European Commission - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

For a better experience, please enable Javascript.

Research, development and innovation in enterprises

Region
POLSKA›MAKROREGION POŁUDNIOWY›Slaskie
Title of measure
Full title in national language:
Badania, rozwoj i innowacje w przedsiebiorstwach
Duration:
2014 to 2020
Policy objectives Plus
2.4. Demonstration projects, proto-types and proofs of concepts
4.1. Direct funding to business R&D and innovation
Presentation of the measure:

The main objective of this support measure is to increase R&D activities of companies and to improve the pro-innovation environment surrounding enterprises. It is one of the new instruments to be financed within the Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 (Activity 1.2. of the Regional Operational Programme for the years 2014-2020 of the Śląskie Region). However, its design was inspired by a similar instrument implemented at national level during the previous programming period that provided support for business R&D activities. Within this support measure the funding is provided for the following types of projects:

  1. Creation and development of the existing R&D infrastructure in enterprises, serving their innovative activity;
  2. Support to R&D activities in enterprises;
  3. Purchase of pro-innovation services by SMEs.

The target group of this support measure are enterprises, but also consortia led by enterprises and encompassing other actors (e.g. science units, higher education institutions, research institutes).
The financial allocation for this measure from EU funds amounts to 126,483,992 EUR.
The intermediary institution for this measure, responsible for organization of calls and assessment of proposals, is the Silesian Entrepreneurship Centre (Śląskie Centrum Przedsiębiorczości).

Keywords:
Applied business research
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Budget, source and type of funding
Year2014201520162017201820192020
National public funds
Regional public funds
EU Structural Funds
Private funds
Other
Form of funding provided
Grants
Policy learning
To what extent the measure can be considered as a success and worthy of policy learning?:
It is too early to judge the success of the measure (e.g results of first call for proposals still not known).
Evidence of outcomes based on evaluation and other evidence:

The mid-term evaluation report on the Silesian Regional Operational Programme for the years 2014-2020 published in 2019 notes lower interest in the measures foreseen under Priority Axis no. 1 Modern Economy which includes this support measure. While interest (measured as a share of funds applied for in allocations for specific calls) in Activity 1.2. is higher than in other support measures under this axis, it is still below 100%. In relation to the whole axis, the report foresees that the achievement of financial objectives may be at risk.

One of the potential barriers to achieving progress in disbursing funds may relate to the limitation of support to smart specialisation areas. As the evaluators noted, due to the lack of experience in implementing support measures in smart specialisation areas, potential interest from enterprises in the offered support was overestimated. This could have been caused by the fact that, at the planning stage, focus was placed on the absorption potential of the Silesian R&D sector in smart specialisation areas (which would justify the large scale of offered support), with less consideration given to the more limited absorption potential of enterprises sector active in the smart specialisation areas. Another factor which influenced achievement of financial progress was the late publication of the first call for applications under Priority Axis no. 1 which only happened in mid 2016.

What are the most important “Do’s and Don’ts” that regional stakeholders should be aware of when launching a similar measure?:

In summary, the most important “Do’s and Don’ts” when planning a similar measures are as follows:

  • Make sure that the level of funding is sufficient to perform the planned activities;
  • Put in place comprehensive selection process/criteria;
  • Avoid fragmentation of efforts (too many projects spread across too many thematic areas); and
  • Guarantee professional and flexible management during the implementation phase.

The mid-term evaluation report on the Silesian Regional Operational Programme for the years 2014-2020 published in 2019 and the 2017 evaluation related specifically to the implementation of this support measure note that limitation of R&D interventions to smart specialisation areas is problematic. The evaluators specifically underscored that such a formula limits accessibility of support for R&D for companies from outside the region’s smart specialisation areas which would otherwise be interested in (and capable of) conducting R&D work.
 

Would you recommend this measure as an example of regional good practice to policy-makers from other regions ?:
Yes
Organisation(s) responsible
Marshal Office of the Śląskie Region
Evaluation report(s)
2019 Mid-term evaluation of the Silesian Regional Operational Programme for the years 2014-2020
2017 Evaluation of the implementation of Activity 1.2.