Support to peer
learning in innovation
agencies
Dorota Przyłudzka
Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry,
Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Background
• INNO-Partnering Forum
• funded by Competitiveness and Innovation FP;
• brought together innovation agencies in the MS and
regions to discuss 'hot topics' in innovation support;
• Developed and tested several tools for peer learning
(e.g. peer review mechanism; quality management in
innovation agencies based on EFQM)
• INNO-Partnering Forum's results
Build on experience of INNOPartnering Forum: shortcomings
identified
• formulation as a (large) project: created a core group
of 'lead agencies' with a limited ability to reach
out to all relevant peers;
• in a project the topics have to be defined ex-ante and
are the result of a compromise - limited 'openness'
to addressing very specific challenges and barrier to
'innovate innovation support';
• 'innovating services of an agency' is only possible
during certain 'windows of opportunity' (typically a
new minister wants to do something 'different'):
speed and outreach matter
Policy objectives of 'Peer learning
of innovation agencies' action
• 'Innovate innovation support';
• Contribute to developing better innovation
support instruments
• low entry barrier tool (lump sum grant);
• Call open to all topics innovation agencies
consider relevant
How to ensure broader impact?
• Dissemination to other innovation agencies and
cross-fertilisation of projects:
• Make results of peer learning projects available on
EASME's website;
• Facilitate partner search and community building
(LinkedIn)?
• Annual meeting of all running / completed
projects (possibly in connection with another
event)?
• Other ideas?