On 7 May 2015 an interactive workshop was held at Middlesex University where the draft methodology based on initial research under the Erasmus + Project - Action Project for Innovation (APInno) was presented and discussed. Feedback from delegates was gathered and reflected in the revised methodology and final outcomes. The presentation was followed by a practical workshop where delegates were given the opportunity to experience the proposed learning methodology through real business challenges.
Action Programme for Innovation (APInno) involves partners from across the EU to develop a methodology to facilitate the transfer of innovation skills from Higher Education Institutes (HEI) to business. The project aims to develop an experiential learning programme (at degree and/or masters level) as part of the HE curriculum. This will integrate the critical fundamentals of business, innovation management, growth, competitive dynamics and market simulation. The planned outcome will be the development of innovative course materials, online tools and a platform enabling idea generation and capture; including team work and analysis at successive stages of the curriculum, through to the final presentations. Participants from academia and business had the opportunity to network and discuss the draft methodology to date and played interactive games where the entrepreneurs and business delegates had to solve specific challenges. After the summer holidays, on 3 October KISMC organised a seminar on the SME Instrument and HORIZON 2020 showcasing the opportunities SMEs have for financing of their innovations after introducing the new EU programme period 2014 - 2020.
The seminar's objective was to look at H2020, introduce case studies of the SME Instrument, practical advises and instructions on the applications forms. The topics were covered by representatives of KISMC, Innovation Management Academy, HIRON Management Consulting, Energy2Go and by the special guest of the event - Xavier Aubry, ZAZ Ventures, who has got an extensive portfolio of helping SMEs secure funding and has offices in Brussels, London and Zurich. In July 2014 the Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club with the support of the Innovation Management Academy and Bulgarian Industrial Association organised a workshop on Innovation Management - how to assess the innovation potential of companies, how to generate new opportunities and how to realise them, more about innovation strategy, innovation culture and leadership as well as open innovation.
More than 50 people joined the workshop where topics on innovation management were discussed. The interest of Bulgarian companies on the subject is well grounded as in the current economical situation if companies do not innovate and invest in R&D it's more likely that they will not survive in the next few years or even much less than this. This workshop is the first of such on the theme of Innovation Management. If you are interested in participating in similar workshops, please send an email to office@innovation-mc.com The first Innovation Management Academy(IMA) in Bulgaria has launched with the so called project 'APInno - Innovation in Action'. The project aims to build a bridge between educational institutions and businesses and get those that help develop innovation and innovation management at different levels. The main objective of this first initiative of IMA is to introduce the world of innovation and its management to students, professionals and organisations through teamwork, interactive discussions, games and most importantly real cases of innovative companies to be resolved.
In Southeastern Europe it is often talked about innovation, but rarely it is discussed what innovation is and how innovation could be managed. Therefore, IMA which has launched in Bulgaria has the opportunity to introduce new tools and interactive games that help students to acquire knowledge and skills in a real environment and at the same time face the challenges of businesses. The idea behind is that this way of working not only could motivate students to exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues and professionals in the field of innovation and innovation management. The first initiative of the Innovation Management Academy has started as a strategic partnership between KISMC, Trelleborg Bulgaria and MT&M College. The initiative is a modern way to fill the gap between universities and businesses by providing real life challenges of companies to be resolved by carefully selected students with a variety of backgrounds. All students will get knowledge and skills in the field of innovation and innovation management, team work via interesting games and help from the teams' mentors related to resolving the company's innovation case. All aspects of challenges involved have the purpose of giving a taste of what should be expected of people working in the field of innovation management. The students of APInno are already generating ideas, working hard and reaching results due to a well structured programme focused on important skills and competences. On 29 April 2014 KISMC organised a seminar in collaboration with the Electric Vehicle Industrial Cluster (EVIC) on "The SME Instrument - Practical Aspects" with speaker Dimitar Hristov – the Chairman of the Steering Committee of KISMC.
Twenty business representatives - members of the cluster as well as managers and owners of Bulgarian enterprises - took part in the seminar. They were familiarised with the integrated approach of the European Commission for supporting SMEs and the concept for financing innovative projects with the help of the SME Instrument. The seminar was focused on the already open calls, procedures, requirements and conditions for successful applications under the SME Instrument. As most of you know, the SME Instrument is the prime instrument of Horizon 2020 for supporting innovations in SMEs in the current programming period of the EU Financial Framework (2014-2020). The members of the Enterprise Europe Network will have the principal commitment for initially helping businesses with the realisation of their projects under this Financial Framework. However, consultancies and/or experts in the EU projects’ management will play a major role for the successful preparation of the project proposals of innovative SMEs. |
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The Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club is a non-profit organisation set up in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2012 to foster knowledge and innovation management across South East Europe. KISMC is supporting the development of the innovation ecosystem in the region by bridging the gap between education, research and business.
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