INNOvation TRAINing IT Central Europe

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Information technologies are regarded as key drivers of innovation in SMEs. However, many SMEs, particularly in the production sector, still have difficulties in utilizing these new technologies efficiently in order to foster process and product innovation. This is partly due to the fact that many SMEs don’t use IT Service Management and waste many (financial and personal) resources in running basic IT-functions. Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) is a discipline for managing IT systems, centered on the customer's perspective of IT's contribution to the business. Thus, by strengthening the performance of SME's IT departments, ITSM enables process innovation (e.g. eProcurement) and product innovations (e.g. client services) can be promoted. However, many SMEs are not exploating these opportunities to its full potential, due to either lack of the knowledge on existing solutions, or the general feeling of reluctance towards outsourcing of business processes, or lack of trained and informed personnel or lack of transparent and neutral information platforms on ITSM and related training programmes. The planned activities of the project INNOTRAIN IT will be oriented at the implemetation of ITMS that should as a result make more resources in SMEs available as well as enable the implementation and development of process & product innovation. Within the project lifetime the partners will exchange methods, best practices and tools to design and operate ITS successfully. The project relies on cooperation between complementary partners and regions with differing levels and areas of expertise. By transferring know-how, experience and setting up a common training platform, synergies are fostered and a comprehensive approach to ITSM support is realised, which would not be possible on a regional level only.

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