TECH-IT-EASY

"IT Tool to support SMEs in systematic innovation, based on consolidated methodology and innovation knowledge domain structured trough specific ontologies"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The TECH-IT-EASY project will be aimed at creating an innovative IT system targeted to SMEs operating in the electro-mechanical sector, able to support such SMEs in structuring their innovation process, providing them with analytical and knowledge-based tools that will lead to create a systematic innovation process. The overall TECH-IT-EASY solution consists of a software package and an organizational concept: - An innovative Ontology-based Tool-Box, based on an exemplary methodology, focused on the combined application of the QFD market-pull approach with the technology-push potentials of TRIZ. - An information agent that analyses information within the enterprise, at information providers, and on the Web, exploiting ontology as symbolic representation of the overall innovation knowledge domain, and specific of the electromechanical industrial sector - A decision support tool, aimed at combining the structured innovation process defined through the methodological tool box with the information related to market and technology gathered through the information agent In order to increase the TECH-IT-EASY system potentialities , totally new types of Ontologies will be developed: - Market Ontology , symbolic representation of the Market Knowledge Domain. - Technology Ontology, symbolic representation of the Technology Knowledge Domain - Innovation Process Ontology, symbolic representation of the Innovation Process Knowledge Domain, based on the logical TRIZ schema (Object, Action, Tool) for representing products in systems and subsystems The mentioned ontologies aim to support SMEs, on the one hand in performing searches across various sources of information, either specific as Patent Database or generic as Web and Scientific Magazines, on the other hand in structuring information about their technological systems allowing knowledge research outside of the specific sector and technological innovation evaluation in different part of the systems'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An online tool for business support in the electromechanical field that promises to enhance innovation has been successfully tested and launched.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the electromechanical sector play an important role in furthering European industry. These companies, however, must always remain at the cutting edge of technology and must constantly innovate in order to remain competitive. The EU-funded project http://www.tacore.es/ (TECH-IT-EASY) developed a solution to reinforce this objective.

Based on ontologies that represent the SME market, the project created a toolbox comprising a robust information system to organise and define SME technology products in specific industrial contexts. This will enable the exploitation of additional knowledge regarding technology innovation, analysing digital information from within the enterprise, from information providers and from the web. The technology also involves a support tool that guides users through the innovation process, linking a product's technology system to different knowledge sources and trends in evolution.

To achieve its aims, the project team conducted a detailed analysis of the innovation and market domain of SMEs. It combined different process methodologies with information technology to advance innovation processes, establishing a collaborative environment that enables different users to work together.

The project team successfully tested and developed a comprehensive information system and software tool that demonstrated its ability to support the innovation process in SMEs. The system features different modules that can, for example, conduct a market analysis or undergo searches for patents. The tool can also identify what parts of a product are redundant and can document market trends.

These results have been disseminated to stakeholders in different European countries, as well as through newsletters and online. Once the outcomes are taken up by companies in the electromechanical field, their innovation potential is bound to increase. This will give the European electromechanical industry a very welcome boost during these challenging economic times.