Industry 4.0 affects innovation activities of companies throughout Europe to a dynamically increasing extent. Failing to turn production or service provision adapted to Industy 4.0 results in losing clients and markets. In our project it will be primarily SMEs that we intend to assist so that they can better address the challenges this new paradigm imposes to increase their competitiveness. Partners’ experience suggests that policy instruments targeted to SME innovation often struggle to support Industry 4.0 related projects efficiently. INNOPROVEMENT aims at improving SME policy instruments targeting innovation activities and adapting them to requirements set by Industry 4.0.
7 thematic issues will be explored by partners through intense experience exchange:
1) Innovation in software development;
2) Effectiveness of public money used to support industrial R&D under I4.0;
3) Introducing I4.0 to traditional industries;
4) Definition of I4.0 public policy initiatives;
5) Adjusting calls to I4.0 requirements;
6) Market price assessment methodologies;
7) Definition of an I4.0 maturity evaluation matrix.

Sharing transferable good practices from these 7 thematic issues will be central among project activities. Using the outcomes partners will elaborate action plans to improve their policy instruments.

23-24- October 2018 – kick-off meeting in Budapest (Hungary)

The project is co-financed from the INTERREG EUROPE Programme, Specific objective 1.2 Improving innovation delivery policies
The value of the project amounts to: 1 767 671,00 EUR
Including the value financed by the EU: 1 481 043,45 EUR
Budget for the Lodzkie Region: 181 975,00 EUR

June 2018 – May 2023

Ministry of Finance (Hungary) – Project Leader
ICT Association of Hungary (Hungary)
Ministry of Industry and Trade (Czech Republic)
Region of Thessaly (Greece)
Marche Region (Italy)
Managing Authority of the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Programme -COMPETE 2020 (Portugal)
Regional Council of Kainuu (Finland)
Lodzkie Region (Poland)