About the project
High regional expenditure on R&D does not necessarily lead to innovation and increased regional competitiveness if the regional economy is hampered by insufficient exploitation of its own R&D results and from a lack of access to public R&D results. Increasing SMEs’ competitiveness is at the core of the InnoBridge project by improving the Innovation Bridge and related policy instruments for SMEs: “Bridging the innovation gap through converting R&D results into commercial success in a more effective and efficient way”. This enables SMEs to better realize their innovation potential and to act as a catalyst for creating more high qualified jobs and regional growth.
After 3 years of intensive inter-regional learning and 18 months of Action Plan implementation that applied into practice actions aiming at improving their regional R&D and innovation performance and SME’s competitiveness, InnoBridge project 9 partners from 8 regions in 8 countries spread over Europe are ready to share their hands-on experience.
What can you gain from this conference
1. Insights into different stakeholder perspectives: managing authorities, universities, business community, local/regional authorities, structural funds beneficiaries;
2. Expert and political views on the challenges of R&D use and commercialization, current policies and available tools and funding;
3. Available data that can be used in improving policies and policy instruments;
4. Concrete examples of actions implemented in the framework of the InnoBridge project and their proven impact;
5. Lessons learnt and policy recommendations for the next programming period (2021 – 2027);
6. Networking opportunities and fostered debate among up to 100 participants from all over Europe.
Programme
Welcome and opening: the role of SME INNOVATION in pre-and-post-pandemic situation
- Yordanka Fandakova, Sofia Mayor: Cities as innovation hubs
- Etienne Verhelle, Policy Officer, Interreg Europe: Connecting Danube Region SME challenges with local goals in place-based innovation policy
- Kerstin Koren, Legal Representative Office of the Regional Government of Lower Austria, InnoBridge Project Manager: Making a difference through partnerships
Online live poll, Q&A
The impact of innovations and SME competitiveness: regional perspectives and examples of leadership in action
- Christian Lechner, Professor at University of Bolzano
- Pilar Garcés García, Associate Professor at Valladolid University: University-business knowledge transfer in Castilla y León in COVID times
- Katalin Barna, Hungarian Ministry of Finance: How Hungary reacted to the crisis and how the ERDF can help cope with that challenge
- Sylwia Bendarczyk Mikuli, Deputy Director of Małopolska Centre for Entrepreneurship: How to raise and mobilise the existing skills and how to build skills for the future
- Raimund Mitterbauer, Chamber of Commerce, Lower Austria: R&D&I Portfolio, How to foster innovation in SME’s
Online live poll, Q&A
This part of the webinar will focus on addressing the following questions: What measures can assure that R&D results are available to SMEs? How to raise and mobilize the existing skills and how to build skills for the future? How to seize the benefits of digitalization for improving the region’s innovative performance? What has proven to work?
Coffe break: get to know the partner regions and their achievements - regional video content
Responsible leading in times of crisis - parallel break-out sessions on lessons learned, good practices, barriers & challenges and policy recommendations.
This part of the virtual conference will engage participants to gain insights and exchange and delve into policy experience and good practices. With guided moderation participants will discuss and define lesson learned and policy recommendations.
Way forward: report back on break-out sessions
Conclusions and wrap up
- Daniela Tchonkova, ARC Fund
