The aim of the Local Stakeholders Group meeting 08 was to present the outcomes of the Innova-FI closure conference, to recap the results of the project along 5 years and to sum up the impact on the region FVG. Concerning project exploitation, the new funded initiative FI4INN is going to be announced; other possible further steps with the stakeholders will be discussed.
FINN illustrated the results obtained by the project along 5 years, starting from a general recap of its objectives, the main phases and activities. After this reminder the main contents of the final conference, hold at the Azores Islands were illustrated, with some suggestions about how to exploit the valuable network created with DG Regio, EISMEA and EIB.
As a conclusion a new project, starting in June 2023 where FINN is coordinator has been presented: F4INN - Co-designed impactful financial instruments for boosting innovation in SMEs and start-ups, which is going to capitalize the lessons learnt and the results of Innova-FI. In particular, FI4INN enclosed specific actions to realize recommendations from LSG 07 (R#3 Considering the information gap and the conservative attitude of local companies, it is very important that any new policy and measure will be communicated effectively to the proper target groups, to increase the expected impact. R#4 Any measure to enrich the portfolio of FIs shall include a set of KPIs and a plan for monitoring its effectiveness, with the complementary goal to collect information useful to improve the FIs. R#5 There is evidence that companies that have access to public funding instruments improve their control and management functions; this side effect if beneficial for the enterprises’ competitiveness, it is therefore important for the public to seek the enlargement of the beneficiaries’ range.)
Below a summary of the feedback per set of stakeholders:
Regional government/Service for the credit access for companies: a new package of measures concerning the credit access system is being kicked off in 2023 along the launch of the FVG Plus financial engineering in-house society. These new tools will enhance the regional government capability to innovate the support to the R&D through new financial instruments. All this has been conceived and developed during Innova-FI, whose inputs were crucial to the new plan, that has been included in a Regional Law called “Sviluppo Impresa” which has been voted by unanimity in 2022 by the Regional Assembly.
Interreg Europe regional contact point highlights the valuable capitalization activities already implemented to ensure sustainability to the main results of Innova-FI. Ms. Nazzi also recognizes the coherence of the FVG Action Plan with the Interreg Programme 2020 principles and the success in the active involvement of a wide range of local stakeholders on the long term and announces that Innova-FI has been shortlisted by the Cohesion Agency at country level as flagship Interreg project.
Business Angels appreciate the effort of the FVG region to sponsor actions that will better connect the public and private financial instruments offer targeting innovative SMEs and startups.
The results that can be seen from the workshop are:
- SACI is Associated Partner in the new project FI4INN coordinated by Friuli Innovazione. This will ensure continuity and the possibility to pursue the parts of the Actions Plan not implemented due to the delay in PR FESR 2021-2027 adoption.
- The LSG mechanism is kept in the main architecture of the FI4INN project, i.e. financial stakeholders will continue this multi-level dialogue lead by FINN.
- FVG Plus Spa will be involved in the LSG as key actor of the regional scenario.
- DG REGIO offer to organize tailored seminars for the region needs to explore the new features of EU regulations will be activated by FINN upon SACI request.
Key conclusions and policy recommendations:
- The LSG members have access to all material - including many events’ recording – through the cloud-based platform, where they can continue post new contents and discuss.
- FINN will prepare a “recap package” about the Innova-FI most interesting contents and share it with all the LSG members
- Several units from the Region FVG government would like to continue work on EU projects with Friuli Innovazione, to leverage the valuable know-how available
