Building Innovation Competences for Small and Micro Entrepreneurs Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building Innovation Competences for Small and Micro Entrepreneurs

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal)

Project Summary

The BIC for SME project builds on the previously completed project, the POWER2INNO (Horizon 2020, 2016-2017), which included peer learning activities between three innovation agencies, directed to raising their competences for empowerment of small and micro companies’ for innovative entrepreneurship. The POWER2INNO project produced knowledge on building a regional system for enhancement of innovation with small and micro companies, one of the key elements being training and education for entrepreneurs. However, the limitations of the POWER2INNO project prevented the partners from preparing concrete usable learning tools for such education. The Erasmus+ programme provided a perfect opportunity to address this.

The main objective of the BIC for SME project was to upgrade the POWER2INNO project results by providing concrete tools for the education and training of entrepreneurs for innovative entrepreneurship, training of educational staff of the participating organizations and pilot training for selected individual entrepreneurs. All of these were delivered and in this way, the BIC for SME project contributes to quality improvements of C-VET programs in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship, to innovation excellence of small and micro entrepreneurs as well as to internationalization at the level of participating organizations, through enhanced transnational cooperation between different training providers. Thus, the project:

• Contributes to improving the quality and access to vocational education and training in the area of small and micro innovation entrepreneurship;
• Contributes to improving knowledge and skills of employees in relevant consulting and training organizations;
• Contributes to improving the employability and professional success of learners interested in this subject.

Points which were validated from feedback of participants during piloting and dissemination events.

BIC for SME has helped to reduce the gap between market demand (people seeking training for small and micro entrepreneurship) and training system supply, which is currently predominantly oriented towards small and middle-sized enterprises / entrepreneurship. This has been addressed as follows:

• Development of training program for “BIC for SME” for trainers;
• Development of training program for small and micro entrepreneurs interested in boosting their innovation activity;
• Development of relevant learning materials.

The project included five competent partners from five different countries: lead by the WESTBIC, an innovation agency from Ireland, there are also the RDA Green Karst, Centre for Innovation and Development from Slovenia, BIC Euronova from Spain, Tecnopolis technology park from Italy and the EFMD international network which operates actively in the area of training and education in a wide area of EU and beyond.

All partners have experience in Erasmus+ as well as other EU-supported programs, such as transnational programs, HORIZON 2020, COSME, FP7 etc., and this experience was vital in helping to guide the BIC for SME project through the challenges posed by Covid 19. All partners are also experienced in entrepreneurial training and other services. They participate in several professional networks and have the potential to ensure the widespread use of the project’s result, in accordance with the dissemination plan which was also developed during the project, along with other management and coordination tools, through which successful and quality implementation took place.

Some key outcomes to note (and which will be further addressed post project completion) are:

BIC Euronova signed an agreement with Fundación Andalucía Emprende (a public regional institution dealing with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Andalucía region (8 million inhabitants), comprising almost 1000 consultants / mentors, 263 centres, and almost 15,000 entrepreneurs / start-ups), to collaborated on testing of training material and to adapting the BIC for SME tools and materials as a standard for their daily work.

In Ireland, WestBIC are to have follow up discussions with Dr. Brían Ó Donnchadha, at the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, on the possible use of the BIC for SME outputs while follow-up discussion is also to happen with GMIT Letterfrack on possible use of the outputs as part of the Enterprise Development module on the Furniture Design and Furniture and Wood Technology programmes. Galway Technology Centre will also consider the Diagnostic Tool as a client management tool.

Beyond a European context, EFMD will use the modules in short online trainings called Cápsulas de gestion. The trainings cover various aspects of management aiming to develop entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity in Cuban universities accompanying the modernisation of the Cuban economy. This will act as a model for EFMD to implement a similar format of the programme in other European countries.

Project Website

https://www.bicforsme.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 275288,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

INNOVATION AND MANAGEMENT CENTRE LIMITED & Country: IE

Project Partners

• BIC EURONOVA SA
• RRA ZELENI KRAS DOO
• EFMD AISBL
• TECNOPOLIS PARCO SCIENTIFICO E TECNOLOGICO SCARL