Action 2
Title of action: Implement and positively influence Innovation Centers and Creative Hubs in order to boost competitiveness of local SMEs within the Creative Industries sector
Brief description on what it is about:
In South Tyrol two Innovation Centers and Creative Hubs are under construction right now: BASIS Business and Service Incubator Silandro and MIND Meran.o Innovation District. BASIS Business and Service Incubator Silandro (https://basis.space/en/home-en/) is a new centre for innovation and incubation in the middle of the municipality of Silandro (Vinschgau Valley -South Tyrol).
The project is part of the European regional development project for research, innovation and creative industries (2017-2020) and was rebuild from the former utility tract “palazzina servizi” of the Druso barracks. The goal is to bring together companies and creative industries under one roof. Companies ranging from the craft industry to agriculture, education, culture and the social sector. The project wants to give life to social development both local and global as well as inter-sectoral. MIND Meran.o Innovation District (https://mind.bz.it/de) is an ERDF-funded initiative (2019- 2020) of the City of Merano intended to strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity in the city. The project wants to encourage and support start-ups, established companies, schools and interested citizens in order to provide positive impulses for the improvement of the local economy and society.IDM Südtirol worked on activations of formats to stimulate coworking spaces and hubs to collaborate with the entrepreneurial fabric ad the research institute.
Who is involved/how is the stakeholder-cooperation?
The main stakeholders are the creative hubs BASIS and MIND, which have been able to grow thanks also to the direct exchange of experiences with the European partners of the RCIA project. Research institutes (Eurac research) and SMEs are also stakeholders in the action.
Highlights and outstanding outcomes:
BASIS and MIND will conclude existing ERDF projects (2014-2020 period) as planned by the end of 2020. They are both in the planning stage for new initiatives with public and private funds for activations of formats to collaborate with the entrepreneurial fabric (also waiting for the new ERDF 2021-2027 planning period: the current situation sees the possibility that the topic CI will be included - as innovation driver- as a “transversal area” in the next South Tyrol’s Smart Specialization Strategy) IDM has concluded and made public the First Creative Industry Report South Tyrol (https://www.idm-suedtirol.com/it/pubblicazioni/29-first-creative-industries-report-southtyrol. html).
The Report, in collaboration with Eurac research and Unibz, is a fundamental tool for all stakeholders to analyse the current situation of the CCi in South Tyrol and set up new projects and measures A new long-term collaboration between BASIS and the research institute Eurac has been consolidated in order to bring attention to the topic of creative industries in the territory both with possible common projects and through events, with a view also to possible European projects in the next phases.
