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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BISONet PLUS2 ENH (Business Innovation Support Network for the Czech Republic â€“ Enhancing the innovationmanagement capacities of SMEs by EEN in 2017-2018)

Teaser

Summary

The overall objective of the BISONet PLUS2 ENH project for years 2017-2018 was to deliver services to enhance innovation management capacity of SMEs, in particular to the SME Instrument beneficiaries (European Innovation Council).
Specific challenges of the project are:
1) low numbers of Czech newly established technological startups and fast growing innovative SMEs, especialy those participating in European programmes,
2) lack of positive experience with innovation management support and willingness to invest into innovation management capacity building in Czech SMEs.
In all the reported cases we have contributed to improvement of the innovation management capacity in the clientsÂ´ SMEs and that will help to overcome (at least partially) the barrier to achieve positive economic and social impact from innovation efforts (e.g. preservation and creation of jobs, better competiveness and export, growth of European companies and higher income to state budgets).
BISONet PLUS2 ENH project set three specific objectives that have been achieved during the reported period:
1. Extending the capacity of EEN in the Czech Republic to assure availability of services in Czech SMEs.
2. Implementing the services of â€œEnhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEsâ€ in the Czech Republic to 88 client companies.
3. Delivering targeted support to beneficiaries of SME Instrument (EIC) in facilitating coaching to address specific innovation weaknesses (KAM services) - 8 beneficiaries.

Work performed

Thanks to the project BISONet PLUS2 ENH 2017-2018 innovation management capacity assessment and support services were further developed and offered to wider spectrum of innovative SMEs in the Czech Republic. Consortium focused on rapidly innovative SMEs with higher potential to succeed on foreign markets and scale-up.
The planned results were achieved in both work packages of the project. KAM services were provided to 8 companies (6 cases under phase 1 and 2 cases under phase 2). Needs analysis was undertaken on and action plans developed (EIMC) in 88 Czech SMEs.
Both project partners, TC CAS and JIC, use the same smE-MPOWER methodology and approach towards companies ensuring that standardized services are delivered throughout the whole Czech Republic. The project gives both partners a unique opportunity to map the innovation needs of SMEs, which means new possibilities to offer them well developed mix of Enterprise Europe Network services reflecting their concrete needs. It means that companies, which were selected and offered EIMC services, were also offered regular EEN services such as internationalization and/or partnership services etc., if those services were relevant for their growth and success. Many new clients (SMEs) were identified during the project and long-term cooperation were established. Some of the clients were also potential candidates for the scaling-up programme or for submitting the application for SME Instrument (European Innovation Council).
Progress of the project implementation was regularly monitored monthly/quarterly and checked during the consortium meetings of BISONet PLUS2 ENH consortium. These meetings were organised 3 times per year. To ensure higher level of standardised services joint trainings were organised in Prague and Brno.
Both project partners tried to address low interest of Czech SMEs in the SME-Instrument programme (EIC) by individually addressing potential applicants and organising several workshops and seminars in cooperation with EASME, NCPs and other stakeholders (e.g. EEN, national and regional agencies, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR). It proved to work to a certain extent, because about 4 of later SME-Instrument beneficiaries participated in these workshops or advisory meetings before successfully applying for SME-Instrument grant.

Final results

The main expected results of SMEs that received EIMC services are as follows:
a) Improved internal innovation processes,
b) clarification of companyÂ´s goals/targets for next 3 years and steps to be taken to reach them,
c) improved work with customers due to better knowledge of their needs.
The project team assumes social impacts (almost four-fifths SMEs saved jobs and one fifth has increased the number of employees) as well as economic impacts (almost half of SMEs maintained turnover and more than half increased turnover). Examples of concrete results of the project with a significant impacts or societal implications carried by supported SMEs are: 1) improved mobile phone for blind people to make life easier and work easier, 2) monitoring system for smart railways wagons can reduce trucks and CO2 emission, 3) smart ORC unit to reduce energy loses and produce electricity, 4) high-tech IT solution for better patient life with bipolar disorder, 5) organic bioplastic produced from cooking oil can reduce plastics in environment etc.
Both project partners were active in developing new support tools and programmes for Czech SMEs, which received the Seal of Excellence under the SME Instrument programme. They actively supported the national programme Seal of Excellence - GAMA (including financial support and coaching) organized by Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, and the regional scheme â€œSME-Instrument Brnoâ€ was initiated and then implemented by JIC.
Although this project was very successful, valued highly by participating companies (especially in WP2), its impact is quite limited due to very low overall budget set for the Czech Republic. Originally, the project was prepared for a larger scale and impact, but then its budget was significantly reduced due to low success rate of Czech companies in SME Instrument (WP1). Unfortunately, this budget calculation has not taken into account the extensive needs and big potential impact of services in WP2.