SMEthod is a research project aimed at delivering an improved methodology of identifying SME’s pathways to innovation and of segmenting innovating SMEs in order to determine optimal targeting and timing of support measures allocated by innovation agencies and other institutions. A complementary goal is to create a decision support tool (DST) ) which will be devolved in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders who implement innovation policies and by compiling the complex SME innovativeness determinants will offer them a flexible evaluation tool. Broad dissemination activities are also planned to reach innovation stakeholders, innovation and regional development agencies, ministries, etc. The SMEthod methodology will consider important factors that are likely to influence companies and the societal impact they create. In particular, enterprise lifecycle, industrial sectors, regional characteristics, and innovation cycles will be scrutinized. New segmenting criteria for innovation support policies will be prepared and specific variables will be determined and weighted in order to assure usability of the methodology. The holistic character of the project will be assured by proposing a more efficient allocation of appropriate pro-innovation measures. Most common and relevant methodologies of segmenting SMEs for the purpose of innovation support will be evaluated as well. Furthermore, efficiency of selected methods and techniques will be assessed. Conclusions from the research will be merged to deliver a final product of the project – a holistic methodology and the DST based on it. The project’s impact will be a better understanding of innovation dynamics and potentials in SMEs and of their efficient segmentation. New knowledge will be created on the effectiveness of innovation policies and most popular measures. Better targeting different instruments toward most promising SMEs will be possible thanks to evaluative analyses and new segmenting criteria.

The project builds on an existing community linked to ISPIM Society focused on innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) – a theme of central interest in EU as a source of employment and growth. The consortium consists of industrial partners (Nokia Networks, Lufthansa, Torbay Hospital, AachenMuenchener, BMW, Lego) and academics who share a concern with the question:How do we improve on current I&E teaching, coaching and training?While many organizations offer courses that focus on I&E we know these often fail to stimulate a step change in student abilities. Learners know they should act, but training does not enable this and whilst they gain considerable ‘explicit’ knowledge, they fail with ‘TACIT’ element that helps them to apply it. We suggest this is partly due to the mode of delivery and there is a need for new and innovative approaches that embrace learning as a generative iteration of knowledge and knowing through doing, making and relating:• recognise different modes of learning; for many practitioners classroom style approaches do not work effectively• promote experiential learning offering different ways of closing the learning cycle between theory and practice• create skills-based learning placing emphasis on what individuals in organizations can actually do rather than focusing only on structures and processes to enable innovation• assure practice-based learning: allowing capability development through experimentation and prototyping• build on core I&E principles around which individuals configure solutions to work in their own corporate contextThe objective of this project is to combine the efforts of business and university educators to create new learner-centred teaching methods, open up new learning opportunities and develop the practical application of entrepreneurial skills. This will be framed as an innovative teaching module to be embedded in the existing curricula of higher education institutions and in the corporate training programs.

IMPACT is a practice-based, sustainability-oriented, and result-driven project aiming to advance Europe’s capacity and effectiveness in training and teaching sustainability-oriented innovation and entrepreneurship (SOIE). The ambition of the project is to drive innovation and entrepreneurship based on values of corporate sustainability, and to facilitate organisation-wide cultural change toward more sustainable innovation processes. With its explicit focus on sustainability, IMPACT makes a unique contribution to effectively translating Europe’s new growth strategy presented in the “Green Deal” into an innovative educational program and business practice.More specifically, IMPACT brings together leaders from industry, academia and innovation ecosystems to:I. empirically generate, aggregate, exchange and disseminate knowledge about good practices and methods in SOIEII. facilitate values-based and sustainability-oriented innovation and entrepreneurship practices and methods that help to establish a sustainability-oriented innovation culture III. create advanced education methods and real problem-based materials to teach and learn SOIE IMPACT builds on the results of previous projects and draws on the experience of innovation scholars and practitioners to generate actionable insights for students, young entrepreneurs and industrial partners striving to make a positive impact on society as a whole. The main outcomes of the project are: I) a database of concrete examples and best practices for enhancing sustainability; II) facilitation methods toolkit for enabling the effective involvement of internal and external stakeholders in innovation-related activities, as well as the collaborative review and redefinition of cultural routines, implicit values and hidden assumptions; and III) methods for teaching and coaching SOIE toolkit, which includes a module on Sustainable Innovation Practices (12 ECTS) for professional development and elective university courses.

VISION is a future-oriented and result-driven project that aims to advance Europe’s capacity and effectiveness in teaching and training for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship (CIE). These three areas are recognized as essential for the development and readiness of societies to address global challenges and uncertain labour markets, yet knowledge about their teaching and training is highly fragmented and ever-changing. VISION actively engages 120 global stakeholders and experts across higher education, business, policy and society at large to:I. Co-create forward-looking knowledge on the role of education for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship with a focus on four challenges and opportunities, such as digital transformation and skills alignment with the future of work. II. Develop a series of user-friendly and practical materials to support educators (teachers, trainers, professors, tutors, mentors, coaches) to be future ready now, embracing the dynamic and constantly evolving content and tools shaping their work. III. Ensure that knowledge remains relevant and up-to date, contributing to the preparation and implementation of EU programs and policies beyond 2020.To obtain these goals in the course of 24 months, VISION features a solid and dedicated partnership across Europe with complementary expertise and an established track record. Furthermore it draws on an extended global network of actors and key influencers to ensure that knowledge is co-created and results are built and integrated into other relevant initiatives.The key outputs of the project are:(i) a compilation of visions on the future of teaching and training for CIE; (ii) a variety of resources for educators such as podcasts, webinars, and platforms that deliver forward-looking knowledge as a usable guide; and (iii) an action plan for near-future initiatives that can inform policy makers, but also for use by the consortium for the continuation of its work after the project.

SF4S is a collaborative action with partners from HEIs, VET providers, innovation networks and business entities from the Agri-food, Health and the Mobility sectors. It supports our transition to a more sustainable European economy by helping to address the lack of green, digital and future (i.e. sustainability foresight) skills among students and professionals and by connecting knowledge flows between HEI, VET and industry actors that are necessary for Europe to develop cooperative solutions on a large-scale and support the recommendations for action in the major reports: Green Deal, NextGenerationEU, European Skills Agenda and OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030. We do this by advancing and scaling an innovative approach that we call Strategic Foresight for Sustainability (SF4S) based on best practices and methods from corporate foresight, sustainability management, green business models, digital skills and green product/service development across value chains and industries. SF4S is based on an entrepreneurial cooperative approach in our community of practice of 250 industry professionals and 100 HEIs, which develop engagement and insight from the three industries through 130 interviews, four large-scale co-development projects and the development, testing and deployment of learning and training materials for HEIs, VETs and business sector through the community. The ambition is pan-European, and 400 students will initially be reached through the SF4S project and its open access materials. The living community of practice will scale beyond the project itself, and into other industries. The long-term impact, which in itself is a starting point for European-wide transition, will be three industries adopting new sets of futures and future sustainability foresight skills, and both VET and HEI students entering the workforce with Foresight for Sustainability skills that enable them to create actions that support the long-term green transition that Europe needs.