This proposal describes Invest NI’s response to the invitation, “Enhancing the Innovation management Capacity of SMEs by the Enterprise Europe Network”. The proposal describes our delivery of Key Account Management of SME Beneficiaries (KAM) and, “Enhancing the innovation management capacity of SMEs” (Innovation Services or IS).

MAGIC Post Stroke Project Team has united members from across Europe, dedicated to enable significant change in the delivery of health & social care (H&SC) services for patients post stroke. The consortium has recognised a significant gap in care associated with the recovery of such patients & we need a new way of meeting the needs of 508,000 new post stroke EU citizens/ year. Demographic changes are such that H&SC systems are failing to keep pace with demand & are not fit for purpose. By working in new ways & by reengineering systems with novel innovative technology & solutions we can think differently about our approach to care & improve the well-being for our patients; optimising the opportunity for recovery post stroke. Presently 1/3rd of all stroke patients are discharged from hospital with a significant change to life style, well-being, health status & independence. Community H&SC services do not enable patients to make a sufficient recovery post stroke. A search of state of the art technologies indicated much progress in the development of technologies to assist patients but no system is available to significantly affect rehabilitative improvement to scale; with no solution integration with H&SC services. Therefore, Public Procurers cannot go to open tender to deploy effective technology to solve system failures. The MAGIC Consortium recognised Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) as the only way to stimulate the market to find a solution to our common problem. MAGIC is an essential & strategically critical programme for the Team to optimise a patient’s recovery, to modernise H&SC systems to meet demand & to stimulate research, development & innovation. MAGIC will also stimulate European industry to become a global leader in this innovative field. Use of PCP is of particular interest to the consortium members & is new for many. Therefore, observer states will participate to contribute to the Pan-European improvement in care and to proactively share PCP knowledge.

A national service in support of recipients of the H2020 SME Instrument and for the improvement of innovation management in SMEs, with the purpose of more companies with growth potential achieving global scaling. Innovation is a vital ingredient of growth and an important element of the future success of the UK. With some 95% of R&D and innovation conducted outside of the UK and many major and lead market shaping companies being of non-UK origin, access to knowledge, markets, skills and partners is increasingly taking place on a global basis. To ensure UK business stays competitive it is important that it is able to effectively access and exploit the growing global investment in research and innovation. Through EEN ENIW activities we will help businesses build collaborations and partnerships and access the finance, knowledge, skills, networks and customers to more rapidly move a concept through to commercialisation and to scale their business.