Business Economic Renewal to Enhance strAtegic Development and Innovation in Alpine Space

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Traditional and mature SMEs represent the economic backbone of the Alps although their structure and mindset dangerously expose them to rapid market changes and financial crises that usually lead to a loss of competitiveness and decreasing growing rates. The Alps are also home of dynamical start-ups with high innovation potentiality but lack of experience and established channels. The AS innovation ecosystem eventually hosts many public and private actors engaged in the business aid with valuable support services that however are often fragmented, redundant, territorial restricted and sealed off to specific fields. BE-READI ALPS aims to impact to this unexploited scenario designing and piloting a living lab for the Alpine ecosystem where mature SMEs might have a “second life”, extending their value chain at AS level by establishing apt partnership with innovation, digital and financial providers. Moreover, the project, that covers 11 Alpine regions, will show that is possible to upscale the AS innovation ecosystem through the work of actors with complementary specialisations, in order to offer a harmonised, innovative and transnational service model (BE-READI Points Toolkit). BE-READI ALPS will work to apply to 500 SMEs a similar approach used to support start-ups: from a comprehensive assessment to the investors pitch preparation, till the matching with partners, like digital start-ups, contributing to the launch of second-life projects (at least 50 projects). The partners will become qualified Points with shared procedures and a sound quality management (Accreditation process for BE-READI points). The 14 Observers representing the Alpine ecosystem will animate Open Tables discussions aiming at launching a shared strategic and operative Roadmap to overcome the current barriers that prevent the AS innovation ecosystem upscale (Strategic Roadmap for AS Competitiveness). Budget: € 1.963.003,75. Information added on 2020-06-01, regarding the mitigation of the effects of COVID-19 (the coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019) (English language only): BE-READI ALPS offers solutions to companies that are facing profound structural changes, as its core goal is to support SMEs in launching "second life" projects. The BE-READI Points accompany entrepreneurs in checking the feasibility of their projects, establishing new partnerships and learning new ways to relaunch business valorising digital tools.

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