Investments for SMEs for the implementation of a research-innovation result
About this good practice
Rapid technological development directly affects the life cycle of products and technologies, and SMEs need to adapt to market needs through innovation. Due to the low level of complexity and low purchasing power on the domestic market, Romanian SMEs are not encouraged towards certification, affecting their ability to adapt to the standards imposed by EU integration and competition in a globalizing context.
The aerospace field and the research and technology transfer are under-funded, are not demand-oriented and lack adequate infrastructures.
The funding was highly specialized and based on a partnership agreement between an SME and an ITT entity to validate that technology transfer will be achieved through the investment.
In this context, the objective of this call for proposals was to increase innovation in SMEs by supporting innovation and technology transfer (ITT) entities in areas of smart specialisation, and offered the SMEs in the aerospace ecosystem the opportunity to receive funding to acquire research results in the stipulated areas and to implement them in their field of activity under a de minimis scheme.
CAELYNX EUROPE SRL, the company benefiting from this call in the SW Oltenia region is part of the local aerospace ecosystem and Oltenia Aerospace Cluster and so is the ITT entity. Due to the funding, the company was able to increase its revenue, to create 3 new workplaces and to acquire a HPC system needed to bring research results into the production cycle.
Resources needed
The national allocation for the first call for proposals within the ROP 2014-2020 was 35,778,724 EUR; the regional allocation was 4,282,713 EUR.
Given the highly specialized field, only one project was funded from SW Oltenia region.
Project grant: 157,218 EUR (ERDF – 133,636 EUR; SB -23,583 EUR)
Evidence of success
The company in the aerospace sector was able to implement innovative technology that increased their production and helped them gain access to international markets (Ireland).
Based on this success and considering the economic potential and the regional development plans, the SW Oltenia Region has included measures for the Promotion of Technology Transfer in the new SW Oltenia 2021-2027 Regional Program through two calls that the SMEs from the aerospace ecosystem can benefit from.
Potential for learning or transfer
The support for this investment priority has encouraged the implementation of research results in the aerospace sector in SMEs through technology transfer. The measures funded from the ROP under this objective have been market and business oriented, given that the research offer is shaped by SMEs' demand for innovation, which is dictated by market needs.
The funded project of the company led to innovation and improvement of their technological process with a High Performance Computer system needed to introduce research results into the productive cycle.
Following this ROP call and the fact that SMEs in SW Oltenia region were interested in technology transfer, two calls were considered for SW Oltenia RP 2021-2027: "Infrastructures for research, innovation and technology transfer in collaboration with SMEs" and "Investments for SMEs to implement a result of research - innovation through partnerships" that the aerospace companies in the region can benefit from.
Further information
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