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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Swennis 2017-2018 (Services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs in the Enterprise Europe Network 2017 - 2018)

Teaser

Summary

Successful growth companies tend to be significantly better at innovation management than average. However, most SMEs and SME support organisations consider the inability to manage innovation processes efficiently and effectively as one of the most important barriers to create economic impact (competitiveness, growth and jobs) from innovation activities in SMEs.
The objective of this project Swennis 2017-2018 was to address these problems by providing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of innovating SMEs to increase and accelerate their economic returns from innovation.
Two SME target groups have received 7-day work packages in this project. However, it is an ongoing activity, so all SMEs haven\'t received all 7 days during the period. They have been divided into the following work packages:
1. WP1 Key Account Management (KAM) services for the beneficiaries of the SMEs Instrument and Future and Emerging Technologies Open (FET-Open)
2. WP2 Enhancing Innovation Management Capacity (EIMC) for innovating SMEs.
The total number of 197 SMEs were mentored in the two work packages:
â€¢ 130 SMEs received KAM services during the period of which 120 started their SME Instrument project (including one FET-Open) and totally 68 cases were completed during the project (target: 66).
â€¢ 67 SMEs (target: 66) were identified for the EIMC process and received EIMC services
The results were in line with planned targets for both KAM and EIMC.
The innovation services were carried out by ten senior innovation experts, who all had roles as both KAM and EIMC providers. The experts have long term experience in working with innovative companies and form a mix of knowledge of different branches. They are spread out geographically throughout Sweden.

Work performed

Swedish SMEs have been very successful in applying for SME Instrument phase 1 and 2 and totally 130 SMEs have been supported by a KAM during the project period. The process to appoint KAMs for each case has been fast and well adopted and the experienced team of KAMs have carried out need analysis to identify suitable business coaches in the database provided by EASME. In most cases an international coach was selected by the SME. KAM services have been appreciated and 2018 all SME I beneficiaries accepted coaching.
The KAM was also moderating the coach-client relationship, accompanied the beneficiaries through SME instrument project as well as phase 3 of the SME-I project. EEN services (COSME) were provided once needed.
The second target group of 67 SMEs was identified for the EIMC process. A pre-meeting was carried out prior to the assessment. The assessments were carried out using IMPÂ³rove or Innovation Health Check and action plans were developed accordingly. Typical issues addressed during the implementation phase were: Innovation strategy, Innovation process including idea generation and validation, service dominant logic, funding and external partners.
The coaching was carried out individually or in groups of companies. Two new implementation methods were introduced during the period: one focusing on bringing SMEs together in a network for more efficacy building of continuous innovation management capacity and the other named Innovation due diligence (IDD4SME) focusing on how to validate the market potential of an innovation and produce a strategy on how to reach the most promising market segments. IDD4SME was suitable for smaller and younger SMEs focusing on a single innovation.

Final results

Swedish SMEs that have benefited from the project are most likely better prepared to handle future innovations and there are signs that show that they have increased their innovation management capacity as a result of having received EIMC or KAM services that hopefully will lead to long term positive economic impact (competitiveness, growth and jobs). Enhancing innovation capacity is a continuous process that takes time to implement and the results could probably be measured first after 24-36 months.
The direct impact on clients of the KAM services is not easy to assess after only three days of support. However, for those cases assessed after coaching, a great satisfaction was noticed, and many clients expressed a possible potential for growth and profitability. Some clients say they have potential to grow in terms of turnover and employees and are looking for new business partners, but also in terms of new orders and new market introductions.
Concerning EIMC- services, itâ€™s also obvious that the innovation capacity has increased and that clients have started to think differently. Some expected benefits are increased profitability, cost-effectiveness, faster processes, funding and added capital, new markets and customers, new strategic partners, non-technological innovations and service dominant logic thinking.

The Implementation Strategy has been implemented. The Swedish Enterprise Europe Network consortium (SweNet) has gained deeper competence within innovation management in SMEs through this project and all SweNetâ€™s partners not working with innovation services, have been dedicated an innovation expert from the Swennis project to better integrate innovation services into their daily EEN business with SMEs and to facilitate the identification of EIMC clients.
All four partners in the Swennis project were partners in SweNet to guarantee full integrated services for business and innovation support and typical EEN services e.g. partner search, finding new technologies.
Provision of service to ensure a high level of qualitative proposals (SME-I, FET-Open) is an on-going activity in SweNetâ€™s, in cooperation with the national support system for innovation, including National Contact Points and the national Horizon 2020 support office for SMEs.
Beneficiaries who received the â€œSeal of excellenceâ€ have been granted national funding by Vinnova (Swedenâ€™s innovation agency) and they have also been dedicated an EIMC expert and EEN services under COSME have been provided.