Overall Concept and Methodology
The INNOVATE-project is based on three pillars:
1) “Setting the stage” – a thorough analysis of the regional innovation ecosystems, the challenges they are facing, the needs of their Start-ups followed by a cocreation process resulting in the development of an action plan for addressing the identified issues.
2) “Interconnected and Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems” – uniting the INNOVATE-EU regions in a sustainable interregional innovation support community, connecting them with European actors and providing policy recommendations for a more interconnected European innovation ecosystem.
3) “Strengthening European Start-ups” – direct support to Deep tech Start-ups and Scale-ups providing them with the knowledge, tools, and contacts necessary for successfully scaling up their business models and entering new markets.
Based on the target group analysis (Table 1) the INNOVATE-EU project will start with a thorough mapping of the actors that make up a regional innovation ecosystem: support organisations (accelerators, incubators, etc.), finance providers (investors, funding agencies, public procurement, etc.) and innovative Start-ups and Scale-ups. In parallel, the INNOVATE-EU project will perform a thorough analysis of the innovation ecosystems in the INNOVATE-EU region to better understand:
i) their strengths and potentials,
ii) the challenges they are facing, and
iii) the major needs of their Start-ups and Scale-ups.
Special attention will be given to the specific challenges faced by women and minorities trying to access innovation support services. This analysis will be done in close collaboration with the identified stakeholders and will result in the development of 5 regional reports. Afterwards the INNOVATE-EU consortium will come together in a knowledge exchange event to exchange best practices and develop the INNOVATE-EU Action plan that defines concrete steps to be taken for addressing the identified issues and improve and connect the regional ecosystems especially in the moderate and emerging innovator regions.
The collected data will furthermore serve as the basis for the framework for the INNOVATE-EU community (Pillar II) and the refinement of the curriculum of training and services directly offered to Start-ups and Scale-ups (Pillar III)
Pillar II - Interconnected and Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems
Work on interconnected and inclusive innovation ecosystems in the INNOVATE-EU project takes place on three levels:
1) The regional ecosystems will be connected in the INNOVATE-EU community via a framework developed in a co-creation process involving multiple stakeholders, 5 regional workshops and 1 international event.
2) The INNOVATE-EU project invites all projects funded under the same call to come together, exchange ideas and best practices, and develop policy recommendations for the interconnection of regional innovation ecosystems all over the European Union.
3) The INNOVATE-EU community will be connected to relevant actors in the European innovation support community fostering sustainable cooperation.
Pillar III - Strengthening European Start-ups
The participation of and support for Start-ups and Scale-ups in the INNOVATE-EU project takes place on four levels:
i) Inform – Start-ups will be informed about the project's offers and invited to participate via a targeted outreach campaign.
ii) Engage – INNOVATE-EU will engage with Start-ups to learn about their needs and tailor its activities accordingly.
iii) Enable – Start-ups will participate in a tailored capacity building process.
iv) Connect – Start-ups will be connected with relevant local and European actors that can support them in scaling up their business models and accessing new markets.