Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEEP-SME (Learning to enhance exploitation potential of SME project results)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-07-01 do 2021-06-30
SME beneficiaries are often unable to launch their innovation to the market for various reasons. They may have failed at some point throughout the project execution. Or their product lost its competitiveness over the time between the moment of application and its finalization. Or it could turn out that the innovation has never had a strong exploitation potential in the first place. The main goal of the consortium is to support innovative SMEs with potential to get the outcomes of theirs or others’ research projects on the market. Specifically, we want to increase the chances of excellent research projects that involve SMEs to get funding and successfully bring up innovative exploitable solutions. The consortium believes that achievement of this goal is conditioned by four main variables. First, the relevant RFOs must encourage applicants to think about the exploitation potential of their research before submitting the project proposal. Second, the RFOs must have an effective proposal evaluation system in place to identify the projects with the highest market potential. Third, this system must be complemented with an effective interim monitoring and support, and fourth, a thorough ex-post analysis and possibly aftercare should be applied to make sure the supported projects don’t fail and do indeed end up exploiting their results.
According to the state of the art, improvement of these variables could lead to a higher completion and exploitation rate of the right projects. The applying SMEs and other applicants would benefit from a more competent evaluation process by enjoying higher chances of the most deserving and promising projects being funded. Also, an applicant benefits by enjoying appropriate interim support and aftercare services increasing the chances of the project accomplishing its targets, being able to react to the given market situation once the project is finished and ultimately exploiting the results.
According to the state of the art, improvement of these variables could lead to a higher completion and exploitation rate of the right projects. The applying SMEs and other applicants would benefit from a more competent evaluation process by enjoying higher chances of the most deserving and promising projects being funded. Also, an applicant benefits by enjoying appropriate interim support and aftercare services increasing the chances of the project accomplishing its targets, being able to react to the given market situation once the project is finished and ultimately exploiting the results.
Knowledge relevant to the project's objective was transferred by 'twinning+' methodology. The sharing and cooperation on the Design Options Paper (DOP) composition took place via four workshops.
The main output of the efforts is the DOP. This deliverable has to be considered as compilation of 22 good practices (GPs) in the area of work with exploitation potential of projects and a set of recommendations on how to approach this area effectively.
Six GPs refer to the project proposal preparation stage and address objective number one, “simplifying the process of applying for funding and evaluation process for the SMEs”, and object number two, “developing an efficient method to select SME projects with the highest potential to utilise their innovation”.
Four practices refer to the project evaluation stage, again addressing objectives number one and two. Specifically, they describe the evaluation process applied in the Eurostars programme managed by Eureka. It also offers a number of methods to speed up the project proposal control and evaluation process in order to decrease the time between proposal submission and reception of the support or grant.
Four GPs refer to the project realization phase, addressing objective number three: “improving and increasing the effectiveness of the existing project interim and ex-post monitoring methodology and related supporting services”. These GPs describe different approaches to project monitoring from the perspective of exploitation of results (personalized close-up and online large scale overview) including methods to help projects to achieve the results they planned.
Seven practices refer to the ex-post stage, as well as to objective number three. They cover a range of aftercare services including support for projects to find further funding or to scale-up, ex-post monitoring of results, and tools to map results and impact in order to better shape programmes and future calls.
In addition, there is one miscellaneous practice from the recommendations of the Taftie SELECT working group.
Other RFOs may use the DOP to further this project’s work and improve their evaluation and project monitoring systems. For this purpose, an online tool called Checklist was prepared for external parties to be able to select the best practices for them to study in detail.
Currently running dissemination activities (active since June 2021) mainly concern the final project’s outcome, that is, the DOP sharing online via social media, local research and innovation portals and informative email to mailing lists, and at events of Networks, consortia and communities the partners are part of. The main dissemination materials are a digital leaflet together with the Executive summary of the DOP linked to the publicly accessible project website containing all the further details.
The main output of the efforts is the DOP. This deliverable has to be considered as compilation of 22 good practices (GPs) in the area of work with exploitation potential of projects and a set of recommendations on how to approach this area effectively.
Six GPs refer to the project proposal preparation stage and address objective number one, “simplifying the process of applying for funding and evaluation process for the SMEs”, and object number two, “developing an efficient method to select SME projects with the highest potential to utilise their innovation”.
Four practices refer to the project evaluation stage, again addressing objectives number one and two. Specifically, they describe the evaluation process applied in the Eurostars programme managed by Eureka. It also offers a number of methods to speed up the project proposal control and evaluation process in order to decrease the time between proposal submission and reception of the support or grant.
Four GPs refer to the project realization phase, addressing objective number three: “improving and increasing the effectiveness of the existing project interim and ex-post monitoring methodology and related supporting services”. These GPs describe different approaches to project monitoring from the perspective of exploitation of results (personalized close-up and online large scale overview) including methods to help projects to achieve the results they planned.
Seven practices refer to the ex-post stage, as well as to objective number three. They cover a range of aftercare services including support for projects to find further funding or to scale-up, ex-post monitoring of results, and tools to map results and impact in order to better shape programmes and future calls.
In addition, there is one miscellaneous practice from the recommendations of the Taftie SELECT working group.
Other RFOs may use the DOP to further this project’s work and improve their evaluation and project monitoring systems. For this purpose, an online tool called Checklist was prepared for external parties to be able to select the best practices for them to study in detail.
Currently running dissemination activities (active since June 2021) mainly concern the final project’s outcome, that is, the DOP sharing online via social media, local research and innovation portals and informative email to mailing lists, and at events of Networks, consortia and communities the partners are part of. The main dissemination materials are a digital leaflet together with the Executive summary of the DOP linked to the publicly accessible project website containing all the further details.
The objective of this project was to improve European RFO ability to recognize and work with exploitation potential in proposals, running and finished projects in order to lead them to generate applicable results and thus maximize the chance of invested funds leading to success and prosperity of the beneficiary and the society. Besides increasing the chance that supported projects generate exploitable results and possibly succeed on the market, it was forecasted that achievement of the project’s objective could improve the applicants’ experience of the state aid process.
With the objective in mind, the project addressed three fields of delivery.
1) Regarding enhanced knowledge and skills of the partners, the expected number of people working in organizations increased their knowledge and capacity, was fulfilled. So far over 50 members of staff of the partners have increased skills in the evaluation of the exploitation potential of SME projects. The number is still growing. Internal training sessions have been conducted and are being prepared by the partners.A knowledge sharing with the Spanish regional Government will be carried out.
2) Regarding promotion of good practice, communication channels described in the communication strategy are used.
3) As one of the consequences of the restrictions, achievement of the number of RFOs acquainted with the project results has been slowed down. Nevertheless, the results have been:
published on TA CR’s, FICYT’s and FUNDECYT-PCTEX’ websites and social media channels.
presented to the Eureka governance group (countries representatives) and the Taftie network.
email to other European Networks.
emailed to the partners’ relevant stakeholders and other consortia the LEEP-SME partners are members of.
shared to thematic groups made up of funding agencies at European level (including a thematic group of the EEN, a European Network focused on promotion of innovation among over 600 organizations potentially interested in the DOP).
published on the CIENCIATEC WEBPAGE: webpage focused on dissemination of innovation and scientific research projects with 18,812 visits.
The dissemination process will be continued for a year after the end of the project to achieve the expected threshold, which is 500 RFOs acquainted with the project results.
4) In the third field of delivery, enhanced setup of the partners’ pilot public calls, the expected impact is scheduled one year after the end of the project as planned.
With the objective in mind, the project addressed three fields of delivery.
1) Regarding enhanced knowledge and skills of the partners, the expected number of people working in organizations increased their knowledge and capacity, was fulfilled. So far over 50 members of staff of the partners have increased skills in the evaluation of the exploitation potential of SME projects. The number is still growing. Internal training sessions have been conducted and are being prepared by the partners.A knowledge sharing with the Spanish regional Government will be carried out.
2) Regarding promotion of good practice, communication channels described in the communication strategy are used.
3) As one of the consequences of the restrictions, achievement of the number of RFOs acquainted with the project results has been slowed down. Nevertheless, the results have been:
published on TA CR’s, FICYT’s and FUNDECYT-PCTEX’ websites and social media channels.
presented to the Eureka governance group (countries representatives) and the Taftie network.
email to other European Networks.
emailed to the partners’ relevant stakeholders and other consortia the LEEP-SME partners are members of.
shared to thematic groups made up of funding agencies at European level (including a thematic group of the EEN, a European Network focused on promotion of innovation among over 600 organizations potentially interested in the DOP).
published on the CIENCIATEC WEBPAGE: webpage focused on dissemination of innovation and scientific research projects with 18,812 visits.
The dissemination process will be continued for a year after the end of the project to achieve the expected threshold, which is 500 RFOs acquainted with the project results.
4) In the third field of delivery, enhanced setup of the partners’ pilot public calls, the expected impact is scheduled one year after the end of the project as planned.