Developing a strong eco-system which drives innovation

through online learning sessions

Innovation is essential for a long-term competitive advantage. Therefore public programmes, the
goal of which is to raise the competitiveness of local firms, also aim at creating an innovation-
triggering effect. Those public innovation programmes require careful planning and the
development of a wide yet coherent eco-system with very divers players included. Only then, the
companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises !"#s$ can be mobilized to actively
participate in and benefit from the innovation sessions specially from online learning innovation
programs.
%or this reason, the #uropean &ommission, launched the '#uromed ( Innovative #ntrepreneurs
for &hange) pro*ect in the !outh "editerranean countries including #gypt, +ebanon, "orocco,
and Tunisia building on the results that the I",-rove initiative has generated in #urope. The
focus is to strengthen the innovation management support services to potential high growth
enterprises in the four countries. That approach is e.pected to have a long term impact on
accelerating competitiveness, *obs creation, growth prospects, and wider wealth participation in
the region.
IMProve Euromed project
In /ugust 0120, the #uropean &ommission, with support of local partners, launched the pro*ect
'#uromed ( Innovative #ntrepreneurs for &hange). I",-rove plays an integral part. The focus of
the I",-rove /cademy is to transfer 3nowledge in innovation management to local support
providers ( building on a proven approach - and to ensure the practical application of this newly
acquired 3nowledge at local !"#s. 4y using a single, holistic approach, the interactions between
the various support providers and the !"#s were facilitated. Thus a common national approach
is developed.
IMProve-powered Innovation Eco-System for growth
In order to develop this common approach different actors are needed5
!"#s
"anagement consultants
Intermediaries
/cademia
%inancial actors
,olicy ma3ers
#ach actor plays an important and complimentary role in delivering to the common ob*ective of
growth by innovation. 6ere, the I",-rove /cademy develops a roadmap and acts as an interface,
actively bringing the sta3eholders together.

I",-rove-powered Innovation #co-!ystem. !ource5 I",-rove /cademy, 0127
Step one: find your partners
,owerful partners for the development of an innovation eco-system need to be identified and
convinced. There are several factors to be ta3en into account for the decision of choosing strategic
partners5
/ common strategic goal to foster innovation
/ wide and well developed networ3 to effectively reach the relevant beneficiaries
8esources and the willingness to dedicate them to the innovation initiatives
8eputation, which allows for the important interplay between the members to be
successful, as well as for developing visibility and trust in the programme to attract the
relevant actors to participate.
%inally, the variety of the members of the innovation eco-system should be such, that they are
complementary to each in order to cover all the important aspects of innovation. This should
include technical assistance in innovation management based on e.perience, effective support
services to !"#s that have proven to create value, innovation related public policy, innovation
management education, as well as funding for and investment in innovative enterprises.
Depending on the specific situation, the strategic partners acting as the focal centres of the
innovation program are public institutions or private organizations. In each case, the I",-rove
/cademy acts as the lin3ing and facilitating body to support the development of the respective
innovation eco-systems and to provide the 3nowledge and e.pertise.
Step two: mobii!e for innovation
The ne.t step in the process is creating awareness in the communities for the importance of
innovation management. In order to be able to spread the message as far and wide as possible,
utilising the networ3s is important. 9ith that support and with the lead of the I",-rove /cademy
a series of awareness creation wor3shops and seminars as well as individual discussions with the
sta3eholders are organized. /dditionally the events convey the tools improving the innovation
management 3nowledge and capability to the !"#s, management consultants, policy ma3ers, and
financial institutions. ,ractical application of the tools increases the confidence of the various
actors in the innovation eco-system. Those tools benchmar3 the innovation management
performance and then induce the process of improving company-individual innovation
management capabilities, increase the effectiveness of innovation management support services as
well as of the public programs.
Step three: create a common anguage
The third step in setting up a strong innovation eco-system is developing policies and measures
to continuously improve the innovation management capabilities. Technical assistance for policy
ma3ers, training courses for management consultants, and the concrete support of !"#s in
benchmar3ing and further developing their innovation management capabilities help to achieve
the required level of e.pertise. In the I",-rove ( #uromed pro*ect, groups of consultants and
intermediaries were trained in each country in the I",-rove /pproach. The local national partners
were responsible for recruiting and selecting the candidates who would eventually participate in
the training courses.
In the selection process, the consultants: previous e.perience and current client base as well as
the strong fit of the innovation management as a service provision in their consulting business
were ta3en into account. The support of the local national partners in selecting the candidates for
the training was not only a convenience choice but also a strategic move to tighten the lin3s
between the different actors, in this case the consultants, intermediaries, and public institutions. It
was essential to operationalize the national innovation strategy. In various courses, the
participants gained 3nowledge in innovation management and innovation management
consulting for business development as a basis for supporting the !"#s. The group of trainees
used the same holistic approach to innovation management, and developed a national networ3 of
support providers complementing each other with their different bac3grounds and technical
e.pertise
Step four: improve and deveop
/pproaching the !"#s and supporting them in identifying their potential for innovation was the
ne.t step. /s the consultants were appropriately equipped they were able to start guiding the
!"#s in identifying and leveraging their strengths to enhance their business performance. 9ithin
few months after the I",-rove training courses in #gypt, +ebanon, "orocco, and Tunisia, the
impact of the *oint efforts of the local partner institutions, and the consultants participating in the
training, already resulted in more than 211 completed I",-rove /ssessments.
The ma*or intention of the assessments is to provide !"#s with transparency regarding their
current innovation management capabilities, and to support the companies in further developing
them. This reveals the initial effects of the lin3s developed in the process of strengthening the
innovation eco-system in the four countries. The systematic I",-rove &onsultants: development
path increases the independent economic progress of the region. !3illed guides and a strong
networ3 enable improved innovation performance of local companies and on the long-run
increase the overall social benefit from a strong economy.
A clear vision has to guide each step
Sustainabiity of the Innovation Eco-System beyond a project
4uilding an eco-system that drives innovation is a comple. tas3. To meet the challenge a
strategy in combination with sustainable activities is 3ey. / clear vision has to guide each step
from planning to implementation and also beyond. The innovation eco-system will develop into a
sustainable community as long as this community is animated by continuous development of its
members, and by their openness to continuously further develop the innovation eco-system. This
may include an annual award, it may include the opening across national borders, or industry
sectors. It may also grow by adoption of new technologies.
The I",-rove-#uromed ,ro*ect is a case e.ample for a four-step-approach to build a regional
innovation eco-system. %irst strategic partners have to be identified; ne.t the communities have to
become aware of the importance of innovation management. Then all involved parties that would
consult or support the !"#s have to be brought to one common level of e.pertise and 3nowledge
about creating value by innovation management support. %urthermore they have to become
s3illed with the set of tools that will improve the current innovation management performance in
a company on a continuous basis. %inally the companies will be able to develop strong
competitive advantages within the innovation eco-system. The impact is then measured by growth
in profit, revenue and number of employees which is the result of an effective human resource
management through innovation.