Strengthening smart specialisation by fostering transnational cooperation and practical application of novel solutions for regions and SMEs

GoSmart&Excel BSR

PROGRAMME 2014-2020

priority

1 Innovation

objective

1.2 Smart specialisation

GoSmart&Excel BSR

GoSmart&Excel BSR helped SMEs and other innovation actors to become more innovative and internalionalised.

The challenge

Smart Specialisation approaches and Strategies (S3) are multiplying across Europe and the Baltic Sea region as a way to infuse innovation and increase competitiveness through beneficial partnerships among business, research and authorities. The most critical and vulnerable group of actors dealing with S3 are SMEs, which largely fall behind other players in terms of innovation activities and investments in research and development. Even though the SMEs get support in idea generation and incubation, the analysis shows that the support funding is no longer available and some support tools need an upgrade.

GoSmart&Excel BSR continued the efforts initiated by its forerunner project GoSmart BSR that aimed to identify gaps in the available support systems, understand the needs and development barriers. GoSmart&Excel BSR helped SMEs to become more innovative and to internationalise their businesses, in the long term. It teached innovation actors in the Baltic Sea region (and beyond) to practically and jointly apply the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) approach. The project brought the key outcomes of the GoSmart BSR project into use, in particular the transnational smart specialisation strategy methodology and the transnational innovation brokerage system.

details

Budgets

GoSmart&Excel BSR
in numbers

0.77

Million

Total
0.62

Million

Erdf
0.00

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Achievements

Transnational Smart Specialisation Strategy

One of the main achievements of GoSmart&Excel BSR project is the development of Transnational Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) for the Baltic Sea Region. Transnational S3 for the Baltic Sea Region is developed to be adopted and used in the future by all innovation actors across the region. The intention is to prioritise joint actions and to inspire other EU macro-regions to develop their own S3s. The project stressed the importance of transnational cooperation and synergies among industry, research and development and public authorities.

Business needs in focus

Besides, GoSmart&Excel BSR advanced a practical tool supporting this strategy on a business level, the Transnational Brokerage System for Innovation in the Baltic Sea Region. A functioning, developing and

sustainable Transnational Brokerage System for Innovation (TIBS) in the Baltic Sea Region has engaged many SMEs and innovation partners to develop Joint Transnational Smart Strategies that will help their internationalisation based on innovations. As a result, many transnational business and innovation partners came together to develop internationalisation strategies and increase their knowledge.

Peer learning

The partnership also addressed the needs of the less developed regions in the Baltic Sea area. The recommendations were to continue with peer learning, translating S3 to practical SMEs joint actions and finding the possibility to learn from the best practices demonstrated by the developed regions.

Outputs

Trans-S3 for the Baltic Sea region

Transnational Smart Specialisation Strategy for Baltic Sea Region (Trans-S3) is an official, strategically oriented and comprehensive document that has been developed in accordance with the Trans-S3 methodology adopted by the partnership. As indicated in the document, the identification of S3 synergies with international cooperation potential can be considered as a particular benefit of the creation of a Trans-S3. Trans-S3 for the Baltic Sea region will also serve as an exemplary application of the Trans-S3 methodology and will be used to promote the S3 approach in a transnational/transregional context, not only in the Baltic Sea area but also among other EU macro-regions.

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Transnational Brokerage System for Innovation (TIBS) services

During the project, two new organisations signed a declaration to join the Transnational Brokerage System for Innovation (TIBS). 79 SMEs and other entities were directly assisted by TIBS services (16 from Poland, 13 from Latvia, 6 from Estonia, 20 from Lithuania, 9 from Finland, 5 from Sweden and 10 Denmark). The needs of these companies were diagnosed, cooperation offers were developed and circulated, business-to-business matches were made. The document “Inspiring experiences coming from TIBS” provides an overview of their service delivery, the brokers, successful TIBS cases and the value of this system for the cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.

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Project Stories

09.07.2021

Enterprises go smart beyond borders with Interreg

Small and medium sized enterprises largely fall behind other players in innovation and investments in research & development (R&D). Thanks to the Interreg project GoSmart BSR, enterprises in seven countries around the Baltic Sea learned how to use smart specialisation to improve competitiveness jointly and gain access to new markets.
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