Project Stories from the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme Technology Transfer and Business Innovation

Transcription

1 Project Stories from the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation

2 Pubisher: CENTRAL EUROPE Programme Joint Technica Secretariat Kirchberggasse 33-35/ Vienna Austria Concept and Editing: CENTRAL EUROPE Programme Texts and Photos: CENTRAL EUROPE Projects Editoria Support: Tom Popper Artwork: Hermann Kienesberger Paper: Biotop (FSC-certified) Printed: June 2014 Athough every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this pubication, the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme cannot be hed responsibe for any information from externa sources, technica inaccuracies, typographica errors or other errors herein. Information and inks may have changed without notice. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowedged. This pubication is financed by the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme under the European Regiona Deveopment Fund (ERDF)

3 Contents Editoria CENTRAL EUROPE Cooperating across borders for the regions 6 Cooperating on innovation in CENTRAL EUROPE 10 Anaysis: Cooperating to support innovation and uptake of technoogy 12 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation 14 ACCESS A sectora approach encourages innovation 16 ACT CLEAN Making centra Europe cean and competitive 18 AutoNet Driving the auto industry with innovation 20 CEBBIS Turning research into business 22 CEEM Heping SMEs cean up production processes 24 CENILS Heping innovative ight shine on the market 26 CentraLab Transforming the region into a aboratory for innovation 28 Centra Community Opening up the ab to enhance innovation 30 CENTROPE CAPACITY Cooperating to create an integrated region 32 centrope_tt Unocking research and deveopment potentias 34 CERIM Bringing high-tech innovations to the market 36 CusterCOOP Supporting custers to boost competitiveness 38 CLUSTERS-CORD Taking custers to the next eve 40 CuStrat New custer concepts nurture emerging industries 42 CNCB Custering ocay to compete gobay 44 C-PLUS Buiding stronger custers to improve competitiveness 46 ESSENCE SMEs can hande ogistics ike the big guys 48 FLAME A materia approach to innovation 50 FORT Heping businesses make the most of innovation 52 FREE Linking innovations with businesses 54 I3SME Sparking innovation in hundreds of SMEs 56 IDEA High-potentia workers keep firms competitive 58 INNOTRAIN IT Using information technoogy to improve innovation 60 InoPace Heping business by supporting young innovators 62 InTraMed-C2C Innovation inspired by patients probems 64 LiCEA Heping SMEs measure and reduce energy use 66 NANOFORCE Buiding a better future with nanotechnoogy 68 PLASTiCE Better pastics reduce waste 70 PRESOURCE Efficient production: Making more with ess 72 PROINCOR Priming innovation to keep smaer businesses competitive 74 SMART FRAME Cooperating on innovation to boost businesses 76 Innovation heps drive regiona competitiveness on a eves. As the business word becomes increasingy compex, and competition becomes more intense, companies are turning to innovation as one of the few reiabe ways to achieve a competitive advantage. Many regions in centra Europe sti face the chaenge of frai framework conditions for supporting innovation. Expenditure for research and technica deveopment is reativey ow, as is the participation of non-urban actors in cooperative custers. To take advantage of innovation, businesses need more efficient technoogy transfer, as we as ready suppies of finance and appropriate business skis. CENTRAL EUROPE projects work on these chaenges by buiding better connections between regiona actors. The centrope_tt project (p.34) for exampe improves regiona innovation management systems, CNCB (p.44) creates opportunities for internationaising custers whie CuStrat (p.42) creates new custer concepts to support emerging industries. ACCESS (p.16) ooks into assessing sector-based innovation potentia and C-PLUS (p.46) heps impementing measures for custer exceence. CENTRAL EUROPE projects aso hep sma- and mediumsized enterprises to unock their innovation potentia and promote the use of research resuts to create business opportunities. This is done by testing toos for innovation and technoogy transfer ike in the CEBBIS project (p.22) or the LiCEA project (p.66). PROINCOR (p.74) is a project that supports businesses in innovation management, whie INNOTRAIN IT (p.60) heps fostering human capita for the innovation process. Matching innovative ideas with funding is the objective of projects ike CERIM (p.36) or FORT (p.52). This booket introduces you to the CENTRAL EUROPE story, showcasing 31 innovation projects that were co-financed since We hope that it wi serve as a vauabe starting point for discussing achievements of our projects and that it wi inspire you on what can be done further and what directions shoud be taken in view of the programming period Christiane Breznik, City of Vienna, CENTRAL EUROPE Managing Authority 4 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 5

4 CENTRAL EUROPE Cooperating across borders for the regions The cities and rura regions of centra Europe share a common history as we as simiar socia and cutura characteristics. The area covers more than one miion square kiometres, stretching from the Batic Sea in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, with ess ceary defined borders to the west and east. It is home to 150 miion peope benefitting from transnationa cooperation through the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme since Despite their common characteristics, the regions of centra Europe are marked by diverse features: Major differences are apparent in terms of cimate conditions, and use, settement and economic structures, accessibiity, and ecoogica chaenges. There are aso big differences in centra Europe s poitica and administrative structures, which are among the most heterogeneous in the European Union. The chaenge is to use centra Europe s diversity as an opportunity to promote more sustainabe deveopment of the area by fostering increased cooperation among a wide range of actors from various countries and regions. CENTRAL EUROPE The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme has generated ampe opportunities for coser cooperation among pubic authorities, institutions and private businesses from nine centra European countries: Austria, the Czech Repubic, Germany, Hungary, Itay, Poand, Sovakia, Sovenia and Ukraine. By cofinancing 124 projects, the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme has heped to improve oca and regiona innovation, to increase accessibiity, to preserve the environment and to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of regions within centra Europe. Since 2007 the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme has invested more than EUR 230 miion on transnationa projects supporting: Technoogy transfer and business innovation Sustainabe pubic transport and ogistics Environmenta risk management and cimate change Energy efficiency and renewabe energies Demographic change and knowedge deveopment Cutura heritage and creative resources Programme: CENTRAL EUROPE ERDF funding: 231 miion Duration: (2015) Website: 6 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 7

5 Euros of investment being prepared by CENTRAL EUROPE projects We need to buid on the rich and vauabe experience gathered through transnationa cooperation. There is much evidence that a series of chaenges cannot be tacked soey at the eve of a singe Member State, or even at regiona eve, but ony in a cross-border context. Photo: istockphoto.com / EHStock Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regiona Poicy 22 Euro cents spent per citizen per year on financing CENTRAL EUROPE projects Partners invoved in CENTRAL EUROPE projects Cooperating for citizens CENTRAL EUROPE projects a invove joint efforts by stakehoders from different countries. This approach is designed to improve peope s day-to-day ives by addressing probems that do not necessariy recognise nationa borders. Issues have been tacked at the territoria eve where they occur, which is the regions in centra Europe. Transnationa cooperation aows partners to take advantage of the added vaue of doing things together, so they can prevent dupication and speed up deveopments with a higher impact. More concretey, CENTRAL EUROPE projects: Carry out piot investments and actions Leverage additiona money and investment Come up with new economic strategies and invove oca communities Increase efficiency on various eves Improve spending of pubic money Support the adaptation of EU directives to regiona contexts Strengthen regiona networks and invove oca communities Infuence the poicy agenda on a poitica eves Contributing to Europe 2020 Transnationa cooperation driven by the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme is firmy embedded in the strategic poicy frameworks on the European, nationa and regiona eves. Many of CENTRAL EUROPE s projects have aready been contributing to the Europe 2020 Strategy and its mutuay reinforcing goas of smart, incusive and sustainabe growth in Europe. This approach to deveopment is expected to hep the EU and Member States deiver high eves of empoyment, productivity and socia cohesion. Concrete actions of the 2020 Strategy are designed to reach ambitious targets in five areas: empoyment, innovation, education, socia incusion and cimate and energy. The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, and the transnationa cooperation between actors on the ground, pays an important roe in meeting these targets on the regiona eve even though the programme ony used 0.07 percent of the tota budget avaiabe for EU Cohesion Poicy in CENTRAL EUROPE In the programming period the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme wi continue to support regiona cooperation among centra European countries. Croatia is the atest country to join the programme, which aso incudes Austria, the Czech Repubic, Hungary, Poand, Sovakia and Sovenia, as we as parts of Germany and Itay. The overa objective of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme is to cooperate beyond borders to make centra European Photo: istockphoto.com / Fred Froese cities and regions better paces to ive and work. Put more precisey, transnationa cooperation shoud become the catayst for impementing smart soutions that answer to regiona chaenges in the fieds of: Innovation and knowedge deveopment Low carbon cities and regions Environmenta resources Cutura resources Transport and mobiity Topics ike demographic change wi be tacked horizontay. The focus of activities wi be on poicy-earning and impementation-oriented approaches at the transnationa eve. More concretey, actions wi incude the deveopment and impementation of strategies and action pans, the deveopment, testing and impementation of toos, the preparation of arger investment, the impementation of piot actions incuding piot investments as we as capacity buiding measures incuding training. More detaied information on the new CENTRAL EUROPE Programme is avaiabe onine at 8 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 9

6 COOPERATING ON INNOVATION CENTRAL EUROPE AT A GLANCE COUNTRIES, REGIONS/CITIES, AND INHABITANTS COVERED PROJECTS miion citizens cities & regions 9 countries INNOVATION PROJECTS CO-FINANCED out of themes innovation projects partners in innovation out of 124 projects out of 1331 in tota partners in tota DURATION OF PROGRAMME PUBLIC MONEY WELL INVESTED BUDGET INVESTED CONTRIBUTING TO EUROPE 2020 Future investment prepared by projects 11 miion euros 0.34 miion euros Tota investment carried out by projects of the tota programme 54 = 23 % budget of 231 miion euros miion euros With roughy 0.05 spent per citizen per year, the programme achieves: Permanent cooperation networks estabished Loca piot activities carried out by projects 370 Jobs created Agenda for new skis and jobs 4 Digita agenda 13 Innovation Union Number of project contributions to EU 2020 fagship initiatives 5 Resource efficient Europe 17 Industria poicy for gobaisation Incusive growth CENTRAL EUROPE contributes to the European Union 2020 Strategy and reaching its goas of smart, incusive and sustainabe growth. Concrete targets for empoyment, innovation, education, socia incusion as we as cimate change and energy were set on the European eve and CENTRAL EUROPE project resuts hep to meet them on the oca and regiona eves. Number of project contributions to EU 2020 priorities 1 Smart growth 17 Sustainabe growth 22 Design: studioq.at 10 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 11 Data: Apri 2014

7 ANALYSIS Cooperating to support innovation and uptake of technoogy The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme ceary presents added vaue and fis an existing gap within the EU poicy context, by offering innovation poicy makers and intermediates a unique open framework for deveopment, sharing and experimentation of new innovation approaches towards technoogy transfer and business innovation. Inova +, Portuga Innovation is vita to remaining competitive and achieving economic growth. Researchers working with smaer, more fexibe firms that seek to make new ideas pay off can ead the way for innovation. But the ideas and the investors need to be brought together, and the poicy framework needs to support innovation. The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme seeks to address these needs through projects faing under the theme of Technoogy transfer and business innovation. In the period, 31 of the 124 projects in the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme beonged to this category. According to an anaysis conducted by Inova +, CENTRAL EUROPE projects under this theme dea with the issue we, by fostering vita cooperation and by heping innovative businesses overcome barriers. The anaysis noted that these projects support EU poicy goas to promote innovation and that they add vaue by offering a transnationa framework for encouraging cooperation on innovation and poicy deveopment. 31 technoogy and innovation projects worked in two subthemes: Projects aimed at Cooperating to buid better connections between regiona actors invove joint earning and information sharing, especiay between those who make and impement poicy. Projects aimed at Cooperating to increase innovation in regiona businesses give more direct support to hep businesses reaise their fu innovative potentia and to bring new research to the market. Poicy earning a dominant activity The anaysis found that 17 out of 31 projects under the theme of technoogy transfer and business innovation are focused on poicy earning and information sharing. The anaysis noted that there are severa chaenges invoved in impementing effective cooperation and earning processes among regiona actors to improve innovation poicy. Locay, officias need assistance in measuring the effectiveness of poicies and programmes with better benchmarking and forma review mechanisms. Transnationay, there is a need for mechanisms to find good practises and a need for support in impementing those practices. The anaysis found that the 17 CENTRAL EUROPE projects focusing on poicy earning for technoogy transfer and innovation did a good job of providing support to address a these needs support that is not otherwise adequatey provided by other EU and nationa efforts. When it comes to directy assisting businesses, especiay sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the anaysis noted that barriers faced by businesses incude: a shortage of financia resources, a shortage of innovation managers, insufficient marketing of innovation and innovative products and services, ack of research capabiities (especiay for SMEs), and weakness in networking and cooperation with externa partners. According to the anaysis, for a of these areas support is provided by projects either dedicated specificay to that topic or addressing it jointy with other topics. The most common activity among the 14 innovationoriented projects that sought support businesses was in the area of improving innovation management skis. One reason for the prevaence of this focus is that it is reativey easy to impement effective training on the transnationa eve. In addition, six of the 31 projects in the technoogy transfer and innovation theme had what coud be caed a bended focus, with activities aimed at both addressing poicy needs and at directy supporting businesses. According to the study, the two activities are compimentary, so it makes sense to bend them. For the future, the anaysis recommended that CENTRAL EUROPE projects continue to focus on technoogy transfer and business innovation. In addition, a formaisation of the two subthemes of poicy efforts and more direct support to businesses was aso recommended. At the same time, the anaysis said, projects that take a bended approach and address both these subthemes can be particuary effective. To downoad the compete anaysis visit 12 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 13

8 Technoogy transfer and business innovation Cooperating to buid better connections between regiona actors Cooperating to increase innovation in regiona businesses Project Stories 14 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 15

9 Photo: istockphoto.com / DNY59 The project can serve as a good orientation for nationa and regiona reguators, and other stakehoders in the sector, to form a supportive environment encouraging innovativeness. Janja Kokoj Prošek, Ministry of Agricuture and Environment - Comprehensive Countryside Deveopment and Viage Renovation (CCDVR) Programme, Sovenia 99 Percentage of a enterprises in the EU-27 food sector that are sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 200 Fied interviews conducted by ACCESS researchers A sectora approach encourages innovation Sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often drivers of innovation, especiay in certain technoogy-dependent sectors. But in the face of economic sowdown, it is difficut to maintain the momentum of innovation in SMEs. The ACCESS project attempts a different soution to this chaenge: Taking a sector-specific approach to encourage innovation that can spur the economy. The ACCESS project focuses on three sectors where innovation has historicay made a big difference: Biotech, mechatronics and agro-food. Eeven partners from eight centra European countries are working through the project to foster innovation by seeking the answers to two key questions: What toos and techniques of regiona innovation management might hep to improve the capacity for innovation? What is the potentia of a sector-based focus to improve innovation management? More specificay, the project seeks to revea what kind of impact innovation makes in these sectors, how innovation is currenty being encouraged and what is being achieved by these efforts. It aso tries to determine what support actors in these sectors reay need to assist them in innovation. Because the project is transnationa, ACCESS can perform a region-wide knowedge audit of innovation capabiities in specific sectors. This approach is used to identify the best innovation management toos and techniques for encouraging new ideas in each sector. These toos and techniques can be presented to the reevant target groups. Sharing the knowedge ACCESS makes it a priority to share the findings of its sector-specific research into innovation with the appropriate stakehoders in centra Europe, incuding government reguators, researchers and managers invoved in the industries being studied. Using the information they gathered, participants in the ACCESS project offer a specia Transnationa Innovation Management Training course, to hep ensure that the knowedge is disseminated widey. The skied experts emerging from this course are abe to make recommendations to competent ministries and other actors about how to support innovation systems. Furthermore, the experts offer managers in the three sectors of biotech, mechatronics and agro-food information on how to improve innovation systems and introduce supportive measures in the future. The researchers for the various sectors aso heped share their knowedge through the ACCESS project s Peer Review Methodoogy, in which professionas who examined innovation in the region meet and discuss their findings with their peers oca government and administrative actors, universities and private research institutes, innovation and technoogy intermediary organisations, venture capita investors and private enterprises. Knowedge was shared through events ike three regiona meetings invoving food sector professionas, four meetings invoving mechatronics professionas and three meetings for the biotech sector. These, and other activities in the fied, encourage a systematic approach to fostering innovation, whie aso bringing together a range of different stakehoders who can cooperate to support continued knowedge transfer we beyond the ifetime of the project. Photo: istockphoto.com / RainerPend 3 Piot actions by ACCESS in the biotech, mechatronics and agro-food sectors Project: ACCESS ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 16 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 17

10 Making centra Europe cean and competitive Companies in centra Europe can greaty reduce any negative environmenta impacts created by industry and business if they know how to take advantage of the atest technoogy. To hep ensure that oca businesses have the knowedge they need to be more environmentay friendy, the ACT CLEAN project created the first area-wide network for ceaner production. The ACT CLEAN network works through the cooperation of ACT CLEAN nationa contact points (NCPs), which have deveoped stabe cooperation structures and permanent services for supporting sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in using and appying ceaner production technoogies and management systems. Stony path towards EU compiance Ceaner production is not just a good way to become more efficient whie reducing poution, it is aso a ega obiga- tion: EU directives and reguations require enterprises to compy with environmenta standards and ensure ecoefficient production processes. Many SMEs ack access to ceaner production technoogy that has been deveoped and put to use in other regions. At the same time, those SMEs that can provide customers with ceaner production technoogy often ack access to the reevant market payers. ACT CLEAN addresses these probems by offering SMEs a range of products and services to make their production processes more eco-efficient and to ensure that they compy with reevant EU egisation. Photo: istockphoto.com / gias Through the ACT CLEAN network, our companies were introduced to highy innovative issues and are currenty foowing up on them. The concept of eco-design proved to be especiay interesting and resuted in concrete initiatives, such as reguar organisation of trainings. Carotta Ranieri, CNA Boogna, Nationa Confederation for the Craft Sector and Sma and Medium Enterprises, Coordinator Poicy, Energy, Environment, Itay For exampe, as part of this project, Corvinus University in Hungary adapted one of the toos provided by the Sovak Ceaner Production Center: A database on EU reguations caed Compex. This concept was converted into a simper database caed Greenex, which is an interactive too that aows SMEs to easiy check which EU and Hungarian reguations are reevant for them and to check that they are in compiance with those reguations. No need to reinvent the whee Aong with coecting such toos in the ACT CLEAN too box, the project has aso identified and pubicised good-practice exampes. Much can be earned from a transnationa exchange of these good practices, which are caed Ceaner Production Highights. In one exampe, a German company deveoped an adsorption chier soar cooing technoogy that uses much ess eectricity compared to standard room air conditioning techniques. Water is used to repace the usua refrigerant, hydrofuorocarbon, which has a high goba-warming potentia. In the winter time, the device can be operated as a heat pump, to support heating. The resut is not ony a safer environment but aso energy efficiency, which produces immediate savings for SMEs. ACT CLEAN has coected and assessed exampes ike this one and buit up a shared poo of innovative soutions for SMEs. Around 500 exampes have been seected for the project database, and they are aso promoted via brochures and other dissemination means. Matchmaking events provide direct support The ACT CLEAN network has estabished a continuing programme of industry workshops and business-to-business training on ceaner production. In the ast three years, the main subjects covered by this training work have incuded resource efficiency, waste management and environmenta management systems, but the network can aso meet specific requests of SMEs by addressing any important topics pertaining to ceaner production. Encouraging ceaner production on a regiona scae The project aso deveoped the ACT CLEAN transnationa agenda, which is currenty being promoted as a way to support poicy for fostering, deveoping and depoying ceaner production. The agenda s action pan focuses on three areas: Faciitating networking activities Improving awareness of ceaner production soutions Improving the financia framework Each of the action pan s recommendations is addressed to the specific institution responsibe for acting on the suggestion. The way forward The cooperation mechanism of the ACT CLEAN network is now we estabished and sufficienty robust to endure beyond the initia project. The project website continues to operate as an interface between various centra European countries and enterprises. Recommendations in the action pan shoud be taken up, to further shape and improve the framework for ceaner production in centra Europe. In addition, continued awareness raising is needed to educate SMEs about ceaner production and to promote and market the toos and instruments that have aready been deveoped Year in which the term ceaner production was coined by the United Nations Environment Programmes Project: ACT CLEAN ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 18 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 19

11 Photo: istockphoto.com / mattjeacock The EU is the word s argest producer of motor vehices; the industry is a huge empoyer of skied workers and a key driver of knowedge and innovation. I beieve that AutoNet provides one of the best opportunities for networking and cooperation in centra Europe. As the initia project s duration wound down, AutoNet was ensuring that its opportunities for networking are carried on, through continuation of the MatchMaking database and other sustainabe networking efforts. 470 Entries in the MatchMaking database Andrea Hrčková, Project Manager, SIM PLAN, Sovakia 800 Trained MatchMaking database users Driving the auto industry with innovation When it comes to steering centra Europe s automotive industry in the right direction for the future, innovation is the best driver. Forward-thinking automotive firms and research institutes can keep their regions competitive by working together to deveop new processes, materias or products. AutoNet heps jump-start innovation by uniting actors in the industry, in centra Europe and beyond. The project s MatchMaking database makes it fast and easy to search for partners onine. The database currenty consists of more than 470 registered organisations, and this number is continuousy growing, thanks to new entries from smaand medium-sized enterprises, research and deveopment institutions, universities and other organisations invoved in the automotive industry. The potentia partners joining the database are not ony from the European Union, but aso other countries with strong automotive industries, such as Ukraine, Turkey and Russia. To hep users get the most out of the MatchMaking database, AutoNet hed 27 specia training sessions in nine regions around centra Europe. More than 800 participants had the opportunity to receive a first-hand overview of the database and its functionaity. The project aso faciitated in-person networking that ead to rea cooperation by hoding 12 MatchMaking events incuding nine events in different regions of the EU and one event each in Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. These events brought together more than 550 participants and resuted in the signing of six agreements to create ong-term partnerships intended to deveop innovative soutions in the automotive industry Biatera meetings at MatchMaking events AutoNet does its own networking The goa of AutoNet is to create a stabe network of companies, research centres, universities, internationa organisations and pubic institutions, who can work together to promote innovation in various aspects of the automotive industry. The project introduces key actors in the sector, aowing them to exchange knowedge and work with one another. AutoNet s activities incuded the organisation of three internationa Exchange of Experience Seminars, hed in Nitra (Sovakia), Reggio-Emiia (Itay), and Rzeszow (Poand). These meetings aowed for thematic discussions between 172 participants incuding representatives of enterprises, managers, poicy makers and intermediary bodies that are interested in innovation-oriented, network-based deveopment of the automotive industry. Making matches AutoNet aso speciaises in toos and meetings aimed at matchmaking, to hep create ong-term partnerships between European actors invoved in the automotive industries. In seeking to improve cooperation among actors in the auto industry, AutoNet aso engages in cooperation for exampe by working on deveoping synergies with AUTOCLUSTERS (see aso In addition, AutoNet signed agreements with CLEPA (European Association of Automotive Suppiers), which represents the officia voice of the automotive suppiers industry, and EASN (European Automotive Strategy Network), which aims to strengthen the EU automotive industry by improving its competitiveness and ong-term sustainabiity. Project: AutoNet ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 20 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 21

12 Photo: istockphoto.com / Stefan Thamm In a the partnering countries we now have the option to use the experience gained in other partnering countries. We reguary exchange information and experience in the area of innovation. The internationa network aso brings new opportunities for cooperation. Stephen Tayor, Executive Director of Technoogy Transfer in the AREA Science Park in Trieste, Itay 5 Competence centres created by CEBBIS to offer innovation to businesses 16 New toos deveoped to improve technoogy transfer 38 Workshops and seminars encouraging commercia use of new technoogies Turning research into business Scientific and technoogica breakthroughs being made in Europe s universities can provide exciting new business opportunities for forward-thinking sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). But companies can ony take advantage of the atest innovations if they know about them. The CEBBIS project is seeking to promote innovation in SMEs by improving communication between universities and industry. Made up of a partnership of research centres and technoogy parks in seven centra European countries, CEBBIS was created to break down barriers of communication between researchers and business peope. As the project s research has shown, these barriers incude a ack of understanding between researchers and entrepreneurs, inappropriate systems for funding universities or scientific institutions and improper systems for managing universities. To address these probems, CEBBIS is organising a series of workshops and conferences that encourage better communication whie aowing professionas and stakehoders from around the region to share their knowedge on how to improve communication in a way that can boost innovation. Sharing experiences The project opened with a gathering dubbed the Prague Summer Conference on Inteectua Property & Innovation, which was attended by eading professionas in technoogy transfer as we as representatives of industry and venture capita. Participants in that conference heped identify the chaenges invoved in ensuring that universities and businesses communicate more effectivey in order to turn new ideas into commerciay viabe ventures. The conference aowed participants from around the region to share their ideas on technoogy transfer, and initiated activities that CEBBIS partners coud carry out in their home countries. For exampe, the project enabed the creation of a strategic technoogy roadmapping service, offered to pubic and private sector organisations by the AREA Business Park in Itay. Technoogy roadmapping is an approach that invoves creating specific pans to take advantage of new technoogies it constitutes a strategic approach to bringing science into practice. AREA deveoped 16 different instruments to hep with this work, incuding toos that assist with product design management, demand evauation, 3D-visuaisation and business inteigence. Another project initiative was the organisation of roundtabe discussions among representatives of major oca and internationa businesses and experts from the Czech Technica University. Inovacentrum, the university s technoogy transfer office, put together seven discussions invoving more than 200 participants from companies ike Siemens, Skoda, Bosch, etc. The opportunity for open conversation between academic and industria professionas promoted better understanding among the two sectors and resuted in a number of commercia orders. The countries partnering in the project Austria, the Czech Repubic, Germany, Hungary, Itay, Poand and Sovenia hed a number of meetings and conferences to exchange good practices. To hep share the knowedge generated through these gatherings, members of the CEBBIS network kept one another informed about the resuts of their undertakings. Participants in the CEBBIS project overcome the gaps between universities and industry and bring the best innovations to commercia appication. Project: CEBBIS ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 22 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 23

13 Photo: istockphoto.com The CEEM project is a vauabe component of innovative industria poicies for centra European regions because it heps companies to assess their impact on the environment and their energy habits and gives hints on how to better perform. Sergio Bozoneo, Vice President Autonomous Region Friui Venezia Giuia, Itay 80 Percentage of EU SMEs that say they pan to impement resource efficiency actions in the next two years 500 SMEs sef-assess their green performance using the project s onine too Heping SMEs cean up production processes As major contributors to poution, businesses can greaty reduce strains on the environment if they cean up their production processes. Using a software too created by the CEEM project, businesses can figure out by themseves how to use new technoogies that wi improve their efficiency and their environmenta performance. environmentay friendy technoogies, CEEM provides a concrete contribution to sustainabe economic deveopment in centra Europe. Testing through a piot action During a piot action aimed at testing the 3EMT, enterprises were asked to use the too: They entered their company data on energy use, environmenta habits and green investments into a questionnaire. Their answers to these questions can be contrasted with those of other companies, and broken down by sector and country, for fruitfu comparisons. The user-friendy 3EMT tookit aows enterprises to sefassess their eco-energy management performance. The too aso generates a taiored strategy for each company, suggesting ways for them to reach greener production processes, with steps ike reducing suppy chains, cutting CO2 emissions and eiminating wastefu practices, a changes that reduce production costs. As the first step of the piot, 100 companies used the too, and their case histories were documented. The CEEM project eventuay invoved at east 500 SMEs in using the too and testing their efficiency. Photo: istockphoto.com 100 Case studies show how companies can act to improve their energy efficiency The poicy eve Managers of sma- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) receive vauabe support from CEEM as they seek to optimise poution reduction, waste management, efficient energy use and raw materia suppy. Hundreds of companies have used the project s simpe instrument to enabe sustainabe, cean production at reduced costs. These companies provide an exampe for others as they cut poution and increase efficiency. Partners in the CEEM project deveoped a software caed the Eco-Energy-Efficiency Management Too (3EMT) and made the too avaiabe onine. SMEs, which usuay ack the capacity to conduct their own energy audits, as we as arger companies, can use the too to get a rea understanding of the energy they consume. 3EMT aso makes it cear how companies can achieve better energy performance by adopting environmentay friendy technoogies throughout the suppy, production and shipping cyce. The too heps raise awareness of environmenta issues among manufacturing companies in traditiona sectors, such as construction, food, and automotive a types of production that have a strong impact on the environment in centra Europe. By encouraging these companies to adopt Aong with showing individua companies how to improve their efficiency and environmenta performance, the 3EMT tookit makes it possibe to compare the situations of participating firms. The statistica data gathered with the too wi be usefu for poicy makers who want to design new sustainabe industria poicies that are harmonised throughout the centra European area. To encourage these poicies, the 100 case histories of companies that used 3EMT are discussed in a forum that invoves companies, poicy makers and other stakehoders. This forum seeks to design a transnationa strategy for encouraging sustainabe production processes in centra Europe. Project: CEEM ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 24 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 25

14 Photo: Roberto Barnabà Thanks to the free eectron aser and synchrotron radiation, we were abe to test the potentia of our innovative beam position monitor and to confirm the high fexibiity of the contro software we deveoped. Dr. Augusto Mandei, Nationa Instruments, Scientific Research & Big Physics Segment Manager, Itay Size in meters of objects that can be seen using innovative ight sources 20 Proposas to gain access to the use of beam times at the faciities of project partners aboratories Heping innovative ight shine on the market Innovative ight sources (ILS) act ike exceptionay powerfu microscopes, giving us new information about atoms and moecues and how they can be manipuated. ILS technoogy can improve our ives in many ways, but the fied is sti mosty known ony by researchers. CENILS encourages the kind of networking that can hep us get the most out of ILS by bringing practica appications to the market. interest in ILS in the ast 10 years came from universities or pubic institutes an indication of a poor connection between industry and researchers on this matter. Getting industry invoved For this reason, CENILS invoves universities, aboratories and business entities in a transnationa network to promote effective use and rationa deveopment of ILS in centra Europe. The project works to increase the knowedge and contacts of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, technicians, students and professors coming from a centra European regions. This group receives training through two piot actions, which use cutting-edge science that is aso cosey inked to industria appications. To increase the effectiveness of the project resuts, CENILS partners are working with the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, a separate initiative that supports a coherent approach to poicy-making for research infrastructures in Europe. Photo: Eettra Sincrotrone Trieste 10 Percentage refecting the proportion of time devoted to industria appications of ILS as compared to other scientific appications Piot actions The information that ILS can give us about the formation of matter, and how matter reacts to externa stimui, promises nove appications in a broad range of innovative scientific and technoogica fieds, ranging from fundamenta science to bioogy and medicine, and from nano-eectronics to materia science. Centres hosting ILS therefore represent a crossroads between fundamenta science, state-of-the-art technoogy, high-eve education and training, and the business sector. The centres thus provide a formidabe environment for human capita deveopment. CENILS seeks to take advantage of the opportunities provided by ILS by creating a transnationa network of universities, aboratories and businesses, to promote use and deveopment of the technoogy in centra Europe. It is cear that not a regions of centra Europe are presenty abe to reaise the great potentia offered by the deveopment and use of ILS. This disparity among different regions is an obstace to the fu expoitation of ILS technoogy. The project used a database of one of the project partners Eettra Sincrotrone, a concern that can generate ILS ight. Their database showed that more than 90 percent of the The piot actions operated by CENILS promote commercia interest in two promising appications of ILS. The first piot invoves experiments aimed at characterising the properties of the ight generated by the FERMI free-eectron aser. This piot is expected to hep entrepreneurs and scientists choose the best-suited European faciities for deveoping their ideas invoving free-eectron asers. The second piot expoits ight generated through high-order aser harmonics to study the process of energy transfer from ight to eectricity in a soar ce. The experiment, which uses an ILS to earn more about an important means for generating cean energy, has high potentia for important industria appications. Project: CENILS ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 26 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 27

15 Transforming the region into a aboratory for innovation In the Living Lab approach, the word is a aboratory where partners co-design soutions for chaenges facing society. This new stye of cooperation fosters innovative soutions that meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries. CentraLab uses this approach in a range of piot initiatives, addressing such diverse issues as eco-tourism, waste management, rura deveopment and energy. The CentraLab project appies the Living Lab approach to designing information and communication technoogy (ICT) soutions in a broad range of poicy fieds. The project uses a set of transnationa piots that buid partnerships to codesign innovative patforms and services for issues of shared concern. A Living Lab is an environment for experimentation and co-creation that invoves the end users in designing new products, services, soutions and business modes. The target audience for these innovations works with researchers, companies and pubic institutions in rea ife situations. As a user-driven approach, the Living Lab mode brings ICT deveopment infrastructures into rea-ife contexts, such as rura areas or residentia neighbourhoods. The specia quaities of the peope and territories invoved bring added vaue to the resuting innovative ICT products and services. Piot actions Through piots, CentraLab addresses ten areas that are of importance to centra Europeans: Eco-tourism, energy, micro-networks for sma- and medium-sized businesses, Photo: Janez Kotar CentraLab heped to contribute to the deveopment of the territories invoved, using European funds to aid oca growth. For exampe, in our northern Itaian viage of Campodenno, it created the opportunity to test very innovative soutions that do not normay find space to be impemented through nationa or regiona funds. Daniee Biada, Mayor of Campodenno, Itay media and creativity, mobiity, environment and education, cimate change, waste management, rura deveopment and eheath. Some exampes of the piots incude: In Austria, eectric cars were tested with foowing objectives: User invovement, innovation in mobiity, efficient use of existing eectric cars and encouraging innovation in the area of sustainabe transportation. In the Czech Repubic, a smart cataogue was deveoped, detaiing users requirements for educationa materias about the environment, so that organisations deveoping such materias can serve the pubic better. In Hungary, project partners tested a system where ecoogica, economic and pubic administration requirements can be harmonised in the waste management domain. This ICT patform supports data-driven and agie poicy making on waste. In Itay, municipaities, researchers and disabed associations tested and created an app that aows pubic authorities to have a unified system to contro parking cards for disabed peope. In Poand, start-ups in Kiece Technoogy Park cooperated with peope who have business ideas to add functionaity to an information system that supports management of knowedge, resources and reationships with companies. In Sovakia, a piot invoved oca citizens in addressing the difficut financia situation of rura municipaities. Piot activities are intended to improve the financia situation, and therefore quaity of ife, in these municipaities through a set of toos for effective spending management. In Sovenia, tourism service providers shared their offerings and tourists shared their experiences in a patform that ets both sides co-create new and innovative tourism routes. The patform enabes immediate coaboration and feedback between stakehoders, and users can share, rate and comment on the content. Photo: GoGorenjska / Aeš Zdešar 2006 Year in which the Finnish EU presidency introduced Living Labs to Europe 10 Living Lab piots 340 Existing Living Labs in the European Network of Living Labs Project: CentraLab ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 28 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 29

16 Photo: Shutterstock / Franz Meteec The patform can answer requests from ife science companies, which are aways ooking for new contacts to deveop their business and their products. It aows operators to easiy get in touch with companies with the same deveopment needs and with the same desire for expansion. 1 Onine patform heping to enhance the innovative abiities of SMEs 100 Biotech sub-sectors covered by the patform Rita Fucci, Technica Scientific Coordinator for Assobiotec-Federchimica, Itay 2014 Year of finaisation of the patform Opening up the ab to enhance innovation Innovation has become a dynamic and compex process, and research has expanded beyond the ream of private enterprise. Business deveopment now depends on researchers and cutting-edge firms sharing knowedge. Centra Community creates an open-innovation patform, to faciitate exchanges of knowedge and technoogy in the ife science sector, thereby stimuating advances in business and medicine. When scientists conduct a aboratory experiment, they work hard to remove the unwanted infuence of outside variabes. But when it comes to innovation, it is impossibe for any scientist to contro what is going outside of the ab. No onger a simpe inear procedure ed by one researcher, innovation has become a compex process that goes beyond the infuence of a singe company. Open innovation is therefore essentia for firms seeking to capitaise on new ideas and technoogies. Partners in business and research must coaborate to deveop new products and to encourage transfer of technoogy from the ab to the market. That is why stimuating an open innovation approach is one of the key aims of the Centra Community project. Companies benefit from sharing their discoveries with others and taking advantage of synergies. Whie individua innovators can make important discoveries by themseves, when they ook at what others are doing they can avoid unneeded dupication and benefit from knowing the state of the art in their fied. And companies and researchers can benefit from sharing: Researchers have new ideas and companies have the means to monetise them. Innovation, product deveopment and diffusion of innovative ideas can be carried out in parae and invove different communities of actors, such as suppiers, end users, researchers and the pubic. A these stakehoders can coaborate with the same fina aim: Bringing innovation from an idea to the market. This project especiay seeks to dea with the need to improve innovation in the ife science sector. Onine patform faciitates group innovation The Centra Community project has set up an onine patform, specificay devoted to ife science. The patform encourages coaboration, and provides an onine meeting pace where anyone invoved in the ife sciences can find partners to deveop new products, processes and services. The patform faciitates commercia, technica and research coaboration, using both pubic and private funds. The Centra Community patform makes the situation in the ife sciences fied more transparent, which can be a big hep for sma- and medium-sized enterprises seeking partners who can work with them in mutuay beneficia coaboration. The internationa approach of the project means that those using the patform can take advantage of the expertise and experiences of ife science sectors in different countries where business support and business deveopment poicies are different. The patform wi be promoted to ife science custers and other organisations in Europe, but partners have the ambition to spread the project everywhere, eventuay making it possibe to address innovation in the ife sciences as a wordwide endeavour. Photo: shutterstock Project: Centra Community ERDF funding: Duration: Website: 30 Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra EuropE Technoogy Transfer and Business Innovation in Centra Europe 31