Practical measures for establishing CCI in industrial regions and linking old with new economies
Work Package 2
This WP addresses the economic relevance and role of CCI for industrial regions.
Today, industrial regions are in general not perceived as thriving and attractive places for CCI. However, locating CCI companies
systematically there would not only allow the economic structure to diversify and new regional value chains to develop. Highly
promising for regions with transforming industries is as well the dimension of (non-technological) innovation that CCI adds to
the existing economic and R&D fabric. Respective challenges have to be worked on: SME in the industrial sector are less used to
cooperate with external partners for innovation / CCI usually come into play only at a late stage / public support is still focused
on technological innovation.
In a first thematic sub-strand, partners look into, develop and test approaches how to establish and promote CCI as an economic
branch itself in industrial regions. Practical measures include support mechanisms for CCI, promotional and cluster activities.
In a second thematic sub-strand, partners foster cross-innovation between CCI and industrial companies. Besides obvious offers
like product design and (web) marketing, CCI can bring in unconventional approaches also in management organization,
digitalization of business processes, developing new business segments, labour organization (workplace design, gamification,
team building, etc.). Here, different cross-linkage formats are tested.
This WP is centred around pilot actions tested in the participating regions (OUPUTS). The regional pilots are transnationally
leveled up through (1) joint collection of existing practices at the beginning, (2) cross-wise peering activities in the idea phase as
well as (3) joint evaluation of their effect after implementation. Eventually, the pilot results get worked up for a transnational
audience in a toolbox (T1.6.2).
