Diapositiva 1

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Ljubljana, 6-7-8 June 2005
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Table of contents

• Part I- FILAS the Financial Development agency
  of Lazio Region
• FILAS mission
• FILAS activities
• FILAS instruments
• PART II- FILAS The 6th Framework programme and
  international initiatives
• OPERA Lazio
• Transregional and International Cooperation
• European Projects and Proposals
• The OMEN Project ( INNOV 4-Strand 2)

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PART I FILAS The Financial Development
Agency of Lazio Region
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Filas mission

• A regional agency representing the financial
  institution of Lazio Region (the Region of Rome)
  founded in 1975
• Acting as the regional instrument to support the
  socio-economic development and full employment of
  Lazio.
• Assisting enterprises, especially SMEs, in
  promoting new technologies and innovation in
  general

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Filas Activities for SMEs

• acquires minority shareholdings in companies and
  consortium of SMEs
• promotes the start-up companies in which it can
  take shares
• gives financial and legal assistance for
  agreements and joint ventures between various
  actors, including international entities.
• supports the exchange of knowledge between
  universities/research centres and SMEs
• provides, implements and manages special public
  funds

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Filas Activities for Lazio Region

• assists the Region in the implementation of EU
  programmes, managing specific measures of the
  Structural Funds and programmes within DG
  Regional Policy
• gives strategic advise and technical assistance
  to the Regione Lazio and other related Public
  Bodies in priority issues related to specific
  Regional and/or European Union programmes (i.e.
  Information society, employment..)

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Filas Instruments

• Involvement in EU initiatives
• Management of specific regional funds to promote
  the technological transfer and the take up of new
  technology in key areas
• Provision of risk capital and grants to
  innovative SMEs

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Involvement in EU initiatives

• The Regional Programme for Innovative Action
  Inn-Governance (DG Regional Policy 2002-2004)
• Specific measures of Structural Funds Obj.2
  (2000-2006)
• Measure II.4.2 Information Society and
  Innovation (Observatory and eLazio)
• Measure IV.2.1-2-3 Financial instruments for the
  competitiveness of SMEs (Pre-investment Fund,
  Innovation Fund, Venture Capital Fund for
  innovative processes)
• Membership in eris_at_ (The European Regional
  Information Society Association) together with
  other EU regions

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Venture Capital for SMEs

• Management of a venture capital fund to invest
  risk capital in innovative SMEs
• Co-partnership with private venture capitalists
  and merchant banks
• Active since 2000
• Budget about 100 ml of (structural funds,
  regional funds and private sources)
• State of the art (from 2002 to nowadays) 42
  operations for a total amount of 23 ml which
  have generated private investment for 50 ml

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Business Lab support to SMEs competitiveness

• It is a Business Unit promoting technology
  transfer for innovation for competitiveness and
  internationalisation of SMEs
• It acts as a mediator between universities,
  research bodies and businesses aiming at
• promoting the creation of start-ups in the new
  technology sectors (providing financial and legal
  assistance)
• answering the need of internationalisation of
  SMEs to compete in increasingly global market

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Business Lab how it works

• Identification of key technological areas and
  needs in SMEs
• Set up of at least 10 thematic working groups per
  year made up of
• 5 high-potentialpost-graduate students
• A scientific tutor ( university/research centre)
• A coach (enterprise)
• A co-ordinator (BusinessLab)
• Sought results start-up companies for
  enhancement of competitiveness and growth of
  Lazio Region

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Business Lab
SMEs
Univ/Res. Centres
Need of technology
Technological know-how
Business Ideas
Business Lab
Research Ideas
Working group 1
Working group 2
Supervisor Post-Graduate researchers Scientific
Tutor Coach
FILAS Univ/Res Centr Univ/Res Centr Entreprise
Working group 3
Working group n
Financial Instruments
Grants for innovation Venture Capital for
SMEs Structural funds Specific regional funds
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Business Lab support

• Grants of 24.000 to each students per year
• Reimbursement of costs related to travels,
  bibliographies, research material
• Reimbursement of costs related to analysis,
  reports, business plans
• Scientific tutorship and business assistance
• Risk capital in start-ups and stock options to
  the researchers involved
• Dissemination through international workshops,
  events, meetings with key players
• Co-operation with major universities
• and Lazio Industrial Districts

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Filas Observatory

• Mission providing institutions and enterprises
  with a clear vision of the evolution of
  innovation in the Lazio region
• Present and future scenarios
• Studies and researches on short and long-term
  term scenarios, Statistics, Regional evaluation
  and Innovation Scoreboard.
• Questionnaires to evaluate the innovating status
  and needs of enterprises in Lazio their
  experienced contribution and case-histories.
• News, events

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The Region Lazio
Innovation
Scoreboard 2004

• Compared to the RLIS 2003, the RLIS 2004 report
  has
• used the maximum indicators from EIS, RIS and
  CIS
• used the latest data available from ISTAT,
  EUROSTAT and other official organizations. Where
  necessary, the Filas Observatory worked
  specifically to build specific indicators
• updated the main scoreboard with five new
  indicators based on regional data
• worked on statistical data to try and evaluate
  the connection between indicators and their
  relationship to the various regions.
• Overall, the regional innovative phenomena has
  been
• monitored by 21 Indicators

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• PART II
• The 6th Framework programme
• and
• international initiatives

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Filas FP6 and International Activities

• OPERA LAZIO Grants for supporting SMEs and
  Universities/Centres of Research to partecipate
  in FP6 Projects
• Training course Writing proposals within EU
  FP6, with focus on CRAFT tenders and SMEs
  oriented.
• EU ongoing Projects Silk Avenue ( Asia Invest
  ), eSafer ( INTERREG III C), FinNetSme ( INTERREG
  III C ), OMEN ( FP6-INNOV 4).

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OPERA LAZIO Grants for supporting
SMEs/Universities partecipation to 6FP

• OPERA LAZIO (Opportunities in the European
  Research Area for the Lazio system) is a
  financial support programme designed to stimulate
  the participation of Lazio region SMEs, research
  centres and universities in innovative projects
  within the Sixth Framework Programme.
• The financial support will be provided through
  lump sum grants to cover the expenses incurred
  during project proposal preparation. Furthermore,
  the proposals that are selected for European
  financing will receive a further grant to cover
  contract negotiation costs.

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Training Course writing proposals in
FP6

• Filas has organised a training course, revolved
  to SMEs, dedicated to enhance their partecipation
  to FP6.
• 35 SMEs and 10 students that recently have
  degreed in engineering, economics will learn to
  shape a proposals, and to present it in a
  successfull way
• The focus of the training course is the CRAFT
  tender
• ( Collective Research) and it is aimed at
  favoring an increased partecipation of Lazio SMEs
  to the European Research Projects.

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e-Safer Interreg III C South

• e-Safer e Sustainable Alternative for European
  Regions
• Objectives providing a favourable open source
  environment for public institution and
  administrations participating in the project
• Partnership
• FILAS SPA, IT, Junta de Andalucia, SP, IBIT -
  Istituto baleare Tecnologia Industria -, SP,
  Nord Pas de Calais, FR, AEDA, GR, Madeira
  Tecnopolo, PT
• Duration 24 months
• Meeting december 2005

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FinNetSme Interreg III C East

• FinNetSme - Network for Regional SME Finance
• Objectives create the basis for a better access
  to finance for SMEs by promoting the exchange of
  know-how and best practice identified by the
  different financial stakeholders at the regional
  level.
• Partnership institutions and associations from
  Belgium, Germany, Spain, Greece, France, Latvia,
  Lithuania and Italy.
• Duration 36 months
• Meeting February 2006 mid-term conference

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Silk Avenue Europe Aid- Asia Invest II

• Objectives organize a huge international
  match-making event in Rome involving
  medium-sized companies from EU and Asia working
  around the audiovisual (AV) sector.
• At least 2000 match-making events will be held
• Partnership FILAS (coordinator), Italian chamber
  of commerce of the Czech Republic, Indo-German,
  Thai-Italian, Madrid, Valencia, Italian Trade
  Commission Malaysia , China Council for the
  Promotion of International Trade, European
  Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European
  Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka,
  IHK-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der
  Aussenwirtschaft und der Unternehmensfuehrung mbH
• Duration 22 months
• Meeting Rome, October 2005 Match-making event

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The OMEN Project (INNOV 4-strand 2)

• OMEN (Optimal practices, development policies
  and predictive Models for regions in an ENlarged
  EU)
• Objectives exchange of good practises in
  innovation policies and set up innovative
  indicators for benchmarking analysis
• Partnership FILAS (coordinator), (IT) , IAT
  (Instituto Andaluz de Tecnología) (S), IFA
  (Instituto de Fomento de Andalucia) (S), ISW
  (Institut für Strukturpolitik und
  Wirtschaftsförderung gemeinnützige GmbH) (D) ,
  MARR (Regional Development Agency MARR plc) (PL),
  TCAS (Technologicke centrum Akademie ved Ceske
  republiky) (CR), TALOS (RTD Talos Ltd.) Cyprus
• Durations 22 months

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OMEN Objectives

• The strategic objectives of OMEN are
• Understand the factors that hinder the processes
  of regional innovation
• Bring these problems to the attention of the
  regional authorities that manage and implement
  innovation strategy
• Bring the most important policy makers and
  innovating groups together to discuss on specific
  issues that are of interest to both groups
• Transform the indications, comments and problems
  identified during the course of the project into
  concrete changes to regional innovation policy
• Share the good practices collected from the six
  partner regions and promote trans-regional
  cooperation and the exchange of ideas.

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OMEN Objectives

• Addressing its strategic objectives OMEN Project
  intends to
• develop new, efficient and verifiable
  methodologies and tools for the evaluation and
  benchmarking of regional innovation policies.
• provide regional policy makers with useful
  indications and results to identify the negative
  aspects that continue to hamper the full
  development of competitiveness through
  innovation.

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The OMEN Consortium

• The OMEN project brings together seven partners
  (FILAS, IAT, IFA, ISW, MARR, TCAS, TALOS) from
  six different regions in six different EU Member
  States
• Lazio in Italy,
• Andalusia in Spain,
• Saxony-Anhalt in Germany,
• Podkarpackie in Poland,
• Prague region in Czech Republic
• and Cyprus ( which is both a region and a state )

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The OMEN Consortium

• FILAS FILAS SpA will act as the coordinator of
  the OMEN Project. Founded by the Lazio Region in
  1975, the Financial Development Agency of Lazio
  Region is entrusted with assisting enterprises,
  especially SMEs, in promoting new technologies
  and innovation at large.
• IAT - Instituto Andaluz de Tecnologia IAT is a
  Center for Innovation and Technology, a
  non-profit Foundation that has been certified by
  the Regional Authority as being of public
  interest, which operates under strictly
  professional criteria, whose goal is to improve
  the competitive capacity of the companies and
  organisations.

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The OMEN Consortium

• IDEA - Agencia de Innovacion y Desarrollo de
  Andalucia will work is strict coordination with
  IAT. It is a Regional Development Agency created
  in 1987 with a Andalusia Parliaments law. IDEA
  acts as an instrument of the regional
  Administration for economic development and the
  promotion business activity in Andalusia (IDEA
  together with IAT was in charge of the RITTS
  project in Andalusia).
• ISW - Institut für Strukturpolitik und
  Wirtschaftsförderung (Institute for Structural
  Policy and Economic Development). ISW is an
  independent, non-profit academic institute which
  is involved in applied research and policy
  advice. The foundation was enacted and supported
  by Saxony-Anhalts government.

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The OMEN Consortium

• TCAS - The Technology Centre of the Academy of
  Sciences of the Czech Republic.
• TCAS promotes industrial exploitation of
  research and development, provides complex
  technology transfer services and stimulates
  creation and growth of small innovative
  businesses TCAS has been the Coordinator of the
  project Bohemian Regional Innovation Strategy for
  regions of Prague and Pilsen.
• MARR - The Mielec Regional Development Agency.
• The Agency was created in the beginning of
  the ninetys to support the restructuring of the
  Mielec Region.
• Acting as a MARR department, a Business
  Incubator is active since 1992. Relocated in a
  new building in 1999, it has hosted more than 70
  companies and it offers SMEs assistance in key
  areas including innovation, technology transfer
  and sustainable development

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OMEN Impact Assessment
Methodology

• The Omen Impact Assessment Methodology is based
  on the following steps
• analysis of existing policies, that is to say, a
  thorough investigation of the offer side of the
  innovation, from the point of view of the policy
  makers.
• analysis of the needs of innovation, that is to
  say, a thorough investigation of the demand
  side of the innovation, from the point of view of
  the users
• matching between existing policies and needs,
  analysis of the existing problems coming from the
  lack of communication and misunderstanding
  between the previously identified target groups.

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OMEN Impact Assessment
Methodology

• 4) Set up of  Regional round tables,
  Considerations, problems and difficulties found
  will be discussed within regional round tables in
  which Innovation Policy makers (IPM),
  Innovation Policy users (IPU) and Innovation
  drivers will have the chance to agree on a
  common strategy to improve innovation and to
  discuss about two or three related innovation
  themes of interest for both groups.
• 5) assessment through a White paper on
  innovation policies, written by the Innovation
  drivers who will have gained by the time a
  complete overview of both approaches. They will
  also be in charge of updating the White paper on
  innovation policies

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OMEN Impact Assessment
Methodology
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OMEN Benchmarking
Methodology

• Regional innovation benchmarking and surveys will
  have to consider two aspects
• adequate innovation indicators will have to be
  developed or applied to reflect the determinants
  of regional innovation potential and activities
• constraints in terms of data availability and
  data collection cost will have to be considered
  in the innovation surveys.

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OMEN Benchmarking
Methodology

• Considering these 2 previous conditions , OMEN
  project intends to carry out the benchmarking
  activities following these steps
• 1) Catalogue of traditional/ avant-garde
  indicators.
• On the basis of broad literature research and
  interviews with national and international
  experts the catalogue of indicators will be
  collected, structured and modified on the basis
  of the OMEN own research findings.
• 2) Brief survey of data availability that will be
  carried out within the regional
  data-collection-institutions to clarify what
  information is available at present, in the near
  future and where gaps exist.

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OMEN Benchmarking
Methodology

• 3) Identification of a Regional Information
  System which will provide continuous monitoring
  of regional innovation in order to satisfy the
  new information needs of technology and
  innovation policy stakeholders at a regional
  level.
• 4) Definition of a set of indicators for a
  Regional Innovation benchmarking tool which will
  combine the previous activities to create an
  exemplary set of indicators that will allow not
  just a regional benchmarking, but also a
  transregional one.

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OMEN Benchmarking Methodology
Regional Information System
indicators catalogue
work on process
literature research
Data availability
Regional Benchmarking Tool
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OMEN Benchmarking Indicators

• Omen, in order to benchmark, will use either
  traditional and avantgarde Indicators.
• Among the traditional indicators there will be a
  distinction between subject oriented
  indicators and
• object oriented indicators
• subject oriented indicators are those indicators
  related to the enterprises activity of
  innovation, describing the resources ( inputs )
  dedicated to innovative activities and the
  results ( output ) arising from these.

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OMEN Benchmarking Indicators

• Among the subject oriented indicators we have
• Innovation expenses i.e. for RD, patent
  acquisition, design, pilot production, market
  analysis and external innovation consultancy
• Proportion of RD-staff and their qualification
  i.e. scientists, managers, technicians, skilled
  workers
• Number of innovations i.e. technologically new
  products and processes
• Economic impact of innovative activities i.e.
  proportion of sales and export sales of new
  products (degrees of novelty incrementally/radica
  lly changed, new to the firm/the industry/the
  world)
• Indicators of innovation oriented activities of
  businesses a) Sources of information for
  innovation b) Objectives of innovation c)
  Factors hampering innovation d) Acquisition and
  transfer of technology
• Innovation-related framework for businesses a)
  Qualification level of regional/national labour
  market b) Economic structure of the
  region/nation c) Innovation infrastructure
  Communications (traffic, telecommunications),
  transfer agencies, research institutions,
  schools, polytechnics, universities

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OMEN Benchmarking Indicators

• Object-oriented indicators will deliver
  information about new products and processes
  collected from different sources such as expert
  interviews, patent databases, scientific
  publications, product announcements etc. They
  will include
• - Patent Statistics
• - Monitoring Significant Innovations
• - Bibliometric Innovation Indicator
• - Technometric Innovation Indicator
• - Technology Intensity (relative world market
  share of high-tech-products)

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OMEN Benchmarking Indicators

• Avant-garde indicators are those indicators
  identified through recent innovative studies and
  have proved their efficiency in identifying and
  benchmarking aspects of innovation, that hardly
  come up to surface with traditional
  indicators. They will include
• Qualification indicators to discover the
  technological knowledge base of businesses,
  industries, regions and nations and its dynamics
• Network indicators to identify collaborative
  innovative behaviour amongst businesses and
  between businesses and complementary regional
  bodies (universities, research institutions,
  transfer and economic promotion agencies)
• Intangible capital" indicators (Financial
  Capital vs. Intellectual Capital) to give an idea
  of hidden assets" of businesses

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FILAS Contacts

• Many Thanks for your attention !
• Ms. Michela Michilli
• Responsible EU Projects FILAS SpA
• michilli_at_filas.it
• Tel. [phone]
• www.filas.it