EUROSYN

Funding body

EU / Horizon 2020 / INNOSUP (Peer-learning of innovation agencies)

It is funded by Horizon 2020, the European Research Framework Programme, under Grant Agreement No. 730806 and will run from October 2016 to November 2017.

The partners of the project are Friuli Innovazione (Udine / Italy), Forschung Burgenland GmbH (Eisenstadt / Austria) and KEPA - Business & Cultural Development Centre (Thessaloniki / Greece), three regional innovation agencies that support innovative SMEs in their development process.

One focus of the project is the exchange of experience between the partners on public RTI funding programmes and services for SMEs. The aim is to identify synergies between European Structural Funds, Horizon 2020 and other funding programmes in order to make better use of the programmes for innovative SMEs in the regions. The so-called Twinning Advanced Method is used for this purpose. This involves adapting the best methods from the regions for supporting innovative SMEs in the area of funding to the local situations of the partners.

The second step is the concrete implementation of the knowledge gained in pilot activities. 15 SMEs from the regions of the three partners will be examined in an individual innovation audit; their R&D projects will be evaluated in order to determine the best possible support programmes at European, national and regional level.

As a final result of the project, a Design Options Paper will be jointly produced to be used as a handbook or guide by other agencies and public service bodies to facilitate similar services for innovative SMEs and thus further exploit funding programmes in this area.