|
Tags: innovation SME, inovação PME, riscos PME, risk management SME, Open Innovation, Living Labs, innovation process, crowdsoucing, crowdsourcing innovation, lieda amaral The innovation capability of SMEs…How can people, IT tools, structure, culture, and power be connected in order to leverage collective abilities for applying available knowledge to solve problems and search for opportunities (organizational intelligence), accommodating new experience (organizational learning), and producing new ideas and things (organizational creativity) so that the group of organizational members can effectively contribute to the organizational well-being? You could answer some questions like these visiting the KMOWL web site. KMOWL is a Special Interest Group in Knowledge Management that carries out interdisciplinary Research and Development projects as well as Education projects, with the aim of developing systematic and comprehensive approaches to the organizational process of knowledge management. These approaches are to built upon the theoretical and methodological tools developed in scientific fields such as sociology, psychology, management, cognitive scieces, neuroscience and information systems. That’s right that open innovation refers to the ability of firms to open themselves up to external networks and relationships in order to gain the full potential of their investments in innovation. How creating an open innovation action system and managing innovative projects… maybe the answef for this question is an open innovation business ecosystem… In this context, prof. PhD Isabel Ramos is cordinating and improving a research crowdsourcing innovation group, that aims to promote the innovation capability of SMEs and economic value of knowledge and creativity of high qualified individuals and small research teams. That´s a open innovation business ecosystem! A business ecosystem is an economic community crossing many industries working together (cooperatively) and competitively in production, innovative customer service and innovation process. But we know that crowdsourcing innovation need to be tailored and controlled in all steps.and we think that since platforms are repositories of knowledge, potential contributors need access to build their own business model and value proposition. Advised by Prof Isabel, Cândida Elisa a PhD Student is researching about knowledge repositories for crowdsourcing innovation. “A knowledge repository is a system that supports all kind of data, from a variety of heterogeneous sources, such as structured data […] The main functions of a knowledge repository are the capture, storage, maintenance and retrieval of knowledge from all the available sources. These functions must include both the capabilities for assimilating knowledge from outside (such as competitive intelligence systems acquiring information about other companies in the same industry) and capabilities for creating new knowledge from the reinterpretation and reformulation of existing and newly acquired information”. (Cândida Elisa, 2008) . In this era, generically known as the information age, there is a dramatically need for changing the way companies access information. The Web 2.0 collaborative society, supporting new ways of accessing, exchanging and promoting information, may transform its workers, the knowledge workers, in the basis of a sustainable platform organizations may use to get competitive advantages and innovate. We believe that the management of organizational memory, sustained in its three forms of intellectual capital is, therefore, essential and, up to the moment, difficult to achieve, as no significant and practical results were produced to improve it. Luis Mourão, another PhD Student advised by Prof. Isabel Ramos is improving a research project that aims to develop a systemic approach to allow the diagnose and intervention in organizational memory, seen as a dynamic system, gathering all its components into a useful model capable to provide the knowledge about the distributed capacity an organization has to capture and mobilize knowledge serving as the base to the development of a diagnostic and intervention model in organizational memory, as well as the construction of a prototype to support the monitoring of organizational memory evolution.
My PhD research is focused on producing a methodology to manage risks associated with crowdsourcing innovation, delivered by internal or external brokers, and on defining the functional and informational requirements of an information system to support risk management to empower managers preventing and / or mitigating the materialization of risks in innovation brokering services specialized in the innovation needs of technology based firms
Best Practices - SME Innovation Voucher Scheme - a positive link between SME and UniversitiesThe ESRC in collaboration with Advantage West Midlands and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) launched the INDEX Voucher Project in 2007, to create a positive link between small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the Universities/Higher Education Institutions. This pilot project invited SMEs to apply for an innovation voucher that could be used to purchase academic advice and support to generate real innovation for a particular business project. The following case studies demonstrate the impact and range of vouchers that have been supported through the INDEX Voucher Scheme:
Putting small businesses first ‘Europe is good for SMEs – SMEs are good for Europe’: that is the principle at the heart of EU policies. The Union supports a wide range of policies to ensure SMEs benefit from a favourable business environment. This page highlights specific examples of small firms across Europe benefiting from EU support, and will be updated regularly. This page highlights specific examples. The OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development acts as a catalyst, increasing synergies between different areas of expertise, and raising the profile of OECD work on entrepreneurship. It is charged with disseminating best practices on the design, implementation and evaluation of initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, SME growth and local economic and employment development.  The SMEIC - SME Innovation Center was established in 2006, in accordance with the Daegu Initiative, as a vehicle to drive the co-prosperity and economic growth of APEC member economies, reinforcing the capacity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and serving as a platform for the expansion of regional networks.
The Small & medium Business Corporation (SBC), the government agency operating SMEIC, was established in 1979 to promote SMEs while comprehensively implementing national policies through an extensive range of services for them. These include financial assistance, and consulting service, training, information service and international cooperation programs. With over 30 years of experience in the innovation and promotion of small and medium sized businesses, SBC strives for substantial cooperation between SMEs of Asia-Pacific region to produce tangible results. Este portal fornece acesso a informações sobre toda a gama de políticas, legislação, programas e iniciativas europeias relevantes para as pequenas e médias empresas da Europa. Informações disponíveis em diversos idiomas, inclusive em lingua portuguesa. Progama de apoio da União Européia para PMEs (arquivo em pdf) Panorâmica das principais oportunidades de financiamento acessíveis às PME europeias.  Nascida em 1998, a Associação das PME-Portugal é uma entidade de âmbito nacional criada com o intuito de defender os interesses de todos os empresários em nome individual e de todas as empresas, com estatuto de PME, que exerçam uma actividade económica em Portugal.
De carácter multisectorial, a PME-Portugal abrange empresas de todos os sectores de actividade, que se encontram repartidas entre os associados da seguinte forma:
- 46% de empresas ligadas à área dos Serviços;
- 29% de empresas ligadas à Indústria;
- 25% de empresas ligadas ao Comércio.
Competitiveness and Innovation Framework ProgrammeFunding programme to help enterprises and industry – and in particular SMEs – to innovate and create economic growth. Also aims to boost renewable energy sources, environmental technologies and better use of information and communications technologies (ICT). Made up of three specific programmes: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme; ICT Policy Support Programme and the Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme  The SME Innovation Support Programme provides a unique combination of opportunity analysis, specialist help, mentoring and grant aid delivered by a team of dedicated business and innovation advisors.
In this video above, CATA has requested CEO's of SMEs from Canada to make a 45secs video stating their most important issue (multiple submissions may be made as long as each submission does not exceed 45secs.). Canada has over one million small businesses. They employ the majority of Canadians, however, Statistics Canada has identified that 75% of small business will not exist within 3 years of being started.
SME Innovation Survey Analysis North Staffordshire (UK) Partners This brief report discusses the results of a benchmarking survey of SMEs conducted by the UK DRIVE partners. In liaison with the lead partners in the Republic of Ireland, the survey was designed to provide a base view of innovative activity and potentials for the North Staffordshire sub-region, in parallel with similar work conducted in other partner regions. The questionnaire was directed at sixty businesses and companies, including subsidiaries, drawn from across the array of business areas, and was organised and carried out by the UK partners, with the data generated via the SurveyMonkey.com system. Projeto Search - SEBRAE MG
|
The risk management process....The innovation processsource: SME Portal of The Confederation SwissThe core of the innovation process is formed by the company and its employees. Coupled with the corporate culture, strategy, and structure, they strongly determine the innovation process from the centre. On the other hand, there are factors affecting the innovation process from the outside:
The innovation process in this model is depicted as a "flywheel".
 This makes clear that the innovation process is an iterative, step-by-step process. It can thus be deduced that the ideal type of an innovation process works according to the following pattern:
Practical experience shows that entrepreneurs tend to contribute significantly to the "innovation flywheel's" initial momentum - and then they help keep it going. They greatly influence culture, strategy and structure of the company, and the creation of a constantly revolving and evolving spiral made of the elements leadership, design and development depends on the entrepreneur's impulses. The innovation process is supported by |
|
1. Advantages |
2. Risks |
|
Market position is secured and strengthened |
Often connected to considerable extra expenditures of time and money |
|
Profile is differentiated from that of the competition |
Innovation may fail (e.g. the market/customers may not accept the innovation) |
|
Higher earnings |
|
|
Bigger growth |
|
|
Higher returns |
|
|
Old products/services are replaced |
|
|
The economic viability of the enterprise is secured and increased |
|
Source: Innovationsdoktor.de
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)
Developing ideas in a customer-oriented way
The degree to which an innovation fulfils customers' needs determines its success. The following points are central:
Added value for the customer: If there is no significant difference between your innovation and your competitors' products, you run the danger of being displaced by your competition.
Consider various categories of needs: Experience shows that customers are willing to pay a higher price for innovations that aim to satisfy their specific needs.
Is the innovation appealing to enough people? A central problem of entrepreneurs is the acceptance of innovations by existing customers, who often have special wishes and requests. It is a fact that "exotic" products are particularly costly to produce and since it is only a small group of customers who profit from these products, such innovations are only rarely worth developing. As a result, innovations should always be examined for their acceptance by the market in everyday business.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)
SME Innovation Important links
INPI - Pesquisa Marcas, Patentes, Design (Portugal)
INPI - Pesquisa Marcas, Patentes, Desenhos, Patentes em Aniversário (Brasil)
IAPMEI - Portugal
SEBRAE - Brasil
Rede PME Inovação - COTEC
ANETIE - Portugal
SMEA - Small and Medium Enterprise Administration -Taiwan
In order to help SMEs to become more competitive, the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration assists companies in traditional industries to upgrade and transform themselves, works to promote innovation and R&D, helps to raise the level of technology used in SMEs and the level of product design, promotes computerization to increase speed and efficiency, and implements measures to help SMEs create high added value.
SME Info - one stop SME Resources - Malasya
SMEinfo is a one stop information portal for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It provides information on all aspects of SME development, including financing, advisory services, training programmes, business and networking opportunities as well as other SME developmental programmes/initiatives by the Government and private sector. Click here to see more
SME Information of Japan
Federation of Associations of SMEs of Sri Lanka
The Federation of Associations of Small and Medium Enterprises of Sri Lanka is an affiliated body to the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka. There are 16 Associations island wide representing the 16 districts with a membership of 1600 Individual members, at present.~
SME Portal Universiteit Maastricht
Zurich University - SME Portal
The SME portal aims to enhance collaboration between the ZHAW School of Management and Law and SMEs from trade, services, and industry.