Project Title:
EPISIS
Acronym:
EPISIS
Duration:
36months
Start Date:
September, 2009
End Date:
August, 2012
Abstract:
The main objective of the EPISIS project is to facilitate transnational cooperation between policy-makers and innovation agencies in the field of services innovation through parallel policy, strategic and operational level activities. The project shall offer an open platform for discussion on policy recommendations, test new policy approaches in support of services innovation and organise three policy-oriented international conferences.
Overview:
Services innovation is a phenomenon that cuts horizontally across the whole economy. Services innovation is developed in all industries from service sector to traditional manufacturing sectors. Services innovation can create new business opportunities for companies from very different background and can therefore facilitate the transformation and renewal of industries, networks and clusters as a whole.
What distinguishes services innovation from the traditional understanding of R&D and innovation is its more non-technological nature. In the strict sense services innovation is, first and foremost, non-technological. Technology is rather understood as an enabling platform for new service concepts and for services based business models. The integration of services and technology is important for the development of services innovation, but the driver for innovation is not the technological solution as such but the value it can create both for the service provider and the customer. Public services are not specifically addressed by the project.
Specific objectives:
The heterogeneous character and the multidimensional, multilayer nature of services innovation call for an approach that involves parallel policy, strategic and operational level activities.
- The main policy level objective of the project is to advance a broad-based innovation policy approach by identifying emerging policy challenges for services innovation and designing new policy concepts in response to them.
- The main strategic level objective of the project is to enhance the understanding on services innovation and to promote further the mind-set change which is necessary for the recognition of services and services innovation as a powerful economic force in the EU.
- The main operational level objective of the project is to encourage the development of necessary policy tools and measures in the field of services innovation.
Key activities:
- The project establishes 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 develops new policy tools and measures in the field of services innovation and pilots and validates new service innovation support schemes on selected areas.
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