Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - In-Business Growth (Innovative Sustainable Business Growth at Global Level)

Teaser

\"The In-Business Growth project was the result of an analysis of the partners and stakeholders involved which detected the actual need of the SMEs to acquire more size to be stronger and resistant to crisis and external circumstances, and to propose efficient methodologies and...

Summary

\"The In-Business Growth project was the result of an analysis of the partners and stakeholders involved which detected the actual need of the SMEs to acquire more size to be stronger and resistant to crisis and external circumstances, and to propose efficient methodologies and tools to fulfil adequately their requirements and needs. Indeed, In-Business Growth addresses exactly the specific challenge and scope of the topic of the program, which focus on the transfer of good practices in SME innovation support, the enhancement of existing and the establishment of new innovation support programs for SMEs which actually remains slow, and the satisfaction of the SMEs benefitting from support the programs which still often remain dissatisfied with the services. To settle a permanent peer learning environment, the \"\"Twinning advanced\"\" methodology were implemented to design and delivery innovation support programs for SMEs.

The concept and approach of the Project were based on the actual figures regarding the failures of the SMEs in many countries which indicated that, on average, 80% of them fails before to reach the five fist years of existence, and 90% before the 10 years, due to several intern and external factors. Little official support, poor supporting programs for SMEs, almost non-existent sources of financing, excessive government controls, high tax rates, high cost of funding sources available among other. The SMEs encounters problems to sale, to produce and operate, to control, to plan and to manage. SMEs are most of the business structure in many countries and they generate higher productivity and employment. The way out of the crisis should be through these actors who facilitate growth and job creation needed to revive the economy.

Aware of this diagnostic, it is crucial to address adequately the real needs detected of the SMES and to develop strategic methodologies for this purpose at national and international level which can be effectively implemented. In this sense, the importance of diversification and internationalization of the business for SMES have to be viewed as a priority in their strategic plans.

Within the \"\"Twinning advanced\"\" methodology, four innovation agencies have been cooperating to review each other’s practices and benchmark their own, related to the design and delivery of innovation support programs for SMEs and compared also them to those of third parties, collaborating in the initiative. These entities joined forces to explore ‘an innovation support challenge’ focusing on the redesign of the existing services, the creation of new instruments to deliver more efficient tools and to create synergies between European, national, regional and local support and the solutions for common problems linked to implementation, monitoring, impact assessment with the aim to deliver better innovation support to SMEs. On a strategic level, the project focused on designing and updating clear, demand-driven methodologies to improve/ create processes to be efficient in the delivery mechanisms to the SMEs. The operational objectives were based on:

- Exchange of experiences & common analysis of the State of Art,

- Sharing of the results obtained and identification of the most efficient solutions for the design of the guide of best practices and the establishment of an innovative methodology,

- Transfer of good practices to SMEs and third parties.

At transversal level, administrative, technical and financial coordination, as well as dissemination and exploitation of results and communication campaigns were correctly performed.\"

Work performed

\"The overall objective of In-Business Growth was for the four partner-innovation agencies to exchange experience around nine essential innovation management themes, which were (1) Adaptation to the real needs of SMEs,
(2) Demand-led approaches, (3) Easy access to the existing supports, (4) Promotion and Dissemination of the information, (5) Technology transfer, (6) Commercialization of innovation, (7) Follow-up of the progress of the SMEs, (8) Establishment of constant means of improvement, and (9) Access to resources through networked development.

And to improve innovation services towards SMEs. The project was aligned with the “Twinning advanced \"\" methodology, whereby several innovation agencies were cooperating to review each other’s practices and benchmark their own, related to the design and delivery of innovation support programs for SMEs, as well as compare them to those of third parties, collaborating in the present initiative.

Four partners explored ‘an innovation support challenge’ focusing on the redesign of the existing services, the creation of new instruments to deliver more efficient tools and to create synergies between European, national, regional and local support and the solutions for common problems linked to implementation, monitoring, impact assessment with the aim to deliver better innovation support to SMEs.

The In-Business Growth project plan was organized into five actions which were implemented correctly:

Action 1 - Exchanges of experiences and analysis State of Art;
Action 2 - Design Guide of Best Practices and Innovative Methodology;
Action 3 - Transfer to SMEs and third parties;
Action 4 - Dissemination and exploitation, and
Action 5 - Project management.

The main deliverables & milestones have been the Design Options paper, the Handbook of Best Practices, the Transnational Transfer Methodology, the Joint Working Methodology and the Final International Conference.
\"

Final results

\"The Technology Park of Andalucia presents the results of the project In-Business Growth during the Forum Transfiere 2017.

Transfiere, was inaugurated in Málaga by the King Felipe VI, who qualified the meeting as \"\"the greatest expression of public-private collaboration\"\" in matters of knowledge transfer. The event as also attended by the President of Andalusia, the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, the Secretariat of State for Research, Development and Innovation, and the Mayor of Malaga. On behalf of the scientific-research community, several members were present too.

In addition, within the framework of the 6th European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, held in Malaga on 15 and 16 February, the Technology Park of Andalusia presented the work done by the partners of the European project In-Business Growth, which has analysed the best practices applied in different countries of the European Union to support entrepreneurship and business development.

Aline Daniel, the International Project Manager of the Technology Park of Andalucia, presented the project in the area \"\"Red point\"\" of the Forum within the table \"\"Best European practices of SMEs support\"\", which also featured Rafael Ventura, Vice Rector of Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Malaga (UMA), and Hugos Barros, Head of the Division of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer (CRIA), of the University of Algarve (Portugal).

During Transfiere the representatives of the In-Business Growth presented the main outputs of the project: the handbook of good practices, the international transfer methodology and the join working methodology designed and followed during the project. In particular, the handbook includes 17 good practices which have been collected from several European countries and which will serve as reference for other countries to implement business development support measures.\"

Website & more info

More info: http://www.pta.es/es/documents/In-BusinessGrowth_web.pdf.