Smart Interregional Cooperation Strategy for Innovation capacities in the Energy Sector on the MED area
SMARTinMED aims at increasing Mediterranean SMEs innovation capacities with a specific focus on renewable energies and energy efficiency. The project capitalises on the results achieved in previous European projects and specifically on IC-MED project, so to help SMEs in better facing local, national and international competition by increasing their market shares, by supporting their capacities to keep high rate of innovation and better profiting from networking and cooperation across the Mediterranean. By a preliminary mapping and analysis exercise on regional renewable energies and energy efficiency markets and the involvement of the relevant stakeholders (esp. SMEs), project partners will be able to identify high potential activities, the most promising value chains and target markets. Inside the value chains/markets/domains identified, a sound analysis will focus on SMEs needs and barriers for innovation that will be subsequently tackled by the Pilot action. The project will also address non technological innovation, with a specific set of activities dedicated to SMEs new business models in energy and energy efficiency. A key aspect of SMARTinMED is to exploit the role energy clusters can play, thanks to their capacity to reach SMEs better than other intermediaries and to offer new services that help SMEs to innovate. Clusters will be accompanied to improve their intermediary role with both private actors and local public authorities in raising the awareness on SMEs role as key actors for facing the new economic and environmental challenges. In addition, the project will support the realisation of a Pilot action, that will allow the promotion of new business models and of complementary capacities of SMEs by the different partners in different regional contexts. SMARTinMED also considers the importance of investing in human resources, talent and expertise, both as a necessary response to increasingly complex markets and innovation systems, both as the smarter way to exploit the enormous employment potential offered by the transition to a greener economy. Finally SMARTinMED addresses policy development processes, aiming at improving priority setting, valorisation of existing regional assets and complementarities, and the elaboration of sound policies. This action will ensure the sustainability of project results, delivering to policy makers and stakeholders a sound set of priorities and a participatory process based on regional assets. Fundamental importance will be given to a transversal set of activities dedicated to communication, awareness rising and capitalisation of project results. These activities will not simply aim at spreading information on the project but will seek for a clear positioning of SMARTinMED key concepts in MED area and Europe, also contributing to rising citizens awareness and acceptance of renewable energies and energy efficiency, speeding-up behavioural changes regarding environment and energy challenges.