Workshop 4: Fostering Innovative Enterprises and Projects
Day 1: Creating the Environment for Innovation-oriented Business Making
09.30 hrs Welcome to the Participants
10.00 hrs Introduction: Innovation and Regional Competitiveness
Definition of the term innovation in the framework of economic development strategies and outline of the main features determining the competitive position of regions and their enterprises.
11.00 hrs The Framework - Strategic Positioning, Marketing and Communication for Innovative Projects
Characteristic concepts of innovation systems and the related systemic problems (infrastructure, investments, transition, inertia, networking-capability & learning, unbalanced mechanisms, complementarity etc.). Territorial competitiveness and marketing (competing territories, tools for measuring territorial competitiveness, territorial marketing and strategy, tools for endogenous and exogenous marketing). Positioning and marketing Business Support Organisations (BSO) including Incubators. Sample tools regional benchmarking, for territorial competitiveness indicators, for endogenous and exogenous marketing.
11.45 hrs Coffee Break
11.15 hrs The Framework - Strategic Positioning, Marketing and Communication for Innovative Projects (continued)
13.00 hrs Lunch
14.00 hrs Tools 1 – Business Incubators and Innovative Start-ups
Outline of the business incubation concept and best practices of business incubators as a tool to foster entrepreneurship and support innovative start-ups.
15.00 hrs Coffee Break
15.15 hrs Tools 2 - Analysis and Management Instruments and Tools for Innovative Projects
Outline of the methodology, principles and mechanism for the application of A&A tools and the assessment of the effectiveness of project approaches. Development of capacities in preparing and writing innovative project proposals on an ad-hoc basis or through a standardized procedure.
16.30 hrs Discussion
17.30 hrs End of Day 1
Day 2: Innovative Projects and Business Development
09.30 hrs Project Development – Supporting Collaborative Projects in the Field of Innovation
Tools and procedures to facilitate efficient interactions among the relevant stakeholders, innitiation and creation of collaborative projects and networking among the stakeholders. Types of intermediary organisations and their role in project development and implementation. Methods of project identification, scanning of opportunities and partner search. Definition of the strategic focus of a company and/or an intermediary organization in perspective of value creation.
11.00 hrs Coffee Break
11.15 hrs Business Development – Innovative Enterprises and Commercialization of Technology
The role of match-making and partnership activities for the development of innovative projects. Features of national and international business development of innovative firms and products. The role of BSOs in supporting innovative enterprises. Innovation tools for BSOs to assist the business development of innovative firms & products. Seeking innovative business development at the intermediary level. Business development ideas, practices and examples. Raising funds for innovative business and negotiating with potential investors.
13.00 hrs Lunch
14.00 hrs Group Work - Development of model concepts of innovative projects
a) Relevance of the project and the innovation for regional economic development;
b) Valorisation of the technology and product;
c) Strategic alliances, networks and clusters;
b) Markets and distrubution;
c) Funding opportunities, eligibility criteria and budget lines;
d) Implementation and management;
e) Monitoring and Evaluation.
15.30 hrs Coffee Break
15.45 hrs Group Work - Presentation and Discussion of the Group Work Results
16.45 hrs Evaluation of the Workshop
Ende of Workshop