“Restructura” - Torino 30 11 2007

Interreg III B NEnA – Network Enterprise Alps WP7: Developing and carrying out Regional Pilot Projects – Innovation AssistanceRegione Piemonte

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WP7: Developing and carrying out Regional Pilot Projects

Objectives:– Strengthening regional net-working and creating benefits for the

SMEs and clusters involved– Mobilising co-operation synergies between the partners involved– Contributing to transnational co-operation (WP6)

– Creating new partnerships lasting beyond project end

Main scheduled activities:– 7.1 Establishing the “Innovation Assistant” – 7.2 Mobility and training of young professionals – 7.3 Innovation Contest „Timber Construction” – 7.4 Master Course "Timber Construction”– 7.5 Native Resources Certificate– 7.6 Process optimisation– 7.7 Raising energy efficiency in the building sector

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WP 7.1 - “Innovation Assistant”

7.1a Establishing the Innovation Assistant Goal:

– Enhancing the innovation potential of SMEs. Activities:

– The innovation assistant is an interesting starting point to support SMEs in innovation and in accessing the field of research and development. The participants involved examine feasibility and then implement the Innovation Assistant in their regions.

7.1b Qualification measures for Innovation Assistants Goal:

– Preparing Innovation Assistants to carry out successful work. Activities:

– In order to enhance the innovation potential of SMEs, a certain amount of training for Innovation Assistants will be necessary. That is why training courses and training measures will be elaborated and offered to the SME’s involved in the project.

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In Piemonte’s vision the Innovation Assistance concept needs further specification on the base of an innovative approach

The key objectives are then:1. Provide innovation assistance and support on a broad inter-Alpine

scale2. Adopt means and tools which can prove innovation is really at the

centre of the project3. Make exchange and interaction between companies of the

cluster(s) borderless and limitless4. Provide networking between the stakeholders of the cluster(s)

development5. Offer NEnA Partners an innovative pilot initiative which could be

extended to other cluster sectors and different languages6. Strengthen NEnA partnership and networking offering a concrete

opportunity of further integration 7. Provide a new opportunity and perspective to extend duration of

NEnA

WP7 – “Innovation Assistance” – The evolution of a concept

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Our vision of the Innovation Assistance is that of a permanent forum able to:

– Foster a local network creation and implementation– Ensure the highest coverage of the intelligent building “cluster”– Establish strong co-operation links in and between universities,

SMEs, experts, public bodies– Satisfy SMEs emerging needs and problems

This Innovation Assistance permanent forum takes place in the form of a “virtual platform” i.e. a Pilot Project that:

– is ICT based– is open to all enterprises and operators – is open to the contribution of all the NEnA partners– is the virtual space where the development of optimisation

processes is stimulated and started

WP7 – “Innovation Assistance”

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FOTO

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WP7 – “Innovation Assistance”

This virtual platform will enable all the participants to exchange information and documents

Main functionalities:– Certification of each dealer– Management of credits– Flexible creation of new contents and improvement of contents

already on line– Uploading files (.doc, .pdf ...)– A master file with companies’data (a sort of catalogue)– A calendar of events– (Newsletters…etc)

The platform will be linked to a web-site in English – or in other languages (now is linked in italian to www.mktp.it/nena)

The platform is Asp-based and running on a Windows Server 2003

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WP7 – “Innovation Assistance”

The platform will allow differentiated levels of access and priorities through the allotment of different users’ levels and passwords

There will be three levels of information and interaction:– a basic levels for general information

– an intermediate level to allow data input but not publishing

– a high level of access to allow both data input and electronic publishing: a final supervisory control is provided for approving data publishing

No technical specific competencies are required for web-publishing

The virtual platform works with an editor WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get): this model enables users to publish contents on-line writing them as a common text editor (Microsoft word e.g.)

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The platform – Gathering data: create the base for functioning

The system at first provides an evaluation of the potential of the company accessing the platform by profiling it

The investigation and classification of the enterprise takes place thanks to eight different sets of questions:1. Firm data2. Products and services3. Internal organisation and employees4. Research & development 5. Co-operation and networks6. Market and clients7. Market and distribution8. Relationship with domotics

The system allows changes to the different questions and sections so that the classification can be modulated/amendedmodified/ in time following company changes

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“Innovation Assistance” – The processing engine

By criss-crossing the answers of the eight sections, the system “engine” analyses and processes the information input by classifying them in ten categories:

1. Complexity2. Internationalisation3. Innovation rate4. Regional focus5. Networking6. Local rooting7. Codified knowledge8. Tacit knowledge9. Technological dependency10.Marketing orientation

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“Innovation Assistance” – Classifying output

The engine then reads the categories by measuring them against the two dimensions of a SWOT matrix:

– Dimensions internal to the company: Strenghts: resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for

developing a competitive advantage Weaknesses: areas in need of improvement – some missing strengths

may also be read as a “weakness”– External dimensions (to the market context):

Opportunities: areas of "need" in which a company can perform profitably.

Threats: challenges posed by an unfavorable trend or development that would lead (in absence of a defensive marketing action) to deterioration in profits/sales.

The resulting reading is finally classified in three macro-indexes of competitiveness

– Marketing orientation– Innovation rate– Geographic complexity

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Thank you for you attention!