I-start

Project of innovation aimed at cluster of enterprises (SMEs and craft enterprises) - I-Start

The Project I-Start, running since 2004, is a programme aiming to construct the processes of integration and collaboration between enterprises by implementing Projects of innovation for business clusters. The origin of the Programme lies in the idea that the fabric of SMEs and craft enterprises (especially if they are small and micro companies) do not always have the individual capacity to autonomously select all the development opportunities linked to the implementation of projects of innovation. I-Start complements the other calls for tender by the Umbria Regional Authority for SMEs to receive contributions, as the majority of enterprises involved are usually very different.

The priority target of the I-Start programme are the small and micro companies.

This programme also enables the needs for innovation to be “intercepted” for these businesses (micro/small) that would otherwise find it far more difficult to access other forms of financial aid. These tools complement each other due to the fact that the projects of innovation for clusters face the common needs for innovation for groups of enterprises, by encouraging them to network with each other.

I-Start follows two distinct procedures:

1) The first consists of activities to inform and make the companies aware of the opportunities of implementing projects of innovation and of the advantages of collaborating with other enterprises (clusters):

• to facilitate business consolidation and technological development and increase competitiveness;

• to facilitate the integration between sectors and enterprises in logical production chains;

• to promote and diffuse innovation and R&D in SMEs by collaborating with research centre and universities.

2) The second procedure responds to the need of businesses to implement projects of improvement based on process/product and/or research innovations. The projects implemented by the clusters follow different types of approach: territorial/sectorial, specific themes, production chains, promotion/internationalisation.

The businesses in the clusters share the results achieved by the projects and divide the costs between them.

The combination of the two actions has enabled the SMEs and craft enterprises to profit not only from the opportunities of innovation available but also from those resulting from increased strength due to aggregation.

With I-Start, the SMEs and craft enterprises are guided and supported throughout the process of innovation with simple procedures, easy contacts and approaches to problem solving by the procedures to development innovative ideas, to the assessment, implementation, protection and offer on the market of innovative products and services. The idea is to accompany them in all the phases to manage the innovation process.

The I-Start Programme often constitutes an incipit for the clusters, and the results achieved constitute the feasibility, which drives the enterprises to implement far more complex corporate projects with more research and higher investments.

Strong points

• Clusterisation based on the sharing of the project of innovation

• Companies complementing each other to create/strengthen a production chain via a shared project

• Day by day support of the clusters, guaranteed by easy contacts and by problem solving oriented approach

• Short implementation times

• Simple application forms

• Correspondence to the specific needs of the enterprises

• Access to specialist competencies (of research and other) not present within the companies

• Possibility to select functional professionals to implement the project even outside national and European boundaries

• Programme repeated annually

For further information: http://www.programmaistart.it/

Project I-Start is over.