Strengthening research, technological development and innovation
Promoting innovation capacities for a more competitive area
To improve the overall capacity for innovation in order to increase the Program area’s competitiveness thanks to a network of Italian and Slovenian key players who will jointly develop, test and ultimately implement a new cross-border service for business acceleration capable of promoting investments in the development of new innovative products and services and the transfer of technologies from R&D centres to companies, especially SMEs.
The CAB (Cross-border Acceleration Bridge) project tackles a common challenge in the Program area concerning the low efficiency of the technology transfer of research results to companies, with the aim of improving the innovation capacity of the Program area itself (namely by insisting upon the sectors of specialisation identified by the S3), thus increasing its overall competitiveness and bolstering collaboration among the key actors of the cross-border innovation ecosystem. In fact, the CAB project’s objective is to create a network of Italian and Slovenian players who will test and ultimately implement a new cross-border service for business acceleration capable of promoting investments in the development of innovative products/services and the transfer of technologies from R&D centres to companies. It is hoped that, thanks to the new service offered, a greater number of SMEs will exploit the opportunities to collaborate with R&D centres in order to grow on the international markets. 3 main outputs will be produced during the course of the project: 1) 6 cross-border research activities on the topic of business acceleration; 2) cross-border cooperation between innovative SMEs and R&D centres; and 3) experimental implementation of a business acceleration model for a test group of 20 companies. By favouring the adoption of new technologies, technological diversification from existing specialisations, and the development of new economic activities, the results-oriented approach will ensure a tangible impact in terms of start-ups and SMEs developing unexpressed potential in the S3 sectors. The original distinctive aspect of the CAB project lies precisely in the cross-border approach adopted for the design of business support tools, which exploits the peculiarities of the two markets: the Slovenian market offers an ideal test environment for the initial phase of their development, while the Italian market offers greater potential for their growth.
The primary result is the increase in cooperation among the key players of the Program’s innovation ecosystem, (Universities, R&D centres, companies, organisations supporting companies in the S3 sectors of Slovenia and the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) through the creation of a long-lasting cross-border network that will implement the innovative cross-border business acceleration service for SMEs. The model proposed by the CAB project will offer the PPs and the other actors involved the opportunity to act as a collective intra-regional system for the creation and growth of high value-added companies throughout the territory. The ability of companies to operate in two languages, two cultures, and in two business contexts is a competitive advantage that will broaden their horizons well beyond the cross-border territory, to include all the EU member states and the rest of world as well. On the one hand, the joint activities will consolidate the cooperation between the key players in the cross-border area, while on the other hand, they will offer new match-making opportunities among young entrepreneurs, investors and businesses on an intra- and inter-regional scale.
The second result of the project is the increased development of the production systems that characterise the territory, thus allowing new resources to be intercepted to supplement national and regional funding, as well as private investments. The selection of the companies that will participate in the project activities will focus upon production companies operating in the key S3 sectors (Friuli Venezia Giulia: Agri-food, Engineering and housing supply chain, Maritime technologies, Smart health, Culture, creativity and tourism; Veneto: Smart Agrifood, Sustainable Living, Smart Manufacturing and Creative Industries; Slovenia: Housing and work environment, Natural and Traditional Resources for the Future, and Industry). The link with the S3 sectors guarantees the Program area a competitive advantage by increasing the development of the production systems that characterise the territory, thus allowing new resources to be intercepted to supplement national and regional funding, as well as private investments.
Operation co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
