The INNOCONECT project aims at bridging the economies of Greece and Italy as far as innovation is concerned. It aims at triggering a radical change in the way professionals communicate and collaborate in order to invest in or produce innovative sector-specific products/services. The objective is to support SMEs from one side of Ionian Sea that they intend to base their growth on knowledge and innovation that is gained in the other side. The automated matching of investors and producers will be achieved by using an intelligent information system that is based on AI techniques. Thus, INNOCONNECT acts as a catalyst for SMEs by digitally connecting investors and producers from the one side of Ionian Sea to producers and investors respectively from the other side, adopting and diffusing innovation.
INNOCONNECT aims at developing intelligent platforms and tools based on ICT that supports SMEs in marketing and designing services by facilitating the communication of sector-specific expertise as well as of financial and legal official procedures. Through certain joint actions of the project (as webinars and workshops), the use of these ICT tools will be demonstrated and promoted to stakeholders, along with the soft skills needed to enhance and to effectively exploit them. The latter need will be determined by measuring stakeholders' skills and know-how through poll questions.
INNOCONNECT will connect professionals, producers, investors, and entrepreneurs to form meaningful collaborations, share vital insights, and jointly advance the SME environment. An e-Cluster of SMEs will be set up and populated in order to form a network. This network will be supported by ICT tools to be developed, like virtual exhibition and tour, virtual booth, etc., and by providing financial and legal official procedures that need to be followed in each country. These procedures will be represented as workflows and stored. Thus, INNOCONNECT provides SMEs, as well as micro-enterprises, with the knowledge, resources, and networks they need to survive in an increasingly competitive market. Furthermore, INNOCONNECT's objective includes supporting job growth through the development of an ecosystem that not only supports existing employment but also fosters opportunities for new job creation.
