A cross border network of Industrial Liaison Offices will support the growth of innovative SMEs

The Kick-off meeting of the project ILONET - “Fostering capacities and networking of industrial liaison offices, exploitation of research results and business support”, co-funded for 775.057 euro by the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme 2014-2020, will be held on 30 and 31 July in Patras.

The Technological Educational Institute of Western Greece is the lead beneficiary of this project in cooperation with two Italian partners, the University of Bari Aldo Moro and the Regional Agency for Technology and Innovation (ARTI), and two Greek partners, the Ionian University and the Technological Educational Institute of Epirus.

Ilonet project, financed under Priority Axis 1 – Innovation and Competitiveness, with a budget of about 775.057 euro, focuses on innovative SMEs and start – ups in Puglia Region, Western Greece, Epirus and Ionian Islands Regions and addresses the common challenge to apply, valorise and transfer research technological results and knowledge produced in Universities and Research Organizations, in favour of youth entrepreneurs and the creation of new innovative SMEs.

The economies of Italy and Greece are characterized by small and medium enterprises, which are today increasingly exposed to global competition and are therefore pressed to innovate their products, processes, organizations and marketing strategies at a much higher pace than before.

Ilonet aims to create a cross-border network of ILOs, Industrial Liaison Offices, whose role is the technological transfer and incubation paths for supporting the development and growth of existing small and medium entrerprises.

Thanks to this project and the creation of 5 innovation support tools, there will be an increased number of SMEs in both Italian and Greek Regions that will be lead to the creation of innovative products, processes and services, through the reinforcement of skills, capacities, methodologies, models and approaches and the diffusion of innovation culture. 

Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme is a European Territorial Cooperation Programme that aims to help public institutions and local stakeholders to develop cross-border projects and pilot actions and to create new policy, products and services, with the final goal to improve the citizens’ quality of life. Strategically, the programme will enhance innovation in a number of fields such as blue growth, tourism and culture, agro food and cultural and creative industries. Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme aims to get maximum return from EUR 123 million financed per 85% by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and per 15% by the 2 member states through a national co-financing.