IRISNo. R038Implementation period 2017-10-01 – 2021-03-31 |
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To maintain and advance Baltic Sea Region (BSR) as a dynamic and prosperous region, where people and businesses can thrive and build a future, collaboration over regional and national borders is essential. National strategies identify incubators as significant actors to support innovation and entrepreneurship as powerful drivers of growth, making economies more competitive. IRIS aims to develop incubator structures to be global frontrunners, capable to address common BSR challenges. To achieve this, incubators need to cooperate and collectively leverage their management and support capacities. The potential for institutional learning on macroregional level in BSR are excellent based on the proximities in culture and geography. Currently structured transnational exchange and learning between incubators are lacking. The common development practice for provided support in incubators can be characterised by “learning by doing”. IRIS main objective is to improve and strengthen management and support capacity in incubator organisations as important Innovation Infrastructures. IRIS will make the target group demonstrate higher management capacity and higher ability to support entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs in five priority areas. New support instruments will be available as a result of joint brain storming, development and practical tests. Peer reviews as method to evaluate and improve management capacity will be spread to Innovation Infrastructure Organisations in BSR. IRIS will deliver two main outputs: 1. A “Road map for increased management capacity in innovation infrastructure organisations” describing the overall findings and conclusions from peer-reviews in the partnership. The road map will have a unique transnational value as knowledge base and role model. This output can be used by Innovation Infrastructure Organisations and relevant policy makers to improve regional innovation support systems. 2. A Guideline with descriptions of support instruments, structured to support transferability. All instruments described in the Guideline will be tested, quality checked and deemed suitable for implementation by IRIS. The Guideline will be a unique, tangible tool to increase incubator support capacity. Another tangible output will be a suggested structure for durable transnational cooperation based on partnership activities and input, which will support the flagship BSR Stars in its ambitions to develop a collaboration platform for incubators. IRIS project shall strengthen Innovation Infrastructure Organisations management and support capacity in BSR. The improved capacity will lead to more efficient utilisation of resources and advancing incubator performance ultimately leading to more surviving start-ups and growing SME’s. This will contribute to the continued development of the BSR as a dynamic, innovative and business driven region. The IRIS partnership consists of 14 partners, all leading actors in the field of Innovation Management and Business Support. A core partnership is known to each other from cooperation in previous projects, adding more partners acting as operators of incubators in different Innovation Infrastructures like science parks, innovation and technology centres etc. All partners have a strong background and experience relevant for the project and have been selected to have optimal potential to carry out the project. The partnership comprises incubator organisations from all countries of the Baltic rim, including Norwegian and Russian partners. Find the introduction to the Peer Review and the tool in details: http://www.witeno.de/iris/de/priority-areas/peer-review/ , impact for the organizations. Project coordinator: Dalarna Science Park, Sweden Partners: Turku Science Park, Finland Contact person in Kaunas STP Director of OperationsTomas Černevičius Tel. +370 614 69677 Emai: tomas.cernevicius@kaunomtp.lt Skype: tomas.ktc |