The project Go SIV is implemented by three regional development agencies from three different countries and with specific experience and expertise: Regional Development Agency in Bielsko-Biała together with Emilia Romagna Valorizzazione Economica Territorio Spa (ERVET) from Italy, and Agencia de Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo SA (ADRAL) from Portugal.
The full name of the project is: Support SMEs innovation and initiatives within Smart Industrial Villages (SIV), an approach for renovating traditional urban industrial areas.
The project aims at improving the support provided to SMEs innovation processes by testing and developing a model of innovation ecosystem named “Smart Industrial Villages” (SIV). In specific, the “Smart Industrial Villages” approach refers to a process of renovation of small and medium sized industrial areas located in the suburbs or within urban that were planned according to old models and included both small industrial enterprises and craft activities.
The main theme addressed by the project is the development of an approach to innovation of SME through the process of renovation of traditional urban industrial, arts and crafts areas including the promotion of inclusion, accessibility, new services, smart technologies application, recreational and cultural functionalities. The approach of “Smart industrial villages” refers to new forms of innovation such as new services, integrating commercial and leisure functions, promoting micro craft or art/design activities, possible applications of “smart technologies” and new entrepreneurship connected with them.
Through Go SIV activities agencies will be able to identify the basics elements of a common reference model of the Smart Industrial Villages developing activities such as focus groups and meetings at their local level. Thus, the agencies will build their local case studies for requalification of an urban industrial-areas in a process of learning by doing. The three agencies will work together to define features and tools connected with the different elements of the model.
A Design Options Paper for the startup and design of local initiatives intended to develop a “Smart Industrial Village” will be prepared for the design of innovation support services for companies of the smart industrial area as an effective innovation ecosystem.
Thanks to this experience the development agencies will enhance their role as intermediaries for SME innovation, assuring and higher level of satisfaction by the involved companies, that will be involved in the design process and will be stimulated by the opportunity to produce new forms of innovations.