in joining the MINE.THE.GAP community but were not eligible.
The most remarkable events occurred during the project were organized in benefit of the SMEs: trade mission forum Morocco, invest day for SMEs, B2B-matchmaking event in Clusters meet Regions with S3P mining industry, final event and final session together with OECD and S3P mining industry as satellite event of the Raw Materials Week, interplatform workshop from Brussels and International Clustering Workshop from Porto.
The best practices of cluster-facilitated SME innovation support for the emergence of more digital, sustainable, and cross-sectoral value chains will be made available to policy makers, programme managers, clusters and other innovation support entities for peer-to-peer learning.
MINE.THE.GAP cascade funding model (mentored innovation vouchers plus business hub services and awards) for SME innovation in a sector of traditional reluctance to adopt new ideas and methodologies is a success case worthy of promotion and replication in research and innovation programmes such as HORIZON Europe.