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Business and Shared Services Center of Fundão
Published on 29 April 2020
Portugal
Centro (PT)
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The Business and Shared Services Centre of Fundão – Centro de Negócios e Serviços Partilhados (CNSP) in Portuguese – won a RegioStars 2018 award in Category 1 – «Supporting smart industrial transition.», and was developed as part of the response to the exodus of young people from city of Fundão due to the lack of job prospects and high unemployment.
The project aims to combat the demographic and economic decline by supplying IT and infrastructural competences to enterprises and start-ups.
CNSP project began in 2013 as part of an innovation plan in its wider area. Led by Fundáo municipality, the project consortium included government organisations, universities, schools, civic associations, businesses, financial institutions and other innovation centres.
A 15-year old pavilion was the first home for the centre, which soon expanded to other renovated buildings. This project contributed significantly to the decline in unemployment , attracting qualified work force to the region, creating demand for new housing and rental homes. Fundão is also now home to several EU innovation projects. The centre has attracted specialist companies to the region, while a support programme is developing local IT skills for the new work. IT skills development extends to the whole population. All children in Fundão’s schools follow computer programming classes from age 6 to 12, a first in Portugal. Other actions engage older people as IT mentors or encourage women to choose high-tech careers.
The project aims to combat the demographic and economic decline by supplying IT and infrastructural competences to enterprises and start-ups.
CNSP project began in 2013 as part of an innovation plan in its wider area. Led by Fundáo municipality, the project consortium included government organisations, universities, schools, civic associations, businesses, financial institutions and other innovation centres.
A 15-year old pavilion was the first home for the centre, which soon expanded to other renovated buildings. This project contributed significantly to the decline in unemployment , attracting qualified work force to the region, creating demand for new housing and rental homes. Fundão is also now home to several EU innovation projects. The centre has attracted specialist companies to the region, while a support programme is developing local IT skills for the new work. IT skills development extends to the whole population. All children in Fundão’s schools follow computer programming classes from age 6 to 12, a first in Portugal. Other actions engage older people as IT mentors or encourage women to choose high-tech careers.
Expert opinion
The Business and Shared Services Centre is an innovation infrastructure, namely physical innovation spaces, to promote information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the City of Fundão, Portugal. It is an integrated strategy as it combines the hardware (infrastructures and urban amenities) with the software (skills and knowledge) and the orgware (learning and capacity-building). The strategy came from a quadruple helix leadership to address the region’s high unemployment rate and brain drain. The innovation infrastructure has attracted many international companies and private companies. Moreover, the good practice has allowed to position the City of Fundão as an innovation ecosystem.
Some insights from the good practice:
-The good practice emphasises on the importance to pursue an integrated strategy. As a result, the creation of a physical innovation space must be complemented with initiatives to promote IT skills and training, and to promote an innovation culture among schoolchildren and citizens.
-Great attention must be taken to the design and to select the location for the physical facilities. Moreover, the strategy must ensure financial self-sustainability for the physical facilities.
-Governance must ensure that the actions undertaken respond to regional challenges and customers’ needs.
Some insights from the good practice:
-The good practice emphasises on the importance to pursue an integrated strategy. As a result, the creation of a physical innovation space must be complemented with initiatives to promote IT skills and training, and to promote an innovation culture among schoolchildren and citizens.
-Great attention must be taken to the design and to select the location for the physical facilities. Moreover, the strategy must ensure financial self-sustainability for the physical facilities.
-Governance must ensure that the actions undertaken respond to regional challenges and customers’ needs.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
Total investment: 2. 473. 667 € with ERDF contributing 2.102.617 € through Operational Programme “Centro” for the 2007-2013 programming period.
Evidence of success
In the first four years, the project boosted the development of an integrated ecosystem that has generated 68 start-ups and supported over 200 private funding projects, investing in R&D, pioneering initiatives of professional retraining and digital skills.The centre now hosts 14 TICE (information and communication technologies for education) businesses, including 4 multinationals, which have created over 500 highly-qualified jobs.
Potential for learning or transfer
Factors to take into account for a transfer of the good practice:
Financing - 85% of the total investment of the project was funded by the EU.
Strategy – a clearly defined strategy is an essential criterion for success in establishing a Business and Shared Services Center.
Physical Facilities - it is important to carefully plan and work on a physical space that sustains the strategy and sustainability of the Centre.
Governance and organization - for a BSSC to be both efficient and effective, it is necessary to develop a governance framework that provides detailed directions which are aligned with customer needs.
Technology- In order to remain competitive, a BSSC must adopt new technologies and needs to make use of advanced IT solutions.
People – for a BSSC, one of the most valuable and important resource is their human capital.
Financing - 85% of the total investment of the project was funded by the EU.
Strategy – a clearly defined strategy is an essential criterion for success in establishing a Business and Shared Services Center.
Physical Facilities - it is important to carefully plan and work on a physical space that sustains the strategy and sustainability of the Centre.
Governance and organization - for a BSSC to be both efficient and effective, it is necessary to develop a governance framework that provides detailed directions which are aligned with customer needs.
Technology- In order to remain competitive, a BSSC must adopt new technologies and needs to make use of advanced IT solutions.
People – for a BSSC, one of the most valuable and important resource is their human capital.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Municipality of Fundão
Portugal
Centro (PT)
Contact
Project management