Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TRADINN (Supporting innovation in traditional companies)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-09-01 bis 2021-06-30
According to the Summary Innovation Index, which shows the results of the analysis of innovation performance in EU countries, the Partners of the Consortium, which are Poland, Bulgaria and Italy, fall into different performance groups: Poland and Italy are Moderate Innovators, and Bulgaria belongs to Modest Innovators. Both groups are below the EU average, what gives the project higher importance. The countries from those groups should act more actively towards continuous improvement of the innovation support programmes dedicated especially to SMEs. Small and medium enterprises create the majority of new jobs and are thus the backbone of the European economy. Following the objectives of European Union the regional and national agencies design and implement innovation support programmes but those, however, frequently do not satisfy the beneficiaries. The program formats delivered by innovation agencies very often need to be revised and sometimes a new scheme need to be introduced. The SMEs are companies from very different branches but there are some sectors where, at first glance, the perspective of transformation towards broadly understood innovations is not very promising. Here we are talking about traditional enterprises run in industries that have been operating on the market for several dozen, hundreds or even thousands of years.
The degree of their modernity and approach to the implementation of innovation often opposes modern industries related to broadly understood digitalisation and based mostly on the latest knowledge, such as IT, IoT, AI, AR, VR, drone industry, telemedicine or even hydroponics in favour of these others, of course. Although traditional companies definitely prevail on the market, the innovation support programmes often bring out highly advanced solutions dedicated to companies operating in the modern technologies industry or highly automated production companies. Although effective combinations of innovations with traditional services or products, such as thermoactivated clothing, on-line food stores, train simulators or foot scanners in shoe stores are already well known, entrepreneurs' willingness to develop towards new technologies is still small. The reason may be the lack of awareness of existing solutions and technological possibilities, and that is the reason for the stagnation, shrinkage and even the collapse of many SMEs in Europe.
Considering the fact of relevant barriers to innovation faced by traditional SMEs, partners of the consortium made up a decision to establish a project which main and specific goals are:
• Develop a strategy for promoting innovation in traditional business that could be implemented by business environment organisations and policy makers all over the Europe. The result will be based on the analysis of the problems encountered by traditional companies and on the identification and analysis of innovative solutions successfully developed by such companies from the countries represented by consortium members.
• Rising knowledge on technical, organizational or financial problems or commercial needs of traditional companies, to which modern solutions could be an answer.
• Rising knowledge on innovations successfully introduced in traditional companies.
• Creating new innovation support programme format dedicated to traditional companies and dissemination of new schemes among business environment organizations and policy makers in European Union.
The degree of their modernity and approach to the implementation of innovation often opposes modern industries related to broadly understood digitalisation and based mostly on the latest knowledge, such as IT, IoT, AI, AR, VR, drone industry, telemedicine or even hydroponics in favour of these others, of course. Although traditional companies definitely prevail on the market, the innovation support programmes often bring out highly advanced solutions dedicated to companies operating in the modern technologies industry or highly automated production companies. Although effective combinations of innovations with traditional services or products, such as thermoactivated clothing, on-line food stores, train simulators or foot scanners in shoe stores are already well known, entrepreneurs' willingness to develop towards new technologies is still small. The reason may be the lack of awareness of existing solutions and technological possibilities, and that is the reason for the stagnation, shrinkage and even the collapse of many SMEs in Europe.
Considering the fact of relevant barriers to innovation faced by traditional SMEs, partners of the consortium made up a decision to establish a project which main and specific goals are:
• Develop a strategy for promoting innovation in traditional business that could be implemented by business environment organisations and policy makers all over the Europe. The result will be based on the analysis of the problems encountered by traditional companies and on the identification and analysis of innovative solutions successfully developed by such companies from the countries represented by consortium members.
• Rising knowledge on technical, organizational or financial problems or commercial needs of traditional companies, to which modern solutions could be an answer.
• Rising knowledge on innovations successfully introduced in traditional companies.
• Creating new innovation support programme format dedicated to traditional companies and dissemination of new schemes among business environment organizations and policy makers in European Union.
Month 1 (September)
1.1. Development of inventory questionnaire (T1).
Month 2 (October)
2.1. Start of the inventory (collecting information for the report). Contact with business support institutions and other stakeholders for the information about their offer for entrepreneurs (T1).
2.2. Preparation of assumptions for the research form that was used in T2. Searching for a research company that would prepare and conduct workshop for project partners (during first peer learning meeting).
Month 3 (November)
3.1. Preparation of the draft version of the report on innovation support policies for SMEs (T1).
Month 4 (December)
4.1. Report on innovation support policies form SMEs – Milestone accomplished.
4.2. First peer learning meeting (T7; ST1) – 17th-18th December 2020.
Month 5 (January)
5.1. Conducting research among traditional enterprises (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) (T2).
Month 6 (February)
6.1. Conducting research among traditional enterprises (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) (T2).
Month 7 (March)
7.1. Report on opinions and needs as well as on successfully implemented innovations – Milestone accomplished.
7.2. Second peer learning meeting (T7; ST2) – 11th-12th March 2021.
7.3. Delivery recommendations (T3).
Month 8 (April)
8.1. Online consultation.
8.2. Third peer learning meeting (T7; ST3) – 8th-9th April 2021.
8.3. New SMEs innovation support plan (T4) – Milestone accomplished.
Month 9 (May)
9.1. Preparing the draft version of the DOP (T5).
Month 10 (June)
10.1. Online consultation – 14th June 2021.
10.2. Online peer learning meeting (T7; ST4) – 22nd June 2021.
10.3. Design Options Paper – Final version – Milestone accomplished.
10.4. Dissemination of the project results (T6).
Exploitation
One of the goals of TRADINN project was to create innovation support program dedicated to traditional companies and dissemination of new schemes among business environment organizations and policy makers in European Union. The inventory provided at the beginning of the project allowed the consortium members to look at the offer of whole innovation systems from the new point of view. Peer learning meetings have additionally enlarged their knowledge about innovation in traditional companies concerning the experience of invited traditional companies.
The next step on the way to improve the innovation system in the states and regions of Partners’ origin in the first line but next also in the third parties countries is the dissemination of the project results. Due to this the result of project included in Design Options Paper, as it was assumed at the very beginning, will be disseminated among different institutions which support the innovation. However the key issue is to implement the recommendations and not only to disseminate them within the group of stakeholders. Therefore each of three Partners will go to great lengths in order to implement suggested solutions.
It needs to be emphasized that in the field of system recommendations the consortium Partners can commit that every needed steps will be undertaken to deliver them to innovation policy makers who are empowered to appeal to the whole innovation system. Another possible action is to promote the recommendations among stakeholders by talking about them during different meetings and other events.
In the opinion of DOP’s authors this is the only way, that is by showing the real effectiveness of recommendations, to rise the probability of effective dissemination and exploitation among other stakeholders
1.1. Development of inventory questionnaire (T1).
Month 2 (October)
2.1. Start of the inventory (collecting information for the report). Contact with business support institutions and other stakeholders for the information about their offer for entrepreneurs (T1).
2.2. Preparation of assumptions for the research form that was used in T2. Searching for a research company that would prepare and conduct workshop for project partners (during first peer learning meeting).
Month 3 (November)
3.1. Preparation of the draft version of the report on innovation support policies for SMEs (T1).
Month 4 (December)
4.1. Report on innovation support policies form SMEs – Milestone accomplished.
4.2. First peer learning meeting (T7; ST1) – 17th-18th December 2020.
Month 5 (January)
5.1. Conducting research among traditional enterprises (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) (T2).
Month 6 (February)
6.1. Conducting research among traditional enterprises (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) (T2).
Month 7 (March)
7.1. Report on opinions and needs as well as on successfully implemented innovations – Milestone accomplished.
7.2. Second peer learning meeting (T7; ST2) – 11th-12th March 2021.
7.3. Delivery recommendations (T3).
Month 8 (April)
8.1. Online consultation.
8.2. Third peer learning meeting (T7; ST3) – 8th-9th April 2021.
8.3. New SMEs innovation support plan (T4) – Milestone accomplished.
Month 9 (May)
9.1. Preparing the draft version of the DOP (T5).
Month 10 (June)
10.1. Online consultation – 14th June 2021.
10.2. Online peer learning meeting (T7; ST4) – 22nd June 2021.
10.3. Design Options Paper – Final version – Milestone accomplished.
10.4. Dissemination of the project results (T6).
Exploitation
One of the goals of TRADINN project was to create innovation support program dedicated to traditional companies and dissemination of new schemes among business environment organizations and policy makers in European Union. The inventory provided at the beginning of the project allowed the consortium members to look at the offer of whole innovation systems from the new point of view. Peer learning meetings have additionally enlarged their knowledge about innovation in traditional companies concerning the experience of invited traditional companies.
The next step on the way to improve the innovation system in the states and regions of Partners’ origin in the first line but next also in the third parties countries is the dissemination of the project results. Due to this the result of project included in Design Options Paper, as it was assumed at the very beginning, will be disseminated among different institutions which support the innovation. However the key issue is to implement the recommendations and not only to disseminate them within the group of stakeholders. Therefore each of three Partners will go to great lengths in order to implement suggested solutions.
It needs to be emphasized that in the field of system recommendations the consortium Partners can commit that every needed steps will be undertaken to deliver them to innovation policy makers who are empowered to appeal to the whole innovation system. Another possible action is to promote the recommendations among stakeholders by talking about them during different meetings and other events.
In the opinion of DOP’s authors this is the only way, that is by showing the real effectiveness of recommendations, to rise the probability of effective dissemination and exploitation among other stakeholders
1. Cooperation among innovation support organizations is widening by using common approaches on supporting instruments and having joint interventions in many fields.
2. The involvement of traditional companies is growing in regional innovation systems as they are better supported and connected to each other.
3. The project contributes to improvement of innovation systems in regions and thus support the shift towards knowledge economy.
2. The involvement of traditional companies is growing in regional innovation systems as they are better supported and connected to each other.
3. The project contributes to improvement of innovation systems in regions and thus support the shift towards knowledge economy.