Deployment of support services aiming at enhancing the innovation management capacity and projects of SMEs based in the Hauts de France region

ended

The project EURACTE-INNOV III proposed by the consortium Enterprise Europe Network EURACTE II aims at the deployment of two support services aiming at enhancing the innovation management capacity and projects of SMEs based in the new Hauts de France region (covering the previous Nord – Pas de Calais and Picardie regions), thus generating growth and competitiveness among local actors : The first service targets successful applicants under the SME instrument scheme, i.e. “SME Instrument beneficiaries”. The aim of this service is to detect weaknesses in the projects, help the SMEs identify a coach who is competent in the particular field in order to efficiently accompany the SME in finding solutions to the identified challenges, and follow up and facilitate the SME-coach relationship in order to maximize the probability of the project to access the targeted market successfully. The second support service, “Enhancing SME innovation management capacity”, aims at helping regional SMEs with potential for international growth, to consolidate their innovation strategy and management, in order to generate more structured innovation projects and increase their chances of success on the European market. The overall objective is to allow those SMEs to reach the required capacities to access to funding under Horizon 2020 R&D programs.