Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MED4INNO (French MEDiterranean Support for INNOvative SMEs)

Teaser

MED4INNO Project is an extension of the running MED2EUROPE Project financed under COSME Program for Enterprise Europe Network activity. The project covers the whole French Mediterranean area with 3 regions: Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (PACA), Languedoc – Roussillon (LR)...

Summary

MED4INNO Project is an extension of the running MED2EUROPE Project financed under COSME Program for Enterprise Europe Network activity. The project covers the whole French Mediterranean area with 3 regions: Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (PACA), Languedoc – Roussillon (LR) and Corsica (NUTS1 region - FR7). The project will be carried out by 3 partners located in the 2 major regions (PACA and LR), Corsica being covered by signposting for this specific Action:
- Agence Régionale de l’Innovation et de l’Internationalisation des entreprises de la région
PACA (ARII PACA) for Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region (PACA)
- Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Région PACA (CCIR PACA) for Provence Alpes
Côte d’Azur Region (and Corsica through Signposting)
- Transferts LR (TLR) for Languedoc-Roussillon as part of the new Region (LRMP) 1
The main objective of the project is to contribute into the increase of competitiveness of our most promising companies. Our action doesn’t consist into providing Innovation Management System (IMS) for SMEs nor to explain to SMEs how to innovate, but to support them to challenge, analyse and improve their innovation leverages to be more competitive. The aim is to reinforce support to innovative & high growth SMEs by providing them a combined action mixing dedicated service packages and a specific attention during the follow-up.
2 different Service Packages will be proposed according 2 types of regional SMEs we have to address for this project:
- for SMEs which are benefiting from SME Instrument grants, which are future European Champions, named Key Account Management action (KAM);
- for SMEs with significant innovation activities and/or with a high growth potential for international development, selected among our Clients database or signposted from partners, named Enhancing Innovation Management Capacity Action (EIMC).

According to the pre-required budget granted to our geographical area, the MED4INNO project has a global objective to support 76 SMEs with a full Service Package: 23 for KAM, 53 for EIMC.
If we consider the calculation budget done by EASME per inhabitants and per SME Instrument projects won since October 2014 (15 projects in 18 months), it gives the following split between our 3 regions:
- Region PACA: 16 KAM and 33 EIMC (49 service packages)
- Region LRMP: 7 KAM and 20 EIMC (27 service packages)
- Region Corsica: no target, small territory with very few beneficiaries expected.

Finally, project partners achieved 47 services packages (10 in KAM and 37 in Innovation Management), which is about 62% of the expected target in two years (target of 76 cases : 23 KAM cases and 53 EIMC cases).

Work performed

Project partners achieved 47 services packages (10 in KAM and 37 in Innovation Management), which is about 62% of the expected target in two years (target of 76 cases : 23 KAM cases and 53 EIMC cases).

These figures can be explained with two reasons :
- lower SME-I projects won and less KAM cases started than expected for our Mediterranean Region;
- one partner failed to operate EIMC services in 2017 due internal staff unavailability.

Even if our results are not at the level expected, this period has been important for us to validate these services integration in our “EEN” offer. For this 3rd service period after 2014 and 2015/16, we can declare that EIMC & KAM services are now fully integrated in our offer and represents a strategic step
in the client journey.

We also took the opportunity to experiment new approaches or tools :
-Partner 1 provided EIMC service to companies from the Sud Accelerator Program : this collaboration gave to us the opportunity to work with high growth potential companies from 30 to 150 staff.
-Partner 1 started to work with a new diagnostic tool (INNOVATION WAY) : this tool is certified by EC and facilitate the discussion with the company. In 20 focused questions, a short report is delivered by the tool and we can start directly the discussion to draft the action plan.
-Partner 2 decided to operate EIMC services in a new way to reach SMEs. In close collaboration with its local Chambers of Commerce & Industries, services are delivered by EIMC advisor located in 3 different CCI.

Our beneficiaries are still small of medium sized companies or startup companies. But also we started to work with larger companies : we have done 8 EIMC cases with SMEs performing more than 10M€ of turnover. Concerning the innovation degree, we still have the following split between incremental or radical innovation done by our beneficiaries:
- Most of them are “radical innovators” for SME-I projects
- Most of them are “incremental innovators” for our EIMC support action.
Concerning some difficulties encountered, project partners are still facing with the same issues already identified previously :
- A lack of successfull SME-I granted projects, despite a good number of proposer (500 in 4 years) and a high rate of Seal of Excellence obtained by our SMEs (120).
- A lack of staff (sometimes, for some partners) to balance with service package on WP2.
- Difficulties to invest 7 days for each EIMC cases : SMEs expect actions (and results) which usually are not requiring the whole 7 days.

Concerning clients’ feedback and first impacts, this is very encouraging.

Final results

KAM services are now well understood and appreciated by SME-I beneficiaries, even if, in very few cases we still find relunctant people, or CEO not investing enough time and interest to fully profit from Coaching action.

EIMC services still need to be well marketed to our clients. We have to demonstrate that from a diagnostic on innovation process we could be able to address wider topics, especially on growth and business developement. First results and types of impact declared or observed in 15 EIMC clients show that new market penetration is higher than product development or internal process improvement.
EIMC Value proposition is still not very clear from the company: what will we be able to provide to our clients? What type of improvement will we able to bring to them? What is done by us, by other service providers? For this reason, it is essential that :
- such EIMC packages have to be endorsed by our host organisations as a strong offer, and even embedded in other program to increase synergies.
- action plan should not be limited to services provided by EEN regular action (partnering, advisory) but have to make possible other approach (mentoring/ external consultancy) to encompass all topics
from the need assessment.

Concerning the implementation of EIMC by itself, we maintain our observations done previously in 2015/16 :
- Difficult to maintain the candidates motivated till the end of the process: SMEs need to foresee expected impacts of such involvement (several days) before starting something,
- Difficult (but necessary) to involve the whole management team from the beginning: they have to participate to the action from the first interview to the recommendation phase for sharing.
- Difficult to translate our “recommendation” into concrete actions with SMEs having limited means (time to invest, money to pay external advices we cannot provided) => that’s we limited the number of cases done with start up (only 2 cases with newly created companies).

Website & more info

More info: http://www.een-france-mediterranee.eu.