Project overview
SME Ready for the Future
Countless companies will have to change their business models to stay competitive. They need to innovate to be prepared for a greener and more digital future. One way to cope with this challenge is to seek support from so-called innomediaries that function as innovation bridgers or change agents. The SMERF project offers smaller companies guidance on working with innomediaries. The project also creates a transnational inno-green market for transforming companies across central Europe.
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2,49m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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7
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Countries
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8
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Regions
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8
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Partners
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2
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
Department for Laser Technologies, Automation and Production Management
Project partner
Mechatronics Cluster
Institute for Automation and Applied Informatics (IAI)
76131 Karlsruhe
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energetics, Management and Transportation
Roadmap
Context
SMERF will strongly support SMEs from regional S3 sectors: automation, environmental technologies, industry 4.0, technology-assisted life, industrial production processes, energy, sustainable food production and processing, mobility and logistics. Other beneficiaries of the project will be higher education and research organizations, business support organizations, enterprises except SMEs, sectoral agencies, local and regional public authorities.
Specific problem
Many CE firms do not yet have sufficient capacities to adopt new concepts and models as they lack know-how, human capital, best examples as well as organizational and managerial capacity. According to Flash Eurobarometer 486 “SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups and entrepreneurship” among EU SMEs' biggest problems are lack of skills, incl. managerial 17% (out of 12.343 SMEs); difficulties with digitalization 13% and innovation 9%, internationalization 8%. In such challenging circumstances, efficient and effective support is needed, which will allow SMEs to transform their organizational culture and business models, become more resilient to further challenges and to adapt changing conditions in terms of a digitalized and greener economy.
Idea
There is need for SMEs to effectively transfer and adopt new market and social -driven concepts and models will be addressed by focusing on 4 Pillars oriented on: innovation culture, digital manufacturing, open innovation & sharing economy, green & circular economy & sustainability.
Solution
Lack of know-how, human capital and organizational & managerial capacity in introducing new concepts & models will be reduced by providing Inspiration Knowledge Base together with webinars on 4 pillars topics, trainings for SMERF mentors, SMERF Trainings, SMERF Individual Support Program, study visits and SMERF Handbook.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
O1.1 SMERF Strategy and SMERF Action Plan
O2.2 SMERF Diagnosis Tool
O3.2 Model for supporting SMEs in the transformation process towards a company of the future
O3.3 SMERF Memorandum of Understanding
Project videos
Project documents
Project images
SMERF
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