Good practice:

Startup in Residence - an initiative to improve the start-up and scale-up ecosystem.

This initiative aims to tackle four challenges regarding SME innovation, namely improving the investment climate, enough talented people available, simplify access to markets and create a well-organised ecosystem. It is an innovative collaboration between governments and start-ups, where the local municipality invites start-ups to devise innovative solutions to challenges. However, the municipality does not describe the end product but rather a more encompassing challenge that motivates the creativity of solutions provided. Startup in Residence is a 6-month program where the start-ups get intensive coaching and training, and the program's partners and challenge owners will act as launching customers for the most promising solutions. The start-ups are facilitated by interactions with the public institution, a business mentor(successful entrepreneur from the region), a tailored workshop program (validation and pitch deck), and inter-vision (start-ups learning from each other).

Some challenges that have been provided are:
- Develop a solution that increases awareness in (responsible) travel behavior and stimulates people to make responsible mobility choices
- Develop a solution that contributes to a province without cycling accidents.
- How can public green spaces become a source of innovation and contribute to the campus becoming the optimal working environment?

The initiative is currently run by 7 people, has 13 challenge owners, and 6 mentors who support the startups. Further growth of this project will require a bigger team since the size of the project impact the number of employees necessary to keep the project going.

The initiative has engaged with over 300 startups and partners, has over 250 million available capital available thanks to partners of the project and the project's challenge owners, and organised over 200 events.

The municipality involved provides challenges they are currently facing and struggle to solve themselves, and for which they require the creativity of startups to help create a solution.

This good practice shows how SMEs can develop a closer bond to the municipality and that the organisation itself can become more entrepreneurial and innovative.