KAIRÓS - Key Account services and Innovation management support for TRivenetO SME’s

Project Information

KAIROS

Grant agreement ID: 879695

DOI

10.3030/879695

Project closed

EC signature date 17 January 2020

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 31 December 2021

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 371 408,75

EU contribution

€ 371 408,75

Coordinated by

UNIONE REGIONALE DELLE CAMERE DI COMMERCIO INDUSTRIA, ARTIGIANATO E AGRICOLTURA DEL VENETO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - KAIROS (KAIRÓS - Key Account services and Innovation management support for TRivenetO SME’s)

Reporting period: 2020-01-01 to 2021-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The KAIRÓS consortium aimed at improving the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in Triveneto macro-region (Northern-East part of Italy) in order to help in achieving the targets fixed by the Europe 2020 strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Triveneto is a dynamic area from the economic and entrepreneurial points of view, nevertheless SME’s have a low attitude in innovation and innovation management. Often innovation happens by chance and investments in R&D are not considered as a strategic priority. Surely, small dimensions – typical of Triveneto industrial structure – low propensity in inter-company collaboration, difficulties in generational change, low managerial culture are obstacles to innovation management, Credit crunch, differences in the cost of labour, globalization of the markets, economic and cultural growth of geographical areas once underdeveloped have almost swept away the previous industrial leadership of our region’s economy. Systematic R&D and innovation approach can partly stem this trend and maintain our enterprises competitive in the global market.
In order to answer these challenges the following specific objectives have been pursued by KAIROS:
• to support an accurately selected group of SME’s from Triveneto macro region in designing, creating and maintaining an Innovation Management System (IMS) in order to include systematic innovation approach as an asset for growth;
• to support EIC beneficiaries from Triveneto with Key Account Management services focussed on helping the companies to better exploit EIC opportunity during the assisted phase and afterwards, in order to reduce time to market and increase company growth;
• to foster the “International horizon” of innovation in Triveneto, involving cutting edge innovative companies in a special club of European innovators that will be exploited as archetypes for future followers;
to deliver ad hoc innovation service packages customized on the peculiarities of each single company.

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

KAIRÓS consortium supported SME's of Triveneto macro-region providing them with support for “Enhancing SME innovation management capacity” (18) and Key Account Management (7).
It could be considered a good result but it required a strong effort by the consortium partners to “sell” the EIMC service to the clients which often do not perceive the initial added value of this kind of services without a direct reward especially during the COVID panedmig that oriented the attention of clients towards other kind of support services
.
IMP3rove assessment methodology, Platinn, Innovation Health Check methodologies have been used to analyse the companies and benchmark them with a sample. Experts of the consortium assisted the questionnaire compilation during company audits with managers in order to:
• help the companies to fully understand the questions;
• help the companies to contextualize questions to their specific activities;
• help the managers to reflect on their current way of managing innovation within their company.

Direct impact on companies assisted in Triveneto to enhance their innovation management capacities (service "EIMC") and Key Account Management services have been measured via a short term questionnaire.

Results arising from EIMC service questionnaire showed beneficiaries have been positively impressed by the expert professionalism (answer to question number 3 - " How do you rate the EIMC expert added value during the assessment?" –reached a mean value of 6,26 points out of 7), the impact on their business of the service was good rated with a mean value of 5,96 out of 7 (answer to question number 1 – “How do you rate the overall benefit of the EIMC service for your organisation?”); T
Results arising from KAM service questionnaire showed beneficiaries have been positively impressed showed a higher impact on the beneficiaries: answers to question number 1 (“How do you rate the overall benefit of the KAM service for your organisation?”) reached a mean value amounting to 6,14 out of 7.

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)

For sure the assessed companies appreciated the advice and the deep analysis provided; companies were more aware of the technical specification CEN/TS16555 on innovation management and they could have more details on how to better use it for really demonstrating their innovation capacity as a distinctive element.
The action produced also wider implications, attracting companies with growth capabilities, strengthening their capabilities for being more competitive on the international scenario. In fact, KAIROS demonstrated that the methodology can be scaled up with an integration with other EEN services also for the coming programming period.

image of the summary report