Novel services for future proof agencies and SMEs

ended

Future Proof is a novel knowledge exchange and co-design platform that uses foresight and scenario planning methodologies to co-develop novel innovation services for SMEs. It will take into account the rapid and complex changes of the world in order to use suitable methods and technologies that will respond to the future needs of our SME clients. The three innovation agencies of the Future Proof consortium, have worked for almost three decades with clients providing innovation support services. Numerous clients and participants in seminars and workshops have raised the question that caught our attention: ‘How do you compete successfully in this endlessly changing world? During the last decades colossal changes have radically changed the innovation environment and the business arena. Digitalization, sharing economy, automation, the rise of China, climate change are only few of the drivers that have created new risks, opportunities and challenges for both the SMEs and the innovation agencies. Nevertheless, SMEs and innovation agencies have done little to change their traditional modus operandi, thus facing serious difficulties to address current and future challenges. Innovation agencies for the last 3 decades are basically offering the same bouquet of services while the same applies for the available innovation SME support programs. Considering the above overall objective of the Future-Proof project is threefold: (i) To utilise strategic foresight methodologies for designing new services and/or programs that will respond to the future needs of our SME clients. (ii) To exchange best-practices in designing and implementing foresight related services to SMEs that will create high-performance resilient future-proof SMEs. (iii) To broadly communicate the project outputs to the European innovation ecosystem.