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Imec.icon
Published on 27 February 2020
Belgium
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Imec has a 5-year contract with the Flemish government, to stimulate both imec’s local and global leadership in digital technology. One of the tools to support Flemish companies is the imec-icon programme. Imec.icon is all about creating the ideal consortium of partners to solve a practical need. This consortium brings together companies (SMEs and large enterprises) and imec researchers, potentially complemented with stakeholders (governments, non-profit, social-profit) or international companies, other research groups or research institutes.
The imec.icon research programme helps to kick-start projects by offering:
• Collaboration and research tailored to the needs of the consortium partners
• Access to the expertise of academics and industry partners
• A route to valorisation through the industry partners
• Aligned procedure with VLAIO (the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship)
The procedure mainly consists of two phases, an abstract submission and a full proposal submission.
Results at the end of the project:
• Proof-of-Concepts / demonstrators
o Minimum experimental setup needed to validate innovation goals
o Ranging from pure technical tests to real-life validation
o Not a pilot ready for commercialisation
• Added value of the project for the companies and for Flanders
o Economic: company results, qualitative employment
o Social/cultural: added value to target group
o Impact and anchoring in Flanders.
The imec.icon research programme helps to kick-start projects by offering:
• Collaboration and research tailored to the needs of the consortium partners
• Access to the expertise of academics and industry partners
• A route to valorisation through the industry partners
• Aligned procedure with VLAIO (the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship)
The procedure mainly consists of two phases, an abstract submission and a full proposal submission.
Results at the end of the project:
• Proof-of-Concepts / demonstrators
o Minimum experimental setup needed to validate innovation goals
o Ranging from pure technical tests to real-life validation
o Not a pilot ready for commercialisation
• Added value of the project for the companies and for Flanders
o Economic: company results, qualitative employment
o Social/cultural: added value to target group
o Impact and anchoring in Flanders.
Expert opinion
This is a good practice of supporting innovation in SMEs. Based on practical needs tri-helix consortiums are set up to find innovative (digital) solutions through tight cooperation. It is also a good example how a local innovation ecosystem is built around the two main organisations imec and VLAIO, thus contributing to increasing sustainably the competitiveness level of the regional economy. It must also be pointed out that the practice has impressive results regarding return on investment. Other regions seeking to promote cooperation between regional stakeholders could look towards the five years of experience at imec.icon to learn how to successfully form relevant and efficient consortiums.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
Funding is spread between different programmes and institutions: imec and VLAIO. Within imec 5-6 people follow up on the calls. About 10 projects are approved each year, where the resources within the program for each project approx €800.000 - €1.000.000
Evidence of success
The imec.icon programme has been up and running for over 5 years. 10 calls have been orginazed (243 project proposals) of which 96 projects were approved. Approved projects generally last two years. On average 42% of the partners within the projects are SME’s (approx. 60% ME).
For every € the government invests:
- 10 x € company turnover
- 5 x € investments in jobs at company level
- 1 x € investments in infrastructure
For every € the government invests:
- 10 x € company turnover
- 5 x € investments in jobs at company level
- 1 x € investments in infrastructure
Potential for learning or transfer
- Experience with/variety of possible models for IPR, ownership and access rights
- Model of ‘win-winnovation’: how to successfully form a relevant and efficient consortium, how to take into account different perspectives and expectations, how to make sure everyone collaborates towards a common goal?
-One of the strongholds of the icon-programme is the combination of ‘first-timers’ and returning partners within each call. This allows for an excellent ecosystem and helps the first-timers to ‘mature’ more quickly.
- Model of ‘win-winnovation’: how to successfully form a relevant and efficient consortium, how to take into account different perspectives and expectations, how to make sure everyone collaborates towards a common goal?
-One of the strongholds of the icon-programme is the combination of ‘first-timers’ and returning partners within each call. This allows for an excellent ecosystem and helps the first-timers to ‘mature’ more quickly.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Belgium
Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
Contact
Projectresponsible innovation