The objective of the project was the provision of high-quality innovation management capacity assessment and support services to SMEs in Cyprus aiming at the enhancement of their competitiveness, smart growth and profitability.
The services were provided by the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), the Coordinator of the Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus (EEN-Cy). RIF has already provided relevant services through preceding projects funded by EC.
The project targeted two groups of SMEs, as described below:
(a) Key Account Management (KAM) services were provided to SME-beneficiaries of H2020 SME Instrument, FTI and FET Open aiming to:
• identify weaknesses in SMEs’ innovation capacity and bottlenecks in their innovation management approach hindering realisation of growth opportunities (using smE-MPOWER Tool);
• identify suitable coaches to address the identified weaknesses through tailor-made coaching activities;
• provide support and accompany the SME throughout the implementation of the / EIC project, facilitating SME needs for further funding, financing and support.
(b) Services for Enhancing Innovation Management Capacity (EIMC services) were provided to promising SMEs with potential for growth via innovation as follows:
• diagnostic audit / assessment of the innovation management capacity of each SME involved;
• root/ cause analysis of the audit results;
• development of a tailor-made action plan;
• assistance provision in action plan implementation and monitoring.
The project foresaw the provision of seventeen (17) service packages: twelve (12) EIMC service packages and five (5) KAM service packages, depending on the evaluation results of the H2020 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator, FTI and FET-Open proposals.
