National Projects
International Projects

• local and transnational networking;
• setting up of Regional Laboratories that foreseen the sharing of knowledge and expertise among the key innovation actors;
• implementation of staff exchanges and training package to enhance RDAs staff;
• carrying out pilot actions to test innovation services on the SMEs and their representatives;
• integrated planning workshops involving innovation policy makers and innovation key actors;
• drafting of a memorandum of understanding of the RDAs addressed to the European Policy Makers in charge of shaping policies for the period 2013/2020;
• drafting of RDAs Innovation Action Plan 2015.

„I3SME – Introduction Innovation Inside SMEs” project financed by the Central Europe Program of the EU. There are 9 partner organisations from Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Local development agencies, business associations, universities and research and technological transfer centres and relevant public authorities will be directly involved in the project and will benefit from the envisaged activities. They need support in the identification of instruments and strategies to apply innovation inside SMEs and provide an capabilities transfer at international level in order to ensure the efficiency an added value.
One of the hungarian partners is the South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency, and as a subcontractor the South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency are responsable for the professional activities. STRIA will be able to realize and utilize some of the daily routines and difficulties of the SMEs from a different perspective in the region, which knowledge can be built in the RIS as well.
I3SME aims at contributing to the micro and SMEs performances enhancement in the research and innovation fields, offering effective services in order to enable them to face the main difficulties in acceding to knowledge and innovation. It is envisaged the direct involvement of 800 SMEs and the training of 30 facilitators which will be able to support the enterprises in the acquisition of innovation.

The specific objectives are:

3) Access - ACCelerating regional competitivenESS and sector-based excellence through innovation management tools and techniques (Central Europe Programme)

ACCESS (ACCelerating regional competitivenESS and sector-based excellence through innovation management tools and techniques) is our latest project within the CENTRAL EUROPEAN PROGRAMME. The lead partner of the project is the South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency Nonprofit Ltd. ACCESS is implemented by 11 partners coming from Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia who have been brought together in their common interest in a new level of innovation development that will focus on the following 2 specific facets:

• Which are the tools and techniques of regional innovation management that might be useful to improve innovation capacities?
• Which potentials might be hidden in a sector-based focus for innovation management?
  

The partners will start with the knowledge audit and integration that aims at investigating and understanding regional innovation capabilities in terms of sectoral specifics. Then they will analyse and integrate the cumulated knowledge in common understandings and through this they will create a knowledge base of sector-based innovation.
Furthermore, it is of high importance to share knowledge about innovation management tools and techniques. For this purpose a transnational innovation management training will be organised enabling selected employees of each partner - who will act as "internal peers" during the pilot application - to deal with innovation management related matters.

Basing on these 2 sides of knowledge generated by the project and also necessary for the pilot application (sector-based information on the one side, innovation management tools and techniques on the other side), the partners will elaborate a transnational methodical tool (a peer review methodology) to assess sector-based innovation potentials and capabilities in the regions. The tool will be also tested in the participating countries by 3 peer review groups focusing on one of the selected sectors each, and transferred in the frame of a pilot service to other regions and/or sectors.

In addition, 3 selected regions specific aspects of the strategic implementation plans will be also implemented: In Slovenia an innovative “food plain” will be set up to make the sector competitive and correspondent to EU regulations, in Central Hungary biotechnology facilitation will take place with the focus on the establishment of a transnational cluster while in Upper Silesia a double mentoring system for technology transfer will be installed.

Web: www.central-access.eu


FORT- Fostering continuous research and technology application (Central Europe Programme)

By strengthening the cooperation between actors of the innovation system and developing joint services for target groups, the project will explore existing and develop further instruments for supporting open innovation, which foresees a transfer of SME’ internal environment into external environment including public R&D capacities, transnational networks, clusters. Specific objectives of the project are: implemented pilot actions; developed recommendations for creating organizational culture in SMEs and public research organizations for continuous innovation; implemented training programs and established transnational innovation system network; created space for ongoing exchange of innovative ideas.
During the project the following activities will be implemented:

• Study the Innovation culture, proposing to establish an organizational structure that focuses on innovation. Target groups: SMEs, researchers, research institutions, decision-makers. Preparation of the regional plan and its implementation.
• Training program for technology transfer organizations and cluster managers to improve their relationships. Establish the international network of technology transfer managers.
  
• "Innovation Open House Events" will be organized. Bringing together researchers and research institutions in order to realize specific research and development projects. During the events innovative ideas will be presented and evaluated. The winner will get a "Cross-Innovation Voucher" (5000 EUR). Thanks to this, the innovator will be able to implement his idea in collaboration with another innovative company from the partnership-regions.
  

InnoInvest – Establishing business co-operation among innovative actors in the border region (Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme)

The „InnoInvest – Establishing business co-operation among innovative actors in the border region” project is financed by the Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme. There are 8 parter organizations taking part in the project 5 from Coatian side and 3 representing Hungary. One of the Hungarian partners is South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency Nonprofit Ltd. (STRIA) as the Lead Beneficiary of the project and as a sub-contractor of the project working on a professional tasks the South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency Nonprofit Ltd. (STRDA).

Main objective:
Establishing a synergetic and cooperative border region based on knowledge and the intensive interaction between the actors of innovative economy development.
Specific objectives:

• analysing the innovation and economy development situation in all participating regions;
• investigation of comparative advantages present in the regions participated;
  
• drawing up a joint innovation development action plan based on the comparative advantages identified;
  
• joint promotion of the border region as an investment location.
  

As a result of the project a network of innovative actors will be set, online access to cross-border business information will be provided, target group’s and politicians’ decision making process will be supported by action plans.
Partners promote the project itself and the possibility for further actors to join the network by leaflets, DVDs, press releases and different events (conferences, workshops, info days) orgaised during the project.


STEP - Improving Communities' Sustainable Energy Policy Tools

EU member states have committed themselves to demanding climate and energy targets, the so call “20-20-20 targets”. To reach these targets, however, national and regional policies need to be deployed more efficiently at local authorities’ level.
The STEP project follows this approach by focusing on fostering local level policies supporting energy efficiency. The partnership aims at reducing the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the partner territories and increasing the rate of renewable energy sources used. In addition, partners promote regional energy self-efficiency and diversification. Partners exchange policy practices via thematic seminars and study visits. To verify some of the practices in focus, three of the partner regions will serve as test ground for light pilot actions. Very importantly, STEP partners involve local authorities throughout the project’s implementation via regional policy exploitation actions. Thus the project serves as platform for the partner local and regional authorities to exchange with energy stakeholders and increase their capacity in the field of sustainable energy planning and implementation.

STEP partners will elaborate thematic policy practice guides with recommendations in three topics:

• Better implementation of sustainable energy policies at local level;
• Development of sustainable energy management systems, and
  
• Financing tools for sustainable energy investments.
  

These guides will translate into 8 regional implementation plans, which will guarantee the durability of the project results. The plans will be realised after the end of STEP and will ensure the regional and local transfer of identified policy tools.

The project runs from January 2012. to December 2014. and STRIA has the leading role in this INTERREG IVC project.