Regional meetings

Over the past summer months, project partner TZ Horb has conducted several interviews with innovation service providers from Northern Black Forest region as part of the IaaS4 project. The aim was to gain a precise insight into the numerous programs and support services offered in the field of innovation. Together, they aimed to find out which potentials are still untapped and where the biggest hurdles are seen now and in the future.

On July 16th, 2024 Karlovarská agentura rozvoje podnikání, p.o. gathered on business lunch with the directors of Karlovy Vary innovation institutions in order to discuss the creation of Innovation as a Service nodes within the IaaS4DR Interreg DTP project. Together with Inovační centrum INION, CzechInvest and Institut lázeňství a balneologie they have discussed currently offered services, future prospects and new demands from regional stakeholders.

On August 2nd, 2024 lead partner Technical university of Košice together with project partner The Regional Innovation Center of the Košice Region held a meeting full of fruitful discussions with the  deputies of Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, University Science Park TECHNICOM and The Agency for the Support of Regional Development Košice This meeting has brought up a lot of topics about the capacities of the region as well as what might be the needed pillars of change to make the region more prepared for innovations and the future.

On Monday July, 29th, the Nordest Regional Development Agency hosted the first regional workshop of the IaaS4DR Interreg DTP project. This initiative aimed to improve and integrate support services for regional innovation through a collaborative partnership. Representatives from UEFISCDI, Rubik Hub, Digital Innovation Zone, Innovation Café, BrainMap, EERTIS, and the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization - Romania, joined the event. Together, they identified expertise areas in innovation and the potential to provide regional innovation support services. Benefits for the region are following: enhancing innovation support skills, improving integration among innovation service providers, facilitating access to advanced, on-demand innovation services.

On Friday, July 12th, TERA Tehnopolis organized a regional workshop in Osijek, Croatia, with the aim of setting up regional IaaS nodes, which represents one of the first activities within the project. The participants came from universities, business support organizations, and development agencies. After a brief presentation of the project, the participants were invited to discuss the state of, and their opinion on the innovation ecosystem. The participants shared the issues they have encountered during the years, as well as success stories. Finally, in a brainstorming session, the participants suggested new services that could benefit the ecosystem.

Pannon Business Network- Pannon region

Project partner Pannon Business Network managed to catch the players from Western Transdanubian region for an interview. They have negotiated with 6 organizations (StartITup, EIT Manufacturing Hub Hungary, iASK, amLAB, at-home, Municipality of Szombathely) in a bilateral meeting about the innovation services they provide and the areas to be developed. All of that towards the creation of Innovation as a Service Nodes within the project.

CTRIA- Central Transdanubia region

Project partner CTRIA successfully held the first stakeholder meeting on 13th September 2024 with the participation of the Municipality of Székesfehérvár, the Government of Fejér County, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Veszprém County. The meeting aimed to collaborize between the stakeholders and to support the region’s innovation and economic development, with a special focus on the collaboration of local businesses. The participating organizations prioritized increasing the efficiency of services, developing digital and green skills, and formulating joint actions to overcome technological and market challenges.

During the workshop that took place on 19th of July, on the development of the Innovation Hub in Podgorica, there was a discussion about how the hub should function, what the needs are, target groups, thematic areas, and how services should respond to these needs. With the presence of many future stakeholders of the Innovation Hub, the role of each of the actors was taken into consideration, and what each side of the quadruple helix can contribute to the process of transforming the economy in the region surrounding the capital. 

A consensus was reached on various target groups and services for each of these groups. Identified areas such as circular economy, digitalization, and energy were recognized as crucial for future work, while the number of areas remains open until consultations with the economy and meetings within the Employers' Union. 

During the visit to the Accelerator, ADP-Zid spoke with Dr. Soumodip Sarkar, Executive President of the Alentejo Science and Technology Park (PACT) from Portugal. During his presence, he introduced the attendees to the development of their services, the relationships between the scientific community, universities, and the economy, and provided advice on establishing and operating the Innovation Hub. 

Throughout these discussions, attendees learned about developing partnerships with companies, the operation of the AI incubator, the program for promoting unicorn companies, the benefits of developing social services for digital nomads, and the functioning of the board structured according to the quadruple helix model, which includes representatives from universities, the local community, the city, and some companies. 

In addition to representatives from the Accelerator Zid and Dr. Soumodip Sarkar from PACT, opinions and additional insights from bilateral meetings were provided by Dr. Milica Muhadinović from the Faculty of Economics, Prof. Radovan Stojanović (Mant), Vuk Vučeraković (Prona), Vukašin Rakočević (Upbeat Hub), representatives of Mobileland, Ivan Joličić, Petar Nikić, and Mladen Radulović (Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro).

On August 7th, 2024 project partner Pomurje Technology Park hosted their second regional workshop at the Development Center Murska Sobota. The event brought together key stakeholders from Pomurje Technology Park, Development Center Murska Sobota, Pomurje Chamber of Commerce  (PGZ), and Regional Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship Murska Sobota  (OOZ Murska Sobota). They discussed: enhancing support services for SMEs; sharing best practices and challenges; identifying collaboration opportunities; developing innovative strategies; expanding training and networking programs. The workshop fostered a strong sense of community and commitment to supporting regional SMEs.

On July 15th and 16th 2024 activities within the IaaS4DR project were being intensified in Prijedor region by project partner PREDA. In order to present the project, to involve local partners and to select the area of ​​activity, individual meetings and workshops were organized with representatives of the city administration, the business and academic community, and the civil sector.