THINGS+

Despite vast investments and development of innovation technologies, many industries in Central Europe still focus on product manufacturing. Low cost competition from non-EU counties, together with gradual commoditisation further challenge their competitiveness. Thus, it is essential especially for SME companies to adapt their skills and successfully overcome rapid changes, following innovation and technological progress. Servitisation of products through adequate human capital investment could be one of the solutions for a greater prosperity on an ever-changing market.

 

THINGS+ project aims to enrich portfolio of companies with additional services that can increase value delivered to customers and improve their position on the market, by strengthening entrepreneur’s skills in service innovation management.

 

THINGS+ project is focused in transformation of traditional companies into regional innovation motors, with no excessive investments. Key output will be a new approach to improve entrepreneurs’ skills that help them introduce service innovation into manufacturing companies and increase prosperity on changing markets.

 

Project activates:

  • Creating Service Innovation Methodology (SIM) transnational design: creation of coherent, robust and operational methodology for the improvement of entrepreneurs’ skills on the development of product-based services.
  • Specialization in CE Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS): the objective is to train KIBS’ staff about the Service Innovation Learning System and let them introduce it to SMEs entrepreneurs a/o employees during the training users workshops at local level.
  • Take-up of innovative services in the CE manufacturing industry: the entrepreneurs previously trained will be supported in their SIM testing application during Pilot Actions, with the aim of reviewing and improving the SIM application tools.
  • Recommendations for a CE Service Innovation Inclusive Policy: a coherent and comprehensive set of recommendations to approach a CE Service Innovation inclusive policy frame will be developed.

 

Project partners:

  • Friuli Innovazione Research and Technology Transfer Centre, Italy (lead partner)
  • Science and Technology Park of University of Rijeka, Croatia
  • Bautzen Innovation Centre, Germany
  • Technology Park Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • BizGarden, Czech Republic
  • Slovak Business Agency, Slovakia
  • Lodzkie Region, Poland
  • Veneto Region, Italy
  • Innovation & Technology Transfer Salzburg, Austria
  • Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Development Agency, Hungary

 

Associate partners

  • Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Industry Directorate, Italy
  • Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Croatia
  • Croatian Employers‘ Association, Croatia
  • District of Bautzen, Germany
  • Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Slovenia
  • Borsod-Abaúj-Zemp lén County Government, Hungary
  • National Cluster Association, Czech Republic
  • Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Slovakia
  • Ca’ Foscari University – School of Economics, Languages and Entrepreneurship (SELISI), Italy
  • Land of Salzburg, Austria
  • Technology Transfer Center of Lodz University of Technology Ltd, Poland
  • Lodz Regional Development Agency, Poland
  • Lodz Regional Science and Technology Park Ltd., Poland

 

Project duration: June 2017 – May 2020 (36 months)

Project is financed from: Interreg Central Europe

Value of the project: 1.889.299,50 €

Financed from the program: 1.562.517,31€

Official website: http://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/THINGS-.html

 

Contact:

Jan Orava

Email: j.orava @bizgarden.cz