Enhancing Mediterranean Initiatives Leading SMEs to Innovation in building Energy efficiency technologies
EMILIE will strenghten SMEs innovation capacities in the field of energy efficiency in tertiary sector buildings, identifing innovative technologies and know-how extending MED SMEs market positions and leveraging private investments. The project finds its roots in the need to overcome barriers and gaps detected by MARIE and ELIHMED startegic projects in the field of supporting innovation in MED SMEs. EMILIE will: - Support concretely SMEs innovation strengthening the existing transnational cluster network and widening services and facilities, developing a self-sustaining system based on a fruitful cooperation between research centers, bodies supporting SMEs and regional administrations. - Exploit the existing capitalization process started by strategic MED projects and developing it through a series of targeted initiatives that will contribute to improve knowledge management and strengthen product and process innovation in the EE sector. - Match bottom-up with top-down approach, involving directly SMEs, clusters and public administrations both in the project activities (WP5) and as -external non partners'. This will create conditions for the involvement of new private actors and for creating Public-Private Partnerships to leverage investments in the development of innovative and competitive technologies. In particular EMILIE will carry out: an assessment on the consumption in the tertiary sector buildings in the involved regions and a worldwide technology road mapping, selecting promising technologies/products (WP3) and testing them in pilot plants (WP 4). EMILIE will also organize exchange of experiences, visits and mutual learning with other projects clusters/intermediary bodies. By means of targeted workshops it will provide SMEs with professional advice on introducing these technologies in their production and support technology transfer bodies and public administrations in the definition of effective green public procurement procedures. The common model will be subsequently adapted to other regional and national contexts and will be easily replicated in other MED regions, contributing to the growth, competitiveness and employment in the MED area. To achieve transferability and replicability of project results a strong communication campaign has been planned, including transnational and local awareness raising initiatives, exploiting partners memberships in institutional and professional networks and using innovative tools as the web platform. Finally for achieving the long term exploitability of the cluster network and the highest diffusion as possible of the project results cooperation with other EU projects and programmes will be implemented (WP 5). While targeted workshops and pilot sites study visits will guarantee the involvement of new MED clusters and a proactive role of target groups and stakeholders, specific meetings among MED projects coordinators and a final workshop in Brussels will guarantee capitalization to a wider level.