VALOR

Project Title:

Development of an effective joint trans-national knowledge valorisation process and coordinated innovation policy

Acronym:

VALOR

Programme:

Sixth Framework Programme - Research and Innovation

Duration:

36months

Start Date:

October, 2006

End Date:

September, 2009

Abstract:

The fundamental objective of the VALOR project is to coordinate and network key players in innovation policy to develop a common agenda and a joint action plan for the valorisation process across Europe. This will enable innovations with a high potential to be identified and supported at an earlier stage, thus enabling the appropriate supporting measures to be put in place and maximising the effectiveness and scope of the programmes that are currently undertaken at national or regional levels.

Overview:

Valorisation is the translation of knowledge into commercially viable products or services. This is acknowledged to be a global process which can no longer be isolated at a regional or national level. However, each Member state has been taking a different approach in their national and regional programmes supporting valorisation. Their overall impact is therefore sub-optimal in terms of economies of scale and duplication of common activities. It is also proving to be ineffective when benchmarking innovation against competing world regions such as USA. The main objective of the VALOR project is to coordinate and network key players in innovation policy to develop a common agenda and a joint action plan for the valorisation process across Europe. This will enable innovations with a high potential to be identified and supported at an earlier stage, thus enabling the appropriate supporting measures to be put in place and maximising the effectiveness and scope of the programmes that are currently undertaken at national or regional levels.

Key activities:

In order to overcome the current disjunction of the European Innovation Policy, the VALOR consortium will undertake the following key activities:

To develop a reference model for a European Valorisation process
To develop and validate a common good practice guidance
To develop a joint Initiative on Entrepreneurship (training of 75 entrepreneurs)
To establish and launch a Pilot programme on the new Valorisation methodology (to support 45 Valorisation projects and to provide a funding to 30 of them)
To develop and evaluate the formation and operation of a joint trans-national fund of € 5 million
To establish a common Agenda and Joint Action Plan for European knowledge Valorisation (through a network of Valorisation stakeholders)

Expected impact:

A significant impact is expected at three levels:

Optimising the use of innovation funding: A structured sustainable network of flexible coordinating agencies and councils will ensure the effective and coherent coordination of EU policies for a state-of-the-art valorisation process. This maximises the potential effectiveness, reduces the duplication of efforts and helps the system to concentrate on measures and processes that are known to work.
Impact on national and regional programmes: development and use of validated good practice examples, a common evaluation programme, a common agenda, etc.
Strategic impact on the business sector - early stage access and internationalisation: Small businesses play a crucial role in European competitiveness and job creation. The most important component of their competitiveness is their ability to undertake research and implement successful innovation.