Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EFFECT-SME (EFFECT-SME Enhancing and Facilitating Funding Evaluation and data Collection Techniques focused on start-up/SME support programmes)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-04-01 bis 2022-03-31
ISSUE BEING ADDRESSED
Innovation agencies (IAs) often face difficulties when designing and implementing support programmes with the highest impact potential on their most important clients start-ups/SMEs. Workable methods and tools for monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment including collection of robust data are necessary for them to assess the implemented programmes, respectively, to effectively support distribution and decision whether to keep the programmes, redesign the offer and/or come with completely new programmes better fitting the needs of start-ups/SMEs.
Apart from the public accountability, innovation agencies are also under pressure of their managing authorities to better explain/communicate the results and impacts of the programmes delivered and to be as effective as possible. Monitoring and evaluation are necessary to assess the economic efficiency of entrepreneurship policy actions and to identify those features which lead to desirable outcomes (OECD, 2018). Although, there have been several recent advances in SME and entrepreneurship policy evaluation techniques, still, the creation of an evaluation culture has yet to be widely established and significant challenges remain. Key challenges include increasing the application of rigorous evaluation techniques; better specifying policy objectives, targets and indicators; making better use of data, including existing national administrative data sets for purposes such as tax and social security; and seizing the potential of Big Data (OECD, 2018).
IMPORTANCE
Since support programmes have experienced a boom in recent years, innovation agencies (IAs) and other business support organizations can offer these programmes to more clients and at the same time are able to diversify them based on different topics and different target groups. Simultaneously, the strategic backbone of the economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), need effective support in the development and adaptation to new realities of the surrounding world (industry 4.0 automation and digitization, circular economy, etc.). Thus, assisting companies and monitoring the impact of the support programmes are central subjects in innovation agencies (IAs) at both regional and national level. Evaluating programmes is not only necessary but also a challenging task as there is a growing demand for tangible policy results from the side of IAs’ stakeholders and having strong arguments behind the activities undertaken is only natural. Better evaluation processes will also make it possible to adjust and redesign support for companies and respond in a targeted manner to their needs.
OBJECTIVE
The project’s overall objective was to enhance the quality and efficiency of start-up/SME support programmes implemented by innovation agencies through improved processes of impact evaluation. The advanced evaluation practice of IAs will help to improve their policy design and delivery, thus, to strengthen the dynamism of the start-up/SME support innovation environment. The advanced methodology on impact evaluation including (robust) data collection and monitoring must respect the nature and the capacity of innovation agencies, seeking for effective and efficient solutions to avoid extensive expert and financial structures.
Innovation agencies (IAs) often face difficulties when designing and implementing support programmes with the highest impact potential on their most important clients start-ups/SMEs. Workable methods and tools for monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment including collection of robust data are necessary for them to assess the implemented programmes, respectively, to effectively support distribution and decision whether to keep the programmes, redesign the offer and/or come with completely new programmes better fitting the needs of start-ups/SMEs.
Apart from the public accountability, innovation agencies are also under pressure of their managing authorities to better explain/communicate the results and impacts of the programmes delivered and to be as effective as possible. Monitoring and evaluation are necessary to assess the economic efficiency of entrepreneurship policy actions and to identify those features which lead to desirable outcomes (OECD, 2018). Although, there have been several recent advances in SME and entrepreneurship policy evaluation techniques, still, the creation of an evaluation culture has yet to be widely established and significant challenges remain. Key challenges include increasing the application of rigorous evaluation techniques; better specifying policy objectives, targets and indicators; making better use of data, including existing national administrative data sets for purposes such as tax and social security; and seizing the potential of Big Data (OECD, 2018).
IMPORTANCE
Since support programmes have experienced a boom in recent years, innovation agencies (IAs) and other business support organizations can offer these programmes to more clients and at the same time are able to diversify them based on different topics and different target groups. Simultaneously, the strategic backbone of the economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), need effective support in the development and adaptation to new realities of the surrounding world (industry 4.0 automation and digitization, circular economy, etc.). Thus, assisting companies and monitoring the impact of the support programmes are central subjects in innovation agencies (IAs) at both regional and national level. Evaluating programmes is not only necessary but also a challenging task as there is a growing demand for tangible policy results from the side of IAs’ stakeholders and having strong arguments behind the activities undertaken is only natural. Better evaluation processes will also make it possible to adjust and redesign support for companies and respond in a targeted manner to their needs.
OBJECTIVE
The project’s overall objective was to enhance the quality and efficiency of start-up/SME support programmes implemented by innovation agencies through improved processes of impact evaluation. The advanced evaluation practice of IAs will help to improve their policy design and delivery, thus, to strengthen the dynamism of the start-up/SME support innovation environment. The advanced methodology on impact evaluation including (robust) data collection and monitoring must respect the nature and the capacity of innovation agencies, seeking for effective and efficient solutions to avoid extensive expert and financial structures.
Since the beginning of the project the team organized 15 project meetings with representatives of all project partners and numerous bilateral meetings including those among different partners and those of coordinator (MSIC) and third party (Silesian University in Opava) where the presentation, discussion, planning and decision have been made to progress with the topic of impact evaluation of business support programmes.
Main project events were peer-learning workshops held in an online environment due to Covid-19 and numerous restrictions connected with pandemics. They were focused on Start-up support programmes (16. 6. 2021. MSIC as an organizer), SMEs support programmes (4. - 5. 10. 2021, Madri+d as an organizer). Facilitator (third party) led the partners through a flow for peer-review of the partners’ approaches regarding the evaluation practices, team was looking for strengths identified to be used as input for DOP. During last peer-learning workshop (18. 1. 2022, Steinbeis as an organizer) draft of DOP was presented and discussed by all partners.
Main body of work was done on the result of the project - the Design Option Paper EFFECT-SME: Enhancing and Facilitating Funding Evaluation and data Collection Techniques focused on Start-up/SME support programmes. The document tackles the topic by taking into account evaluation and assessment practices of already existing support programmes, and it pairs the practical and hands-on knowledge generated by innovation agencies with a strong theoretical overview and analysis of best practices presented in the literature.
The DOP provides:
- theoretical framework, including key definitions and processes, main concepts behind evaluation processes of innovation support measures.
- longlist of impact indicators
- six practical examples of evaluation and assessment of start-ups and SMEs support programmes, coming from the portfolio and from the experience of each of the three partners involved.
- an easy-to-use overview of the good practices identified and discussed within the consortium.
- practical guidelines on how to design and implement a new evaluation process for existing (or novel) innovation support programmes
- lessons learned during the project and to capitalize on them
- free online resources to facilitate the identification and the setup of the most suitable evaluation process for their needs
Final conference as a main dissemination event was held in a hybrid environment (Ostrava, CZ and online, 17. 3. 2022). Presence of expert keynote speaker outside the consortium was secured: Prof. RNDr. Jiří BLAŽEK, Ph.D. (Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, Charles University) performed a speech on topic of Variegated and shifting context for innovation policies and their evaluations. Participants invited by all project partners were from Innovation agencies and business support organisations, government agencies, universities, political representatives responsible for business support and others.
Main project events were peer-learning workshops held in an online environment due to Covid-19 and numerous restrictions connected with pandemics. They were focused on Start-up support programmes (16. 6. 2021. MSIC as an organizer), SMEs support programmes (4. - 5. 10. 2021, Madri+d as an organizer). Facilitator (third party) led the partners through a flow for peer-review of the partners’ approaches regarding the evaluation practices, team was looking for strengths identified to be used as input for DOP. During last peer-learning workshop (18. 1. 2022, Steinbeis as an organizer) draft of DOP was presented and discussed by all partners.
Main body of work was done on the result of the project - the Design Option Paper EFFECT-SME: Enhancing and Facilitating Funding Evaluation and data Collection Techniques focused on Start-up/SME support programmes. The document tackles the topic by taking into account evaluation and assessment practices of already existing support programmes, and it pairs the practical and hands-on knowledge generated by innovation agencies with a strong theoretical overview and analysis of best practices presented in the literature.
The DOP provides:
- theoretical framework, including key definitions and processes, main concepts behind evaluation processes of innovation support measures.
- longlist of impact indicators
- six practical examples of evaluation and assessment of start-ups and SMEs support programmes, coming from the portfolio and from the experience of each of the three partners involved.
- an easy-to-use overview of the good practices identified and discussed within the consortium.
- practical guidelines on how to design and implement a new evaluation process for existing (or novel) innovation support programmes
- lessons learned during the project and to capitalize on them
- free online resources to facilitate the identification and the setup of the most suitable evaluation process for their needs
Final conference as a main dissemination event was held in a hybrid environment (Ostrava, CZ and online, 17. 3. 2022). Presence of expert keynote speaker outside the consortium was secured: Prof. RNDr. Jiří BLAŽEK, Ph.D. (Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, Charles University) performed a speech on topic of Variegated and shifting context for innovation policies and their evaluations. Participants invited by all project partners were from Innovation agencies and business support organisations, government agencies, universities, political representatives responsible for business support and others.
The agencies’ attitude towards monitoring and impact evaluation methodologies varies a lot as they operate in different backgrounds, with different institutional contexts, geographical scope, target groups and/or financial and human resources. The international team of EFFECT-SME tried to take these varieties into account and respond to the challenges of current practice, which are often described as lacking finances and insufficient technical and personnel capacity of innovation centres to carry out evaluations.
Result of the project, EFFECT-SME Design Option Paper aims to analyze state-of-the art and the present practices of involved IAs and more profoundly aims to secure a new efficient tool to ensure the high-quality impact evaluation in short time and for an adequate financial and human-resources cost. Such evaluation tool allows for a flexible approach and at the same time identifies key performance indicators for possible comparison of programmes of IAs across Europe.
Result of the project, EFFECT-SME Design Option Paper aims to analyze state-of-the art and the present practices of involved IAs and more profoundly aims to secure a new efficient tool to ensure the high-quality impact evaluation in short time and for an adequate financial and human-resources cost. Such evaluation tool allows for a flexible approach and at the same time identifies key performance indicators for possible comparison of programmes of IAs across Europe.