VINNOVA meets DG Enterprise & Industry

At the invitation of VINNOVA, the Swedish Innovation Agency, a delegation from DG Enterprise & Industry visited Stockholm to discuss new trends in innovation support and explore the scope for better cooperation between national and European initiatives. “We are very much interested in participating in European innovation projects”, said Charlotte Brogren, Director General of VINNOVA.

“But this transnational cooperation must fit with our own agenda, and we are more interested in joint actions rather than only talking about interesting issues.”

Issues for discussion included the new BSR Stars Projects that will implement the Baltic Sea Regions Action Plan in the field of clusters and services innovation, as well as the experience from Swedish cluster programmes and initiatives. “There‘s a lot European initiatives can learn from the strategic approach followed in Sweden and the very effective way these innovation programmes are implemented”, said Reinhard Büscher, Head of Unit “Support for Innovation” from DG Enterprise & Industry.

VINNOVA is actively involved in the INNO-Nets on clusters and services innovation and has taken the lead on the INNO-Partnering Forum that brings together a large number of innovation agencies with the objective to develop better support for innovative SMEs. In this context, the relations between the INNO-Partnering Forum and TAFTIE, the European Network of Innovation Agencies, was particularly discussed. “We are very much interested in building up strong relations also between DG Enterprise & Industry and TAFTIE”, explained Reinhard Büscher.

“Together, we have to look for the best ways to support innovative SMEs, and this goes beyond research.”

Both sides agreed that such informal meetings were very useful to share information about the different approaches followed at regional, national and European levels in support of innovation. “Our common interest is to make Europe stronger”, concluded Charlotte Brogren at the end of the discussions.

“And for this, there is a role for all of us.”