Responsible and Innovative SMEs in Central Europe

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Responsible Innovation (RI) promotes societal engagement, gender equality, ethics, open access, risk-assessment, education and good governance. A common challenge in Central Europe (CE) is lack of RI knowledge, skills and policy frameworks. This limits potential for innovation that drives responsible economic growth and well-being. ROSIE’s main objective is to use transnational cooperation to improve skills among entrepreneurs and innovation actors to promote RI in SMEs. ROSIE’s outputs are tools and training to improve RI capacity, with a comprehensive RI strategy and transnational Pilot to test tools and strategic proposals. Outputs benefit key innovation actors: public authorities gain a policy framework, business support / sectoral agencies enhance SME support services, SMEs improve innovation processes. Short-term change sees increased capacity of innovation actors (min.75) and SMEs (min.315) to design and implement RI strategies and proposals for RI policy governance. ROSIE promotes medium-long-term change through improved territorial, socio-economic integration, SME competitiveness and evolution of a comprehensive RI system. The transnational approach uses quadruple helix stakeholder engagement and covers: - Exchange and partner training on RI tools that can help SMEs to understand RI, identify RI needs and define strategies, work with the innovation chain; - Development of RI Road Maps in local & Central Europe (CE) areas, using transnational exchange and capitalisation; - Transnational Pilot Action (grouping 9 local areas) for SME capacity building, RI tool application and fund leverage. ROSIE is innovative as concrete application of RI in SMEs has not been dealt with in ETC or in CE. It uses novel RI tools to support SMEs. RI is a common need for an interconnected innovation chain, which requires transnational knowledge, solutions and governance. ROSIE groups innovation players capable of making this a reality.

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