Top Banner
The TR3S project is funded by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVC programme. Good Practices
23
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Tr3s Good Practices

The TR3S project is funded by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVC programme.

Good Practices

Page 2: Tr3s Good Practices

3

Scottish Enterprise is one of ten organisations representing nine regions across Europe in the Interreg IVC project TRES. As the 3 year project draws to a close it is timely to take a brief look at how our approach to supporting innovation has evolved in the last couple of years and the influence the project has had in shaping our thinking.

In January 2014 we launched our new approach to innovation; in developing this new approach we have found the insight from one to one engagement and exchange of experience with TRES partners invaluable both in stimulating new ideas and gaining an understanding of the challenges that can surround introducing new approaches in innovation.

A major new strand of activity is focussed on demand-led innovation, boosting demand for Innovative new products and services driven from our large corporate and public sectors.

This work recognises that for business, sometimes the hardest part of the innovation process is often the exploitation phase. We know that projects involving customers, from the outset, are more likely to lead to products and/or services that will succeed in the marketplace, and if that customer is internationally orientated, projects are more likely to succeed.

The issue and opportunity is common across the TRES partners and through the experience of the group we were able to consider new approaches and models being developed both within TRES partner regions and beyond, to help create our new approach to Market Driven Innovation.

Just as firms need to continually innovate so do our support mechanisms, we know that Service Innovation particularly around hard product is a major opportunity for growth. Through the TRES project we have been able to see examples from the Stuttgart region that we can now adapt for our own areas of smart specialisation in Scotland.

Throughout the project each area has been able to spark new ideas within our organisation as to how we can better support businesses in our area. Often this has not been through seeing something that could be implemented in exactly the same way, but through differing approaches by TRES partners in addressing similar innovation problems that businesses face in our region. The diversity of approaches has provided a very important knowledge base and stimulation to allow Scottish Enterprise to consider new interventions in the future.

This publication is a summary of the Good Practice case studies identified and collected through the TRES framework. These Good Practice stories represent interventions across a range of sectors, designed and implemented in different geographies and economies to meet the one common goal of attaining more economic activity and growth. We hope that this publication will stimulate discussion and create opportunities for different regions across Europe to learn from one another in supporting growth and innovation in the European economy, and ensure a continuing legacy of the TR3S project.

Introduction Good P

ractices

Ian McCoull.

Page 3: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Activities

Key initiatives proposed under the EnergiBasque strategy include:

� Supporting further growth of firms operating in smart grid, offshore wind and solar thermoelectric technology. Areas in which a number of Basque companies are already either competing globally or whose products are market leaders.

� Increasing development of business in emerging areas such as wave energy and storage.

� Generating new business opportunities via other pillars of the 3E2020 strategy such as transport electrification or unconventional gas.

These are complementary objectives that help capitalise on the Basque Country’s strengths, such as the existence of world-class business-generating companies, the scientific/technological efforts made in emerging

Introduction

The Basque Country is home to a vibrant energy industry with a cluster of around 350 companies operating across a range of specialist sectors located in the region.Overall turnover of those firms in 2011 was more than €50bn with nearly €15.5bn sourced locally, providing over 20,000 jobs, which account for 30% of the total activity in terms of turnover and employment. The total expense in R&D is around €500m, of which almost 50% is performed in the Basque Country.

As well as playing host to companies such as Iberdrola, a world leader in wind energy, and Gamesa, the third biggest producer of wind turbines, the Basque energy industry is competing globally in fields such as smart grids, wind energy and solar thermoelectric.The sector has also been supported by a strong and well-established Basque Energy Cluster since 1996. The Cluster has the vision of contributing to place the region as European leader in the field of Energy.

EnergiBasque is part of the Energy Strategy for the Basque Country 2020 (3E2020), which proposes action lines in three different areas: Energy Consuming Sectors; Energy Markets and Supply; and Technological and Industrial Development. EnergiBasque’s approach is based on using energy policies as a magnet element for innovative projects. It therefore constitutes a new and differentiated priority area of action within the 3E2020 Strategy, and represents an additional contribution to sustainable energy development.

areas and the specific features of the 3E2020 Strategy.

Funding

The EnergiBasque strategy is framed in the context of European, National and Regional strategies. Thus, different bodies at a European, Spanish and Basque level, with their energy strategies and technology plans constitute a solid political, legal and financial framework for EnergiBasque. Therefore, EnergiBasque implementation will mobilise funds from the Basque Public Administration, the Spanish Public Administration, the European Union, and form companies operating within the sector.

The aim of EnergiBasque is to increase R&D expenditure by energy companies in the Basque country by up to €300m by 2015.

www.eue.es

54

EnergiBasque Strategy

Lessons learned

� The great differentiating contribution of the Basque Energy Strategy 3E2020 is its commitment to taking advantage of the huge energy and environmental challenges, which represent an opportunity for growth for Basque business sectors, through technological development, cooperation and the identification of new lines of business.

� As part of the Basque Energy Strategy 2011–2010, EnergiBasque will make a major contribution to the social, economic and technological development of the region, in addition to consolidating the energy industry’s lead position.

� The aim is that this will have a multiplying effect on the economy, generating business, fostering technological progress and contributing to an improvement in the living standards of Basque society.

� The aim of EnergiBasque is to increase R&D expenditure by energy companies in the Basque country by up to €300m by 2015, a 50% increase on 2011. In the same period, total jobs in EnergiBasque companies within the area are expected to rise from 20,000 up to 28,000.

Page 4: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

The partners believe that by collaborating they will encourage growth of the supply and distribution of energy and identify new technological solutions for research units, academies and business support institutions.

Key activities include:

� Boosting the use of biomass including development of facilities in the Lubelskie Region.

� Boosting the development of new technologies and research in the region for renewable energy production.

� Promoting new technologies and appliances for electric and heat energy production using renewable energy sources.

� Promoting the development of prototypes and demonstration units for renewable energy sources;

� Fostering international cooperation in the biomass field.

� Undertaking activities to ensure energy security for Lubelskie with a strong focus on renewable energy sources.

Introduction

The Lublin Eco Energy Cluster was established on the initiative of the Foundation for Lubelskie Development (FLD) as part of the Lubelskie Cooperation Network for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development.

The Foundation’s main activities encompass the provision of commercial services for entrepreneurs, local authorities, labour market institutions, and research and science units from sources in the Lubelskie Region.The Cluster brings together 39 organisations and individuals including entrepreneurs, research institutes, higher education bodies and business support institutions from the the Lubelskie, Mazowieckie, Wi€Tokrzyskie, and Wielkopolskie regions.

The cluster partners cooperate across energy production (solar, wind, water and geothermal energy) and the production and use of biomass. Partners include manufacturers of machines and appliances, producers of pellets and briquettes as well as designers and builders of wind farms, photovoltaic farms and small hydroelectric power stations.

The cluster’s mission is to support activities related to sustainable use of renewable energy sources by developing and deploying technological, manufacturing and processing innovations and by promoting renewable energy sources in the region.

Activities

The Lublin Eco Energy Cluster focuses on coordinating the activities of its supporting members.

The Cluster has established a range of partnerships including agreements with the Opolskie Centre for Economy Development, Science and Technology Park Euro-Centre Ltd, operator of the Euro-Centre Cluster of Renewable Energy, the Institute of Agro-energy Ltd and the Warmiosko-Mazurski Cluster.

In addition, Cluster members participate in the Consulting and Advisory Group for Renewable Energy at the Board of the Lubelskie Region.

The cluster also cooperates with the Marshall Office of the Lubelskie Region on the implementation of the Forwarding Regional Environmental Sustainable Hierarchies project (FRESH). The project is implemented by a consortium of 12 institutions from 6 EU countries – Finland, Romania, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and Poland – with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of development policy by exchanging best practices on creating and implementing operational programmes and regional innovation development strategy.

Since 2008 the Cluster has been the partner of the annual Lubelskie Energy Fair, ENERGETICS, the area’s flagship event for the promotion of environmentally-friendly innovations and new technologies in renewable energy.

Successful projects have included:

� New field of vision of Lubelskie Region – a project to train participants from Lubelskie Region to install solar panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps.

� Energetic creators of changes – a project to prepare local partners to create partnerships which would assist economic change management for renewable energy sources.

� Increasing the competitiveness of the Sokal Region using the potential of renewable energy sources – a project to improve living standards in Sokal Region by increasing the area’s competitiveness via renewable energy.

Funding

As part of their partnership agreement, the members of the Cluster pay an annual fee.

Lessons learned

The Lublin Eco Energy Cluster successfully implements projects involving stakeholders interested in renewable energy sources from the whole Lubelskie Region. It not only brings together companies but also other institutions aiming to carrying out research, promoting and popularising the use of renewable energy sources.

The expertise, experience and advisory services provided by the members are the key factors contributing to the success of the cluster.

Employment in companies and organisations associated with the Cluster amounts to 2911 people while 233 people are employed in research and development activities.

In the last two years, units within the Cluster have implemented 50 legally protected innovations.

The cluster entrepreneurs export their products to Russia, Holland, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Slovakia, Great Britain, France, Belorussia and Ukraine.

The Lublin Eco Energy Cluster successfully implements projects involving stakeholders interested in renewable energy sources from the whole Lubelskie Region.

www.?????????????

76

Lublin Eco Energy Cluster

Page 5: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Powers Project – a £40m initiative to support prototype development of next generation offshore wind turbines, its key aim being to anchor turbine manufacturing opportunities in Scotland.

Renewable Energy Investment Fund – via investment of £103m, the REIF aims to accelerate development of marine energy, uptake of community renewable energy and heating schemes.

National Renewables Infrastructure Fund – N-RIF was established to support development of port and near-port manufacturing locations for offshore wind turbines.

Green Investment Bank – A UK-wide initiative to invest £3bn of UK Government funds to leverage private sector capital to fund projects in offshore wind, waste and non-domestic energy efficiency.

Innovation

Energy Technology Partnership – ETP is Europe’s largest power and energy research partnership. ETP members lead or participate in energy-related RD&D programmes and investments valued in excess of £3300m.

Introduction

Scotland’s 100% renewable electricity target is the most ambitious in the European Union.According to the Renewables Routemap, by 2020 renewables in Scotland could provide:

� Up to 40,000 jobs and £30bn investment in the Scottish economy.

� Significant reduction in carbon emissions � Improved energy security.

To maximise the renewables opportunities available, analysis showed that key areas to be addressed would include:

� Investment in suitable infrastructure. � Suitable supply chain to meet developer

needs. � Ongoing technological innovation. � Regulation of an access to the electricity

grid. � A properly managed marine environment � Availability of key skills. � Significant finance.

Activities

The main activities to develop both offshore wind and marine energy were pursued through a partnership approach across three main areas – investment, innovation and the supply chain.

Investment

Saltire Prize – the £10m prize is a central part of Scotland’s strategy to build its green export industry. The award is a unique international challenge which encourages pioneering breakthroughs in wave and tidal energy. Global interest culminated in four companies being selected to deploy their devices in Scottish waters.

Scottish Energy Lab – SEL is a network of leading research, testing and demonstration facilities, comprising 44 distinct facilities with combined investment of £250m. Key SEL facilities include:

� European Marine Energy Centre – the first and only world centre to provide developers of wave and tidal energy converters with purpose-built open sea testing facilities.

� European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre – a research, development and testing centre consisting of up to 15 turbines situated in deep water off the coast of Aberdeen, providing a testbed for next generation turbines.

� Power Network Demonstration Centre – a centre for the development and deployment of new technologies in power systems and active network control.

International Technology and Renewable Energy Zone – ITREZ is Scotland’s global research and development hub bringing business and academia together to work on development of offshore renewables.

Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult Centre – a UK-wide body focused on development of technologies for offshore wind, wave and tidal power.

Supply Chain

Offshore Wind Diversification Support – a project to encourage existing firms to diversify into the offshore wind supply chain.

Funding

Scottish Enterprise’s major projects have been funded as follows:

� £70 million National Renewables Infrastructure Fund. � £103 million Renewable Energy Investment Fund. � £20 million investment in the International Technology and Renewable

Energy Zone. � £40 million POWERS fund and the £19m WATERS fund. � £900k Offshore Wind Expert Support programme.

In addition, substantial investment has been made in projects covering infrastructure and support for businesses at strategic sites including: Fife Energy Park; Energetica (Aberdeen to Peterhead); the ports of Dundee and Leith in the Renewable Energy Enterprise East Area; Energy Technology Centre (East Kilbride); and the Scottish Energy Laboratory network.

These projects are all in addition to the support which SE and Scottish Development International provides to growing numbers of renewables companies to encourage inward investment, growth, internationalisation and innovation, including account management, Scottish Investment Bank, R&D and SMART grants, Regional Selective Assistance and Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Lessons learned

Experience confirms that to enhance energy development creating high performance partnerships spanning public and private sectors is crucial and requires:

� Clear objectives. � Motivated partners. � Meaningful activities. � Effective governance. � Performance management.

Scotland’s 100% renewable electricity target is the most ambitious in the European Union.

www.scottish-enterprise.com

98

Renewable Energy in Scotland

Page 6: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

information for over 600 sites. It can also arrange contact with a location scout if required.

An online database, the production guide (www.productionguide.de) provides contact details for over 800 skilled professionals in the area.

Support on production planning, advice on permits and leasing of production equipment is also available.In 2011, the Commission expanded its counselling services and, for the first time, had these evaluated by an external agency, with that year’s annual report outlining almost 500 consultations, more than 15 events and numerous collaboration projects.

Alongside its day-to-day operations, the Commission’s current strategic focus lies on the creation of the Corporate Media Cluster Region Stuttgart, an initiative designed to highlight opportunities for the use of audio-visual media in the corporate communications sector.

The region is home to a large number of major companies offering significant growth potential for the creative industries sector.

Introduction

Founded in 1999, the Stuttgart Region Film Commission is the central point of contact for all issues related to film-making in the area. The Commission is part of the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS) and is supported by MFG Film Funding (an agency of the Federal Land Baden-Württemberg) and the City of Stuttgart.

Its responsibilities include providing film-makers with assistance in finding suitable locations, obtaining film permits and liaising with local authorities, as well as delivering specific information on technical and artistic film professionals, talent, producers and service providers from the region.

The Commission was established in response to demand from the creative industries sector for specific support for the film industry.

Activities

The Commission designs and implements projects which promote the film business in the Stuttgart region. These can include workshop discussions or location tours as well as networking events for the industry and participation in national and international film festivals and fairs.

Helping to connect the regional film industry nationally and internationally, it also offers qualifications for young film-makers through a series of regular seminars and practical lectures.

To assist film companies in identifying suitable locations in and around Stuttgart, the Commission developed an online location guide (www.locationguide.de) which provides images, detailed descriptions, and contact

While the counselling services which the Commission offers are very time intensive the clear benefit is the close working relationships which it is able to develop with companies, providing the team with a strong understanding of new developments and initiatives affecting the sector.

A typical example of this was the media in spaces project which brought together the film, communication and architecture sectors.

The Commission’s operational approach does mean that it is less able to focus on longer-term strategies for the industry such as developing concepts for education, young academics or funding which lie instead with other bodies in the region.

The creation of a cluster initiative within film and other creative industries can be challenging due to the dynamic and fast-changing nature of the sector with work often requiring new combinations of cast and crew to suit each project.

Funding

The Commission is financed via public sources and, under the international guidelines for film commission, cannot generate its own income.

It has four salaried employees, paid for by the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation. In addition, it receives a fixed annual budget from the City of Stuttgart and the film funding agency of the Federal Land of Baden-Württemberg.

Lessons learned

The Commission’s extensive contacts in the sector, range of services, and access to regular events enable it to act as a focal point for the industry.

Its lengthy track record in the sector and close relationship with businesses and other stakeholders within the film industry, offer a number of benefits:

� High levels of expertise in and experience of the film industry.

� Regular contact, via social media and events, with key target audiences.

� Rapid response to urgent production enquiries from companies.

� Creation of ongoing relationships with companies and monitoring of project progress.

� Encouraging collaboration and identifying suitable partner companies for projects.

The Commission was established in response to demand from the creative industries sector for specific support for the film industry.

www.?????????????

1110

Stuttgart Region Film Commission

Page 7: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Activities

Tartu Centre for Creative Industries (TCCI) operates as the creative industries coordinator for the area, providing information and training, legal and economic advice for entrepreneurs and business incubation services.

TCCI’s extensive facilities include an industry incubator renting low-budget office space for cultural and creative start-ups as well as a conference room and an extensive open-air space which it plans to develop into a park/picnic area with a concert stage and a sculpture garden.

As the coordinating hub for the creative industries in Tartu and the wider South Estonia region, the Centre has established strong relationships with cultural entrepreneurs, institutions and businesses across the area.

A key objective was the creation of an international network which would assist the region’s businesses in entering foreign markets, via the development of a creative industries cluster in South Estonia.

Introduction

Tartu is a university town of 100,000 inhabitants of which 20,000 are students with more than 50% of its population being less than 30 years old.

Its creative industries sector while still small, is growing rapidly with turnover of the industry from 2003-2007 growing from €600m million to €1.1bn.

Tartu’s objective is to expand its cultural production and create new products and services for both domestic and world markets.

The city wants to encourage entrepreneurship, empower artists and creative people to deliver their visions in the belief that culture can make a major contribution to a positive transformation of society.

Tartu launched its creative industry policy in 2004 mainly to encourage young people, nurture and encourage creativity and local expression, and retain talent in the area.

Established in 2009, the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries is responsible for developing and coordinating the activities of the cultural and creative sector in Tartu and South Estonia. Its aim is to act as a business incubator, encouraging the birth, growth and sustainability of creative businesses and lowering the risks which start-ups experience in the early stages of development by offering access to low-cost, high quality premises and support services.

As well as providing office space and incubation services for up to 40 companies – it currently houses 36 – the Centre includes a cafeteria, arts gallery and shops selling Estonian products, vintage clothes, and food and drink.

In collaboration with various partners, TCCI organises seminars, community days, conferences, design fairs, music festivals and roundtables, activities which have reinforced its reputation as the leading voice of the creative industries for the region.

In addition to providing advice for companies in incubation on all aspects of business, the Centre has successfully raised awareness of the creative industries amongst politicians and the wider public via its networking and events activities.

One of the key priorities of the Knowledge-based Estonia 2020 strategy is to maximise the potential of the creative industries, ICT and other key technologies.

Aims of the strategy include:

� Establishing an export strategy aimed at creative industries entrepreneurs.

� Encouraging entrepreneurs to participate in foreign competitions. � Promoting cooperation between entrepreneurs, creative

personnel and ICT people. � Providing content for entrepreneurs’ development programmes. � Supporting the creation of a professional qualification system for

the creative industries sub-sectors.

Funding

Since 2009, the Tartu has invested €163,000 in TCCI and it has also attracted additional funding of €672,000 for its activities from various funds.

€1m euros has been invested into infrastructure development of infrastructure and more than 80 jobs created. Approximately €95,000 in taxes is paid to the state annually.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

1312

Tartu Centre For Creative Industries

Lessons learned

� TCCI is an excellent example of how the whole city benefits from the development of the creative industries.

� According to research carried out by Creative Estonia and TCCI itself, the number of creative companies has grown considerably in Tartu and Estonia. In 2000, the area was home to 474 creative companies while in 2010 that figure had increased to 1358, 12% of the total number of companies active in Tartu. In that same period, the turnover of creative companies has risen by 73%.

� These benefits are both tangible, eg, additional taxes paid by new companies, the creative environment attracts talented people to Tartu and intangible – new ideas are generated by the improved atmosphere in the region and formerly abandoned areas attract an influx of new people.

� Key lessons learnt from the project are that it is highly advisable to try to achieve strong political support and the formation of a dedicated and reliable team is important in achieving success.

� In addition, good personal contacts are a strong advantage and a regularly updated Facebook site is a highly valuable marketing tool.

Page 8: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

The Lubelskie Region is an attractive location for investors, well connected by road and rail to key cities such as Brussels, Berlin and Warsaw to Lviv, Odessa, Kiev, Minsk and Moscow.

The economy of the region is based on agriculture – with its good soil and climate conditions, the area is a national leader in the production of hops, raspberries, currants, strawberries and other fruit.

In recent years, development of production and processing of healthy, certified food has increased dramatically. This is illustrated by the fact that while the GDP contribution of Poland’s agriculture sector in 2010 amounted to approximately 3%, in Lubelskie Region the figure is 6.5%.

The creation of producers groups, collaborations between farmers and other agricultural producers to reduce production costs and improve competitiveness, has been a key development.

Currently 18 producers’ groups work in Lubelskie Region including the Fruit Producers Association, Stryjno-Sad, located in Piaski.

Activities

Stryjno-Sad was founded in 1998 on the initiative of a group of 17 fruit-growers from the borough of Rybczewice.

Since its formation, the Association’s aim has been to organise the sale of fruit, especially apples. At that time,

Organisation was followed by additional investment in new sorting lines, packing lines, forklift trucks, etc.

From 2006 to 2011, there was major investment in a new 6,500 sqm building with a new production hall, construction of storage for 3,600 tons, purchase of new hi-tech sorting line with 26 water channels, four modern packing lines, two gluing machines for cardboard boxes, 16 forklifts, 32,000 plastic bins and harvesting machines for producers.

The total amount of investment was over€€10m, and in 2011 Stryjno-Sad achieved the status of Producers Organisation.

Currently, the Association produces 15,000 tons of apples each year, mainly modern varieties such as Golden Delicious, Gala Must, Elise and Red Sports as well as classic varieties such as Champion and Idared. The Association now consists of 96 fruit-growers from all around the Lublin District, as well as Wilga, Warka, Sandomierz, and Przemysl.

The Association’s objectives include:

� Adapting production to market conditions. � Improving managerial effectiveness. � Efficiently planning quality and quantity of

production. � Maximising sales. � Investing jointly. � Ensuring environmental protection.

Funding

The Association is a non-profit organisation with all its income spent in line with its statutory objectives.

This income is drawn from membership fees, private co-financing and EU funding support.

Lessons learned

Achieving the status of producers’ organisation allowed the Association to qualify for EU co-financing and to develop an expansion strategy.

The Association consists of 96 fruit growers and produces 15,000 tons of apples each year.

www.stryjno-sad.pl

1514

Stryjno-Sad Fruit Producers Association

annual production was approximately 2,500 tons, only one basic cold room in use with capacity of only 100 tons, no sorting machinery was available and there were no facilities for apples to be stored in controlled temperatures.

By 2002, 42 horticultural farms were working in partnership which saw production increase to around 6,500 tons per year, with 20% of apples stored in a controlled atmosphere.

At that time, the Group purchased a small sorting machine and created a sorting department within the farm building of one of the group’s members.

In 2003 the Group successfully purchased and modernised the storage building in Kaweczyn, where new sorting facilities and offices were created.

In 2006, 72 horticultural farms came together to co-operate within the Group which saw production increase to approximately 10,000 tons per year with 60% of apples now stored in controlled temperatures. A change of name from Producers Group to Producers

Page 9: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

The Estonia 2020 strategy sets out priorities for innovation areas within the country’s economy. The Estonian Research, Development & Innovation Strategy, Knowledge-based Estonia 2007–2013, sets objectives and measures to ensure high quality and increased production of Estonian research and development and to increase innovation in business.

The food industry is of major importance for Estonia with development of the local foodstuff sector mainly linked to the objective of increasing farm incomes and developing rural areas.

The total export of Estonian products in 2008 was 975 tons: 33.9m EEK. The main challenge in the sector’s development is linked to increasing product value, encouraging producers to become competitive and expanding the breadth of their product offering.

Polli Horticultural Research Centre is the only horticultural centre in the region.

Activities

Since 2009, the Fruit and Berry Product Development Centre has offered its services for entrepreneurs in other regions as well (including Estonia, Latvia and Finland). The Centre includes a well-equipped laboratory, where enterprises and research centres achieve good results through cooperation in product development.

� Increasing diversification of small scale processing of horticultural products in Estonia and Latvia.

� Supporting consultation on fruit and berry product development via use of processing equipment.

� Testing small scale experimental production of fruit and berry juices, carbonated drinks, puree and jam, seed oils, dehydrated products, etc.

� Supporting R&D projects, educational programmes and workshops.

During the EstLat cross-border programme project GoodFruit (2009-2011) partners project partners shared their efforts and knowledge to raise the general competitiveness of the local fruit and berry businesses which form an important part of the agricultural industry in Estonia and Latvia.

To achieve this, they concentrated on both improving infrastructure and building contacts with businesses. The project introduced new storage methodologies, upgraded infrastructure in both countries and encouraged networking with businesses (Estonian and Latvian SMEs), offering them knowledge, product development and storage-related services.

Funding

Running costs of the Polli Horticultural Research Centre are mainly covered by the Estonian University of Life Sciences Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. To implement new projects the competence centre can apply for financial support from ERDF Funds.

Lessons learned

� Research and product development facilities such as Polli Horticultural Centre are ideal for supporting product development and innovation amongst small businesses.

� Support in product development is beneficial in that companies can assess potential challenges in the early stages before investing further.

� The ability to analyse products, receive customer evaluation and assess the potential commerciality of products is very beneficial.

� Working with research centres and universities is also useful in supporting product development with analysis, knowledge and software.Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote

pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

1716

Polli Horticultural Research Centre

Its activities not only provide economic benefit in the form of profits for manufacturers themselves, but also additional advantages for the community in general: Firstly, their activity supports development of the agriculture sector, encourages entrepreneurship and improves economic conditions in the region.

Secondly, manufacturing of local products helps to establish loyalty between manufacturer and customer. Thirdly, local foodstuffs are connected to the wider identity of region; their manufacturing helps to preserve and promote traditional knowledge.

Regional companies benefits from the project by:

� Breeding and introducing new fruit and berry cultivars for domestic fruit and berry growers.

� Assisting research in fruit and berry cultivating technologies, plant protection and organic gardening.

� Assisting research in fruit and berry storage techniques.

Page 10: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

issues associated with pursuing new opportunities.

� Identify appropriate sources of funding to help and scope up new projects.

Activities

Scotland is renowned world-wide for naturally healthy food and drink products with fish, salmon and seafood, soft fruit, fruit juices, bottled water, vegetables, high fibre cereals, oat based products, chicken, lean red meat and bread all finding ready markets both at home and abroad.

The Food and Health Innovation Service project provides specialist support to Scottish Food and Drink companies, covering the whole process of innovation, including:

� Researching, translating and disseminating key technical information.

� Identifying Product Development Projects. � Scoping Product Development. � Marketing, legislation and regulation.

Introduction

The direction for Scotland’s future prosperity is articulated in the Government Economic Strategy (GES), which was refreshed in September 2011, to take account of current global trends and Scotland’s relative performance.

A key strand of Scotland’s economic development objectives has always been focused on the development of key growth sectors.

Food and Drink is one of the key sectors for growth in Scotland. A strategy was launched in 2009 with the ambition to grow turnover from £10bn to £12.5bn by 2017 and to build Scotland’s reputation as a “Land of Food and Drink”, thereby increasing exports by £1.4bn to £5.1bn. Scottish Enterprise works with partners under the leadership of the Industry leadership group Scotland Food and Drink to bring about a step change in industry performance.

A key area of development and service offering is in the area of healthy foods – estimated to be worth £20bn in the UK and more than £300bn globally. The Food and Health Innovation Service provides a range of practical support to help businesses realise growth opportunities in the healthy food and drink products marketplace.

The service provides support to help businesses:

� Identify and understand market opportunities in food and health.

� Scope new product ideas, including where to find solutions and resolve technical

The project supports Scottish food and drink companies with growth potential who are currently in, or are seeking to enter the food and health market by:

� Reformulating existing products for health – including reduction of fat, sugar and salt.

� Exploiting naturally healthy food and drink products. � Developing leading edge functional food and drink products.

A range of support mechanisms are in place to help companies maximise the market opportunity in food and health, including:

� Identifying and understanding market opportunities in food and health that are relevant to their business and how these may be successfully exploited.

� Resolving technical issues associated with pursuing new opportunities in food and health.

� Scoping out new project ideas in detail including where to find new solutions and identifying the best partners to work with. This scoping will result in detailed, fully costed action plan.

� Identifying appropriate sources of funding to help support scoped up projects and help companies access this funding.

The project also provides an important link for companies across related strategic activity in innovation, including the Scottish Funding Council funded Food & Drink Research Network, Scotland Food & Drink’s INSIGHTS market intelligence programme and Scottish Enterprise’s innovation support services.

Since the project was formally launched in 2010, over 250 companies have been in touch requesting further information on food and health opportunities. The project provided direct, one to one assistance to over 110 of those companies, and a further 50 companies have gone on to receive intensive support to develop a new healthy product.

Funding

The project is free to companies. Scottish Enterprise has committed £4.5m investment in the project over 5 years.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

1918

Scotland Food and Drink,Food and Health Innovation Service

Lessons learned

� In the initial stages, to promote the service, the project engaged in general marketing to large numbers of food and drink companies alerting them to the presence of and the benefits of the service.

� However, during year 2 of operations, the project provided specific pieces of information relevant to a small group of companies in a given sub-sector of food and drink. This has proved to be much more effective in stimulating ideas for innovation from the companies and hence demand for the service.

� The Food and Health Innovation Service was launched to complement various existing food and drink initiatives, such as the Interface Food and Drink, Scottish Food and Drink Reformulation Service and Scottish Enterprise’s own Innovation support mechanisms. The project engaged in extensive upfront consultation with these partners and continued to work alongside them during the implementation to ensure any synergies were maximised.

� Some of the smallest companies that the service initially worked with were not able to take the projects forward due to a lack of resources and access to finance. The smaller companies are now assessed upfront and if they are deemed unlikely to be able to take forward any significant food and health related new product development, they are instead offered a lighter touch support workshop. This is designed to help them move their business and ideas along so that, if they come back in a subsequent year to apply for full support, they will be in a better position to access it.

Page 11: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

for change”. The framework set an ambition to keep pace with global trends over the next 10 years – and achieving 50% sustainable revenue growth (in real terms), which means tourism growth must not be at the expense of Scotland’s environment, or culture and communities.

Scotland has tremendous tourism assets, however with increased competition and greater consumer choice, it was recognised as essential that the industry look at ways to exploit this to maximum advantage.

Over the last decade, Scottish Enterprise has delivered a significant amount of activity in the tourism innovation area.

The Tourism Innovation Programme aimed to stimulate a culture of innovation in the industry around effective use of market intelligence, business collaboration and investment in new products and services. The Programme was made up of a number of elements:

Tourism Intelligence Scotland – an online resource, TIS helps companies access and share a range of market intelligence to help identify new opportunities and assist them to achieve growth and embrace innovative ways

Introduction

The delivery of Scottish Innovation policy is articulated in the business plans of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council. Scottish Enterprise’s Innovation approach is predominantly through key sectors and direct working with businesses which have growth potential.

The goal is to expand the community of innovative companies and quicken the commercialisation process leading to faster market-ready products and services. Scottish Enterprise has various support mechanisms for the delivery of innovation support direct to Scottish businesses.

The main growth sectors in Scotland are Creative Industries; Energy; Financial Services; Food & Drink; Life Sciences; Technologies & Engineering and Tourism. In employment terms, the growth sectors account for 30% of jobs, with tourism the largest sector.

Tourism industry is a hugely important one for Scotland, contributing in around £4.4bn €5.3bn GVA and employing over 200,000 people in around 20,000 tourism related businesses across the country.

The sector’s total wider contribution actually accounts for around £11bn €13.2bn GDP, 10.4% of the country’s economy and 10% of the country’s workforce.

Activities

In 2006 the Scottish Government launched “Scottish Tourism: The Next Decade – A tourism framework

to create new products, services and ways of working, based on practical interpreted intelligence.

Tourism Innovation Fund – provides matched funding assistance of up to £30,000 and tailored professional one-to-one innovation and business development advice to help enable tourism operators to deliver innovative projects to market.

Tourism Innovation Group – established to provide a vehicle for industry leadership and to stimulate innovation, TiG provided a forum for leading tourism innovators to engage with the wider industry The aim was to be a driver of long term strategic change in Scottish tourism, and to encourage innovation and collaboration.

Tourism Innovation Toolkit Workshops – facilitated sessions bringing together collaborative groups of businesses or in-house teams to develop new ideas and ways of working which drive growth by using tools to identify innovative opportunities based around market intelligence.

Tourism Innovation Day – provide stimulus to tourism businesses to innovate through access to inspirational speakers and local influencers

Funding

Scottish Enterprise funding of the programme during 4 years from 2008/9 to 2011/12 was as follows:

Innovation Fund £240,000Innovation Group £250,000Innovation Workshops £95,000Tourism Intelligence Scotland £1,250,000

Total £1,835,000

While the above shows the SE contribution to Tourism Innovation Activity, the total planned budget for the whole Tourism Innovation Programme has been just under £2.1m over the three years including financial contributions from HIE and both financial and in-kind contributions from VisitScotland.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

2120

Tourism Innovation Programme

Lessons learned

A number of lessons have been learnt from an evaluation of the various initiatives:

TIG

� Ensure that the ‘innovation’ agenda is maintained as a core element of future tourism strategy development by the Scottish Tourism Alliance.

TIS

� Improve links with intermediary groups to ensure they are updated with TIS activity and can promote our market intelligence to their members/businesses.

� Better utilise our relationship with our partners, for example, VisitScotland have Quality Assurance Advisers who visit Accommodation Providers.

� Improve registration numbers to the website.

� Use technology to communicate more effectively with members.

Toolkit

� Content is now quite dated and must be revamped if further activity is to take place.

� Raising awareness of the toolkit workshops would benefit internally teams and external partners.

� An improved level of aftercare support should be developed so that action plans are implemented.

Fund

� Improved promotion of the fund is necessary if activity is to continue.

� Criteria for the fund innovation should be reviewed so that better applications are submitted in future.

� Funding levels should be reviewed and improvement to the financial processes made.

� Themed rounds could

Page 12: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

biomaterials, biosensors, computational systems, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and regenerative medicine.

BioMediTech aims to nurture innovation and commercialisation of research results via an active patenting policy, by providing expert advice to its scientists on the innovation potential of their discoveries, and by fostering spin-offs.

Activities

BioMediTech aims not only to integrate and strengthen the local tradition of excellence in life-science research and teaching, but also to create new platforms for discovery and innovation.

During the last ten years research groups have produced nearly 100 patents and over 10 commercial spin-offs.

BioMediTech is also pioneering a unique educational environment by combining UTA-based biosciences and TUT-based technology into a single degree programme.

Introduction

Tampere Region has strong business activities and research expertise in seven different fields: biotechnology, digital business, energy technology, health technology, intelligent machines, nanotechnology and computing. These activities are based on close cooperation between various research institutions, institutes of higher education, the business community and different financing organisations.

The region has successfully positioned itself as a versatile and fast-growing centre of research, development, and business in biotechnology and biosciences. This has been helped by the universities in Tampere having devoted years to perfecting research and education in the field.

However, the principal driver for the development of the region into an internationally recognised research and innovation environment for the biosciences has been the collaborative work carried out by the region’s key stakeholders.

Biosciences has been identified as one of the key fields of expertise in the Tampere region, and the region is active in the HealthBIO Biotech Competence Cluster of the national Centre of Expertise Programme.

BioMediTech, a joint venture between Tampere University of Technology and University of Tampere, brings together a powerful mix of multidisciplinary expertise in life sciences and medical technology. The institute houses over 250 scientists conducting research and education in the fields of cell and molecular biology, genetics,

Funding

The research is funded by the two universities themselves together with the City of Tampere, Council of Tampere Region, and research grants from national and international agencies and foundations such as the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES), Academy of Finland and ERDF.

Lessons learned

Given the different backgrounds of the two universities are very different, it has been important to take this into account when establishing the institute. Equally, regular communication between the two original organisations from the beginning has been crucial.

It was also important to ensure that the process of establishing the initiative did not run over an extended period, as if this is too lengthy, it is possible that other changes may affect progress.

It is important for individual research projects to have close links with supporting functions, e.g. patenting services.

Having support for innovation is extremely important for the projects as it promotes the concretisation of the results. This is also cost efficient because there is no need to buy these services from external suppliers. If possible, it would be best to have specialised supporting functions integrated into the projects themselves.

International cooperation has not played any role in the creation of the initiative itself, but is important from the research groups’ point of

view and it is important to share best practice and contacts with the international research community.

Several organisations have shown interest in the collaboration and the number of national and international visitors is increasing steadily. A high number of applications for open vacancies also demonstrates the level of interest in the project with a significant amount of applicants coming from a foreign background.

The main objective of the programme is to educate top-level experts with multidisciplinary skills in life sciences which meet the demands of both academia and industry.

www.biomeditech.fi

2322

BioMediTech, Tampere Region, Finland

Page 13: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

Founded in 2007, the Packaging Excellence Centre (PEC) – the centre for packaging and automation technology – acts as a coordinator for members representing companies, science and politics.

The Centre is an association composed of stakeholders from all relevant fields, comprising world leaders in the field of packaging technology, family-owned enterprises and suppliers as well as universities and specialised engineering service providers. They collaborate with the aim of developing new technological solutions and promoting skills within the Stuttgart Region.

Since 2000, the Stuttgart Region has established numerous regional industrial sector networks, covering the main clusters in the region, which have proved to be successful drivers of regional economic development.

Within the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS) there are currently more than 450 companies (mostly SMEs), 50 scientific institutions (university institutes and research centres), and other public institutions (local authorities, chambers, etc.) involved in a total of 13 skills centres.

The Stuttgart Region is home to a unique concentration of companies in the field of packaging and automation technology which has developed since the second half of the 19th century. The region is a leading centre for mechanical engineering which, in turn, plays an important role in the automotive

To build relationships outside the region, it organises joint trade fair stands and looks for other sector networks or cluster initiatives (national as well as international) interested in collaboration.

In addition, it supports members in developing innovations and initiates cooperative projects, in collaboration with other regional centres and institutions. With 55 members, the PEC is the major skills centre for packaging technology in Europe.

The PEC’s main purpose is to:

� Support the regional cluster of packaging and automation technology companies.

� Provide a platform for the exchange of experience. � Act as a coordinator between companies and academia � Initiate collaborative projects. � Supports the development of innovations and the

exploitation of new technologies. � Create initiatives in education and qualifications to improve

availability of skilled personnel. � Offer a gateway to other skills centres in associated

technology areas.

Funding

The funding of operating costs is supplied mainly by the members of the PEC with most members being private companies.

In order to implement new projects the skills centre can apply for financial support from the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation. In addition, finance is also raised by applying for national or European funding on a project basis. Initial funding came from the City of Waiblingen and partly from membership fees. As one of the winners in the regional cluster competition of Baden-Württemberg in 2008 the PEC also received some EFRE funding for the cluster management from the Ministry of Economics.

With 55 members, the PEC is the major skills excellence centre for packaging in Europe.

www.packaging-excellence.de

2524

Packaging Excellence Center (PEC)

Lessons learned

A number of lessons have been learned from PEC’s activities:

� Since 2007, membership of PEC has increased steadily from 36 to the current 55, making the PEC the major competence centre for packaging technology in Europe. This not only demonstrates the stability of the network but given that companies pay a voluntary membership fee of several thousand Euros every year – they clearly believe there is value in being part of the initiative.

� The success of the project has been driven by the initiative of the member companies.

� The PEC’s independent nature, by not being directly linked to a university or research centre, is an advantage.

� Companies will only participate if they see a clear benefit arising from the network.

� Research institutions (or business associations) are more important in later phases, when the network or platform starts working, rather than during the establishment process.

� It is a big asset to have leading figures, e.g. from the business community, supporting such an initiative, particularly as members of the executive board.

� The members of the executive board should have experience relevant to all key sectors of the network topics based, for example, on the value chain

� The initiative should have a long-term vision for its activity and objectives to ensure its sustainability.

sector as well as in emerging sectors such as environmental technology.

The mechanical engineering sector as a whole and packaging and automation technology in particular is seen as one of the core sectors for the future.

Activities

PEC’s activities encompass three main areas: technology, marketing and qualifications. With its regularly organised activities (workshops, seminars, forum, and competence teams) it offers members the opportunity to engage in intensive dialogue between industry and research organisations.

The PEC’s duties include identifying potential new technologies, creating initiatives in the field of education and qualification, promoting joint marketing activities and supporting the members in applying for funding from national or European funding schemes.

Page 14: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

Piedmont was the first Italian region to establish Innovation Clusters, new industrial policy instruments to support the competitiveness of companies which promote knowledge sharing between businesses and investment in development of innovative products and services.

Twelve technological sectors of particular interest were identified; agrofood, renewable energy and biofuels, sustainable architecture and hydrogen, sustainable chemistry, ICT, mechatronics, renewable energies and mini hydro, new materials, plant engineering, systems and components for renewable energy, textiles, digital creativity and multimedia, biotechnology and biomedical.

The Clusters act as coordinators of the different groups involved in the innovation process, their main objective being to promote innovation through the exchange of knowledge, experiences and information as well as the use of common infrastructures and services with high added value.

In addition, the Clusters are responsible for identifying businesses’ technological needs in order to guide future regional policy and support research and innovation.

Activities

Overall the 12 clusters involve around 1,400 companies of which about 28% work in the field of Clean Technologies. The main activities are to:

� Encourage companies to participate in advanced industrial and scientific research communities.

Among the sectors covered by the 12 Innovation Clusters, there is potential for further collaboration to overcome the fragmentation of experiences and approaches and to encourage better integration at Regional level.

For example, five Innovation Clusters are related to the Clean Technologies sector (sustainable architecture and hydrogen, sustainable chemistry, renewable energy and bio-fuels, renewable energy and mini hydro plants, systems and components for renewable energy) and other Clusters cover complementary areas (eg, ICT and creative digital and multimedia).

A possible future federation of the existing Clusters with the creation of new Hubs would create the correct environment to maximise the international competitiveness of the enterprises and a better awareness of the skills present in the Region, maximising knowledge flows, spreading the benefits of innovation throughout the entire regional economy and using resources more efficiently, particularly at times when there are pressures on budgets.

Funding

ERDF funding to finance the Innovation cluster is €120m million Euros including –€€9m as aid to the Cluster Managers to support the establishment and expansion of the cluster and operational support for ongoing activity.

€111m is provided as grants to the Cluster for feasibility studies, research, development and innovation projects.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

2726

Piedmont Regional Innovation Clusters

Lessons learned

Through the establishment of Innovation Clusters, the Piedmont Region aimed to invest in innovation to support SMEs with the difficult process of selection, specialisation and monitoring of new technological opportunities or business.

The creation of the Innovation Clusters can be considered as a success for the following reasons:

� Piedmont Region’s pilot has encouraged other Italian regions (eg, Liguria and Tuscany) to adopt similar initiatives.

� The project has encouraged collaboration between SMEs in research projects.

� There has been a positive response from participating sectors.

� Innovative activities have been promoted by partnerships, the sharing of facilities and exchange of knowledge and expertise.

A possible future federation of the existing Clusters with the creation of new hubs would create partnerships which could help improve collaboration at Regional level.

� Provide specialised services to promote and encourage innovation amongst firms involved in the cluster.

� Facilitate the participation of cluster SMEs in EU research, development and innovation funds.

� Promote investment and joint use of facilities, laboratory equipment and research.

� Facilitate mobility of staff between projects or companies.

� Identify the educational needs of enterprises with the aim of improving their technological and managerial skills.

� Encourage the development of new companies via business incubation services as well as contribute to the sectoral transfer of technological knowledge.

� Promote internationalisation of companies associated with the cluster through joint experimentation, testing and certification.

� Facilitate investment in the region.

Rather than just providing financial support, the overall objective is to promote innovation. The Clusters’ aim is to support the share of skills, to contribute to technology transfers, the creation of networks and the spread of information between companies.

Page 15: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Demola – brings students from different disciplines together to develop products and services and solve real-life challenges. The student team developing a product or service will retain intellectual property rights to their work and companies can acquire a licence to use it.

Protomo – offers a wide range of free support services to business idea developers, experienced professionals and young talent including facilities, community support and expertise for product development and market launch.

Suuntaamo – a forum for the testing of products and services, the facility provides an easy channel for supplementary product or service development.

StartupStairs – the newest engine room provides comprehensive training for potential start-ups.

Introduction

Located in the historic factory district of Finlayson in Tampere, Finland, New Factory was established to drive regeneration of the Tampere area.

New Factory empowers businesses, academia and the public sector to identify cost effective ways to encourage innovation.

The aim is to develop competitively-priced products and services which improve outdated processes and respond rapidly to developments in different business sectors.

One of the key goals is to establish the region as a key location for the creation, adoption and application of innovation.

Activities

New Factory’s activities include:

� Providing students, entrepreneurs, researchers and developers with an encouraging environment for innovation.

� Promoting international cooperation. � Converting ideas into prototypes, pilots, products

and services, new businesses and jobs. � Supporting businesses with new skills and ideas. � Improving access to training and finance for students

and entrepreneurs in Tampere.

Four ‘engine rooms’ – Demola, Protomo, Suuntaamo and StartupStairs, offer students, business people, growth businesses and the wider public, easy access to the New Factory community. They provide quick and affordable platforms which support start-up companies, acting as a one-stop shop for turning ideas into new products and services.

For students, this provides valuable experience of the world of work – they are active participants who are encouraged to join demanding but highly rewarding projects to acquire co-operation and partnership skills.

For businesses, the engine rooms offer an effective and low-risk way of carrying out customer-focused product research.

Funding

The New Factory projects have received funding from ERDF, ESF, Finnish Government regional development funds, City of Tampere as well as some private organisations. New Factory also funds its operations by selling innovation consultancy services and other services to local businesses.

Lessons learned

The key lesson has been that innovative ways of working and collaborating can be developed for relatively little expense.

It’s also important to give students the opportunity to work with real companies which are facing everyday business challenges.

A further important benefit is to have a long-term plan in place which ensures a sustainable model of working which will be effective after funding support has ended.

New Factory empowers businesses, academia and the public sector to identify cost effective ways to encourage innovation.

www.newfactory.fi

2928

Tampere New Factory

Page 16: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

It is a ‘one-stop-shop’ offering a single point of entry for businesses seeking academic expertise. Pre-start, SME or larger client companies are able to obtain one-to-one advice on their specific requirements and initial screening determines if their need is suitable to explore as an academic collaboration.

Expertise falls into two categories:

� Problem solving – where the company does not have in-house capability and seeks to collaborate with a university partner to undertake this.

� Horizon scanning – for companies seeking to move into a new area of business or develop a new product or service and need advice on current developments in technology.

Activities include:

� Providing free, impartial brokerage, matching business need to academic expertise and offering support to facilitate R&D collaboration.

� Delivering proactive translation services to promote suggestions of relevant expertise from across academic institutions.

Introduction

Hosted by the University of Edinburgh, Interface comprises 24 partner universities and research institutions within Scotland.The partners have come together to provide a central point of access for companies to tap into their expertise in science, engineering and technology, arts and humanities.Its aims are to:

� Provide detailed expressions of interest on capability and capacity in response to enquiries.

� Stimulate demand by companies of all sizes and sectors for expertise and commercial opportunities.

� Filter and direct enquiries to individual research groups and monitor progress of enquiries.

The initiative is designed to stimulate demand for knowledge exchange between industry, universities and research institutions via partnerships, marketing, stakeholder engagement and infrastructure management.

Interface is a unique model which offers businesses the impartiality of understanding what academic capabilities are available and how easily these can be accessed without the need to contact many different groups individually.

Activities

Interface takes as its starting point the needs of its business clients, and seeks the expertise most appropriate to meeting those requirements, regardless of location.

� Providing expertise across sectors and regions to ensure widespread engagement with businesses.

� Identifying business challenges and helping them understand how academia can assist with these.

� Offering proactive marketing via a comprehensive website, organising events, use of social media, webinars and webcasting.

� Developing networks, maintaining regular contact via newsletters, campaigns and events.

� Engaging with intermediary organisations, eg, enterprise agencies, chambers of commerce and trade bodies.

The companies supported by the Interface team have demonstrated significant business benefits from their academic partnerships including new products, sales and international links. Interface has introduced over 1227 businesses to academic partners and 600 collaborative projects have been facilitated since 2005.

Funding

Current funding is provided by the Scottish Funding Council, the European Regional Development Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The service is completely financed through public sources.

Lessons learned

� Supply side ‘push’ from universities is very important.

� Knowledge exchange networks operate most effectively when partners establish a long-term relationship based on trust, good quality staff and regular personal contact.

� Interface’s ability to act as an ‘honest broker’ from a position of neutrality is a key strength for stakeholders.

� Interface simplifies the process by clearly directing companies to the expertise they require.

� Interface has developed strong operational links to partner institutions and is seen as an effective means of engaging with SMEs.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.interface-online.org.uk

3130

Scotland Interface

Page 17: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

The Stuttgart Region is a leading centre for mechanical engineering, which plays an important role in the automotive sector as well as in new sectors such as environmental technology. Together with sector related engineering services, research institutes, networks and regional Competence Centres, the sector forms a world-leading production technology cluster.

A number of global companies are located in the region including Festo, Stihl, Trumpf, Kärcher, Dürr and Schuler.

The sector has grown in importance in recent years with a turnover of €17.9bn in 2010, making up 10% of total German turnover in this sector. In the Stuttgart Region, 62% of this turnover is generated abroad, with 84,000 people directly employed in the sector (2010), accounting for 28% of total employment in the sector.

In 2009 the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS) designed the Network Initiative Industrial Services in Mechanical Engineering as part of its cluster management activities for the mechanical engineering sector.

Activities

Activities include:

� Organising events and workshops to promote new business models for mechanical engineering companies.

In addition to these events, the WRS supports different projects and further initiatives in the field of industrial services as a collaborative partner.

The research project AESTIMO is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and develops a set of methods for measuring and assessing the productivity of knowledge-intensive services for producers of capital goods. WRS and several member companies of its cluster initiative have substantially contributed to the project’s analysis.

Another initiative is the Competence Team Services in Packaging Technology, which started in 2009 in close cooperation with the regional competence centre Packaging Excellence Centre (PEC).

It also supports an exchange of knowledge and experience of current challenges in the service business and compiles a strategy for the development and marketing of services in the field of packaging technology.

To date, 190 professionals from more than 100 companies have participated in the initiative, results which can be regarded as very promising for a project which has been running for three years.

Funding

An annual budget of €10,000 is provided by the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS) as part of WRS’ regular cluster management activities for the mechanical engineering sector.

Participation in the research project “AESTIMO” is co-funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. There are no plans to seek private investment for the initiative – it is solely funded by public sources.

Lessons learned

� A compact format for project events – a maximum of 2 hours – is advisable as time pressures for attendees can be a limiting factor.

� Also for events, a clear focus on a specific topic for discussion is also recommended.

� A database of professionals/key contacts at the companies being targeted is an important advantage.

� Availability of knowledge centres such as research institutes is a key asset.

� During the implementation phase, especially for events, specific challenges have been identified. It can, for example, be difficult to find the right sub-topics which are of interest to companies and it may be that a survey of addressed companies conducted in advance to gauge their views, could provide a good solution.

� The creation of case studies of companies who are already participating could also be a major advantage for encouraging new participants.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

3332

Stuttgart Regional Industrial Services: Network Initiative Industrial Services in Mechanical Engineering

� Exchanging experience in service engineering, processes and organisation.

� Targeting mechanical engineering companies in the Stuttgart Region.

� Participating in research projects in industrial services.

The initiative has two main formats for delivery of its services:

The Regional Dialogue is a networking opportunity which takes place twice a year. It aims to support dialogue between regional companies and the transfer of knowledge between experts (both practitioners and researchers) and beginners in the field.

The Regional Industry Circle is a network of well-known pioneers in the industrial services sector of the Stuttgart Region. This network is aimed at stimulating an exchange of experiences between decision-makers of the top regional firms.

Regular events are supplemented by the opportunity to participate in research projects dealing with industrial services and the cooperation with other regional networks that are active in this field.

Page 18: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

CENTROPE, the Central European Region, is home to around 6.5 million people spread across 8 countries, regions and federal provinces. The region could be seen as the epitome of the ‘new Europe’ at the intersection of four countries and encompassing four different languages.

Its convenient location and expanding market make CENTROPE an economic and investment space which offers excellent opportunities both for large-scale international corporations as well as small or medium-sized enterprises.

Situated at the crossroads of important European transport corridors and with good access to international airports, CENTROPE offers excellent accessibility and short distances to all European key markets.

Activities

Set up in 2010, the aim of the Centrope Innovation Scheme was to create an international community of service providers for technology transfer and innovation.

Acting as an agent for innovative businesses, the scheme facilitated knowledge exchange and cooperation between businesses in CENTROPE and expert R&D institutions from across the four regions participating in the scheme, irrespective of their country of origin.

Operating through a fully subsidised voucher system, the scheme provided access to financial support for up to 50 transnational science/R&D institutions to business research partnerships in the bordering regions of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

CTT used learning points from previous voucher schemes and practice to develop a trilateral service contract between the SME, R&D providers and national partner/contact point and a simple online application form/guidance process for applicants. Applications were presented in person to the committee with decisions made by a simple majority.

With a maximum deadline of two months, partners were responsible for sourcing the most suitable R&D providers from the transnational network for the winners, sourcing partners within 2 months and ensuring the project was completed within 6 months. Partners/project contact points were also responsible for day-to-day administration, finance and evaluation of the scheme.

With a face value of up to 5,000, CCT Vouchers could be used to pay or contribute towards the costs incurred, enabling SMEs to source the most suitable expertise to help them develop their product and get their innovative idea out to market. Priority was given to technology orientated service projects and activities demonstrating innovative and scientific approaches.

Funding

The project was supported with funds from the Central European 2007-2013 Transnational Cooperation Programme. The CTT budget was 1,934,000, enabling 50 SMEs to realise innovative project ideas in form of innovation vouchers.

Lessons learned

� Although designed for transnational cooperation the systems/processes can also be applied to new or existing projects at national or regional level, helping to add value to existing schemes.

� The key element of the transfer process is the cooperative, dynamic nature of the programme.

� Stimulating connections between SMEs and large R&D institutes, the scheme also introduces a change of mind-set and encourages exporting.

� The future of the pilot programme depends on the availability of future financial resources.

Pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote pullquote.

www.?????????????

3534

Centrope Transnational Innovation Voucher (CTT)

Activities included:

� Development of new products/prototypes. � Preparation of a Business Plan for innovative

products. � Development of new concepts, pre-feasibility and

feasibility studies, studies for problem solving. � Development of a new service. � Tailored training in new technologies. � Product/service testing. � Economic impact assessment of new technologies. � Analysis of technology transfer potential. � Purchase of raw materials.

From 2010-2012, the three key components of the scheme were the Centrope R&D Map, the Centrope Academy and the Centrope Cooperation-voucher.

Aimed exclusively at providing support for transnational cooperation, CTT project partners were responsible for marketing and promotion of the scheme, providing technical assistance, i.e. helping applicants to prepare applications and necessary documentation.

Page 19: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

Established in 1997, the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network (RVCTI) was established in 1997 to foster and co-ordinate the supply and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge developed by non-profit institutions to the Basque productive sector.

The Network covers almost all organisations and institutions which carry out activities related to the creation and spread of information in the Basque Country, in particular those supporting business enterprises which make a significant contribution to the country’s economic and social development.

It currently represents more than 100 non-profit institutions including technology centres, basic excellence research centres (BERCs), co-operative research centres (CICs), public research centres, health sector research units, higher education institutions, enterprise research units, certification and testing laboratories and technology parks.

Activities

The origins of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network lie in the desire of the Regional government to build the science and technology infrastructure to improve productivity in the region.

The Network aims to foster and co-ordinate the supply and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge developed by accredited non-profit institutions to the Basque business sector.

It aims to develop technologically smart infrastructure

Network of Technological Centres: These centres provide support for universities and companies wishing to collaborate helping to integrate R&D activity with companies. In addition, networks and alliances of Technology Centres, such as TECNALIA and IK4, help to exchange information and coordinate R&D activities.

Network of Technology Parks: Four Technology Parks provide quality employment to more than 14,000 people, in the Basque Country.

Clusters: The Basque Country has a strong tradition of cluster organisations through which key stakeholders cooperate and establish links to increase overall regional competitiveness .Nowadays, the region locates 11 clusters[1] and 9 pre-clusters with high levels of competitiveness. The plan from now on is to diversify the cluster structure towards new high added value sectors in order to reach high growth potential. Specific tools are also put in place to gain competitiveness and make it more dynamic such as specific management models for public-private collaboration, starting from the clustering policy, based on the maturity of each of the clusters.

Funding

The Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network was initially created as a private non-profit organisation.

The Network covers almost all organisations and institutions which carry out activities related to the creation and spread of information in the Basque Country.

www.innobasque.com

3736

Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network

Lessons learned

Since its formation, the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network has continually evolved to meet the needs of stakeholders. What began as a network of technology centres (EITE), later evolved into the Basque Technology Network, and ultimately into the current Network.

During this process, the type of bodies participating has continued to develop from the initial technology centres to universities, CICs, BERCs, etc., demonstrating continued commitment to innovation.

The Basque economy is largely driven by industry. The shift to more knowledge-intensive sectors (e.g. biotechnologies, nanotechnologies, advanced manufacturing, energy) indicates a promising future for these industries, an evolution which is reflected in changes in the make-up of members.

and a strong networking environment which forms close links to customers and delivers state-of-the-art specialised technology to the Basque business community.

Based on the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI 2015), the network:

� Fosters effective co-ordination and collaboration between stakeholders in the fields of science, technology and innovation.

� Facilitates interaction between stakeholders in these sectors to ensure that availability of skills meets the demands of producers and manufacturers.

Key members of the network include:

BERC: Six Research Centres of Excellence have been founded by the Basque Government to achieve excellence in science.

CIC: Seven Centres for Collaborative Research have been founded in specific priority areas, clustering regional efforts to achieve excellence in science and technology.

Page 20: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

Introduction

Pannon Business Network (PBN) Association operates in the West-Transdanubian region of Hungary close to the Austrian, Slovak and Slovenian border. The region is rich in natural resources such as thermal and spring water and forestry. The region’s key sectors are the mechatronics, thermal and recreation, textiles, wood and furniture industry and logistics.

INNOVAL is an innovation support project for the mechatronic and electronic sector in the field of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). AAL combines activities from various sectors and subsectors with the IT sector lying at the centre of all AAL activities.

The IT, electronics and electrical appliances sectors of Western Transdanubia have around 12,200 employees. The manufacturing of AAL-specific sensors (e.g. for motion detection) is recommended as a niche market for the Western Transdanubian electrical and electronics sector.

AAL provides opportunities for SMEs willing to provide customised, flexible solutions which can be retrofitted. If AAL devices are to be installed in buildings (e.g. retirement homes), then qualified electrical firms are needed.

Activities

In recent years the concept of ‘open innovation’ has become increasingly important. The concept encourages external as well as internal ideas and market trends to

These include:

� Small and medium sized enterprises dealing in related fields of technology.

� Research centres. � Local public institutions. � Local service providers. � Local consulting partners.

Austria’s Ministry of Economy recognised that AAL is becoming increasingly important within even the global economy and supported the objective of strengthening Austria’s capabilities in this area, in partnership with relevant partners in Hungary.

Working together, Austria’s Ministry of Economy and Institute for Economic Promotion of the Chamber of Commerce from Austria and Hungary’s Pannon Business Network Association, took part in the preparatory meeting where the participants decided to deal with AAL topic in details and apply for grants to implement the plans. PBN is the leader of the consortium and was responsible for involving relevant Hungarian partners.

Funding

INNOVAL is funded by the European Regional Development Fund with an overall budget of approximately 1,000, 000.

Lessons learned

Two phases of the project were implemented over a three year period which means that the lessons learned during the first phase have been applied during the second part of the project.

� IDEA generation: qualitatively Open Innovation approach is needed.

� AAL analysis: good orientation material has been produced.

� For regional partner-meetings, better visibility and balanced results are required.

� Open Innovation in the mechatronic sector was too diverse a theme and has therefore been narrowed to focus on smart houses with mechatronic and electronic solutions.

The primary aim of INNOVAL is to involve SMEs and research partners in developing an interregional innovation network and the necessary Innovation Support Systems (ISS) on both sides of the Austria-Hungary border.

www.pbn.hu

3938

INNOVALInterregional Innovation leaders

be considered when developing new technologies. This process requires a major shift in emphasis on companies to ensure that external factors are actively incorporated into their business processes.

By involving other organisations, as well as encouraging development of the innovation network (e.g. by cooperation with other companies and research institutions within the same sector), increased added value can be generated. A key objective of the project is to support participating companies aiming to introduce innovation in the fields of mechatronic and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL).

The primary aim of INNOVAL is to involve SMEs and research partners in developing an interregional innovation network and the necessary Innovation Support Systems (ISS) on both sides of the Austria-Hungary border.

ISS is designed to encourage new ideas between research partners and other members of target groups.

Page 21: Tr3s Good Practices

Goo

d P

ract

ices

4140

How to develop regions or functional areas as effectively as possible was one of the central questions motivating 10 partners from 9 European regions cooperating on the TR3S project. The goal was to understand and foster individual strengths, learn from one another and make a difference to each region’s development strategy.

That’s why one of the most important tasks of the TR3S project was to identify good practices, make use of the lessons learned along the way and share them with other project partners who might have to deal with similar or comparable challenges.

At the beginning of the project the aim was to identify 15 good practices which, at first, seemed ambitious. Ultimately, however, our target was not only met but exceeded. By the conclusion of the project, 18 good practices had been identified.

Sometimes the definition of good practice is not immediately obvious. What works for one region is not necessarily effective for another. But each good practice definitely has elements which are worth learning from and adopting. By working together, it was possible to profit from each other’s knowledge and pursue different approaches in an efficient way.

To identify a good practice one needs to focus on the local conditions but also needs to have an open mind and an international perspective. The groundwork for developing, implementing and monitoring measures to advance regional development was laid by assessing a variety of indicators.

A good practice shows a clear link to the regional Smart Specialisation approach and provides insight on how it supports regional potential, specific strengths and competitive advantages for companies. Additionally, it needs to be integrated effectively into the regional or local context and policy as well as EU policy.

To achieve effective results a good practice should trigger the active cooperation of regional stakeholders, lead to private investments and prove itself capable of being integrated, sustainable, and transferable.

The benefits of a good practice can be verified by continuous monitoring and external evaluation which focuses on success factors and lessons learned.

This brochure lists all the good practices identified during the TR3S project which had the potential to be transferred effectively to other regions.

Methodology for theevaluation of good practices

Page 22: Tr3s Good Practices

42

Lead partner:Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation (Basque Country, ES) Contact person: Ms. Ezekiela ArrizabalagaE-mail: [email protected]: www.tecnalia.com

PartnersValga County Government (Eesti, EE)Contact person: Ms. Sille RoometsE-mail: [email protected]

The Baltic Institute of Finland (Pirkanmaa, FI)Contact person: Mr. Esa KokkonenE-mail: [email protected]

Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (Stuttgart, DE)Contact person: Ms. Stephanie FleischmannE-mail: [email protected]

Pannon Business Network Association (Nyugat-Dunantul, HU)Contact person: Ms Regina Peth€E-mail: [email protected]

Piedmont Region (Piemonte, IT)Contact person: Ms. Stefania CrottaE-mail: [email protected]

Lubelskie Voivodeship (Lubelskie, PL)Contact person: Ms. Ewa Paszkiewicz-TomasiakE-mail: [email protected]

Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Development Agency (Bucuresti-Ilfov, RO)Contact person: Mr. Daniel PopescuE-mail: [email protected]

Scottish Enterprise (Scotland, UK)Contact person: Mr. Ian McCoullE-mail: [email protected]

SPRI, S.A (Basque Country, ES)Contact person: Mr. Txomin OlabarriE-mail: [email protected]

Contact

Page 23: Tr3s Good Practices

www.tr3s-project.eu