Activities
Activities
The project has established a “European Services Innovation Think Tank” to be engaged in policy and strategic level discussion and agenda development. The “Think Tank” covers representatives both from the EPISIS partner and non-partner countries and it will meet twice annually during the project duration. The aim of the “Think Tank” is to be an open platform for discussions between public authorities responsible for support to services innovation and to prepare for concrete policy recommendations and validate the findings of the project activities.
The project organises three policy-oriented conferences “International Conferences on Service Innovation” to disseminate the results for the wider innovation policy community.
The project aims to develop and renew policy tools and practices in the field of service innovation and pilots and validates new service innovation support schemes on selected areas.
The activities of EPISIS are divided into following five Work Packages (WP) (the responsible partner in brackets):
Work Package 1: Development of policy recommendations to support service innovation (Tekes)
The main objective of the WP1 is to facilitate trans-national cooperation between innovation policy makers In Europe. The objective will be accomplished by
- identifying emerging needs in support for service innovation as well as policy challenges resulting from service innovation developments and facilitating the design and testing of new policy concepts in response to them
- stimulating practical cooperation at the policy level and developing an active community around service innovation that would continue its existence even after the end of the EPISIS project,
- following-up and monitoring the global situation in the field of service innovation.
One of the main tasks of WP1 relates to The European Service Innovation Think Tank, established in autumn 2009, consisting of 10 members representing public authorities and innovation agencies in Europe that have specific responsibilities in supporting companies in service sectors. The aim of the Think Tank (“reflection group”) is to facilitate discussions between public authorities responsible for support to service innovations and to prepare for concrete policy recommendations and validate the findings of the project.
Development of policy recommendations in the WP1 is based on the work carried out in specific Task Forces. The project will run seven Task Forces of 12 months duration each. Project has five predefined themes and two undefined themes, the topic of which will be decided later during the project. The current Task Forces, which are led by the partners, address specific issues in the field of service innovation:
TF1 Service typology (Tekes)
TF2 Impact analysis and indicators (DASTI)
TF3 Integration of services and technologies (PT-DLR)
TF4 Internationalisation of high-growth service companies (BIS)
TF5 New skills and competences to manage innovation in services (VINNOVA)
TF6 Benchmarking national service innovation policies and measures (Tekes)
Work Package 2: Annual conferences (DASTI)
The main objective of WP2 is to arrange a policy-oriented conference annually on service innovation in order to facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and best practise on new and more efficient support mechanisms for service innovation. The congresses will be built upon the work of the European Service Innovation Think Tank and the practical results from the specific Task Forces and Work Packages to be carried out under this initiative. The main target audience of the congresses consists of high level national and regional public authorities as well as the Commission services.
Work Package 3: Improving knowledge transfer and service innovation (PT-DLR)
The aim of WP3 is to initiate a common European learning and exchange process and draw up a strategy for the successful transfer of knowledge in the “services” innovation field. In this WP the comprehensive analysis and systematic documentation of transfer measures which already exist in the partner countries and other European states will be done. This includes developing of criteria and evaluation of existing transfer measures and instruments. Also new methods and instruments will be developed.
Work Package 4: New forms of support for open and user-driven innovation management (VINNOVA)
The objective of WP4 is to put more focus on innovation management, develop European policies and activities to support innovation management in new forms of service innovation (for example user-driven innovation, lead-user initiatives and open innovation). In addition, the aim is to develop innovation management support tools open for new forms of service innovation and contribute to European collaboration aimed to support firms in adapting new forms of service innovation.
Work Package 5: Strengthening the policy framework for innovation in services (BIS)
The objective of the WP5 is to examine the policy framework in selected knowledge intensive service (KIS) sectors to understand better the business perspective / barriers to innovation, and identify the most appropriate forms of intervention to promote service innovation (building a portfolio of case studies to demonstrate the efficacy of policy measures).
