Innovation in the French CCIs Network

1. Innovation in the French CCIs Network Eurochambres Innovation Committee Meeting 26 Nov 2013

2. Preliminary statements Why innovation ? It is the main lever of competitivness and differenciation in the global competition. Especially relevant for French industry mainly positionned on the mid range Which added value? As local players, French CCIs are the front door to innovation for SME’s. The French CCI’s share a large vision of innovation allowing any business to get into. Actors in technological innovation Actors in non technological innovation Eurochambres Innovation Committee

3. Means and Results 200 Innovation advisors 325 Innovation generalists 30IPR specialists 50 EEN advisors 1.000 Innovation Days (per year) 30.000 Companiesimpacted 5.000 Companiesconnectedwithpartners 4.000 Projectsaccompanied Eurochambres Innovation Committee

4. Organization • A national Innovation SteeringCommittee (electedmembers) • A national Innovation WG (regionalrepresentatives) • CCI France : Industry-Innovation-BI Department (4 collaborators) RegionalCCIs : expertise – project coaching - access to finance, IPR… Local CCIs : awarenessrising- detecting- supporting- connecting to partners As innovation leadership has been entrusted to Regions, the CCI’s action must comply with the regional framework/scheme Eurochambres Innovation Committee

5. CCIs service offering (ideally) 3 stages : « from the idea to the  marketplace » Information Innovation Days Networking Creativity workshops Innovation assessment (needs, strengths, risks, market,…) Project identification and feasibility Connecting to partners Innovation management Project design Project development Project management Project commercialization Eurochambres Innovation Committee

6. Best Practices 1 : stimulating innovation • This regional Meeting organized by the Ccis of Normandy region is designed for SMEs "open to opportunities." • The goal is to connect businesses and to give them a taste for innovation. • Nearly 250 companies participated in 2012 These innovation “one stop shops” set up in most CCIs allow companies to find useful information and relevant contacts. In March 2013, 46 people participated in the 2nd edition of “Startup Weekend” organized by the CCI of Caen. The goal is to design (within 54 hours) the project of an innovative micro-business and to earn a place in the regional incubator for developing it. Eurochambres Innovation Committee

7. Best Practices 2 : supporting innovation This program set up by the Aquitaine CCI is based on a comprehensive questionnaire (assessment) leading to appropriate recommendations/goals for the company. Then, the company is supplied with a tailored support at different stages : IPR, partnership, funding,….. The CCIs from the Loire region offer a complete course for first-innovative SMEs divided into 5 levels from discovering innovation to selecting/developing a project. A "roadmap" facilitates the transition to action Alsace innovation is funded by both the Alsace region and the Alsace CCI. It aims to support companies of all sizes and sectors in order to bring innovative projects to the marketplace. The process includes partnership and adequate funding. Eurochambres Innovation Committee

8. Best Practice 3 : connecting SME’s and Research  This annual event is organized by the CCI of Nord de France region in order to link Research and Business through presentations and customized appointments. A showcase of innovative products illustrates successful collaborations. The 2013 edition highlights cross-border cooperation with VOKA (Flanders‘CCIs) This meeting organized by the Essonne and Val de Marne CCIs with the Ile de de France Region gathers each year a broad range of innovative European companies. The R & D convention brings together the skills from both public and private research actors in order to develop innovation projects with SMEs . Eurochambres Innovation Committee

9. Best Practices 4 : fostering business creativity Performance Innovation workshops (Moselle CCI’s) These interactive workshops allow companies to approach creativity as a tool for problem solving and management. The objective is to unleash the creative potential of the company staff and to open new development prospects. Using the assessment-tool "30 minutes to innovate" allows to quickly determine the main directions to focus on . The Gers CCI (Midi-Pyrénées region) welcomes innovative companies on its “InnoparK” and leads many creativity workshops for SMEs. "Crea Business Idea" (Interreg program) it has published a “Handbook of creativity for businesses” With the “Materiala” Cluster, the Haute-Marne CCI (Champagne-Ardennes) organized a creativity workshop in March 2013. The goal was to launch a collaborative move to creativity based on business issues brought by the participants . Eurochambres Innovation Committee

10. Best Practices 5 : bringing projects to marketplace The School of Design (CCI of Landes - Aquitaine region) aims to support entrepreneurs wanting to develop new (market driven) levers of innovation . In September 2013, a "Summer School of Design" offered businesses the opportunity for testing their ideas and discovering young talents. This collective action driven by the Languedoc-Roussillon CCI in partnership with the regional Innovation Agency aims to provide businesses with all the keys for successfully commercializing their innovations through a coaching supply over 10 months The CASCIOPEE program, from CCI Nord de France, gives companies the opportunity to adapt their commercial offering to the tomorrow markets . The prospective approach is developed through 4 half-day workshops and allows the company to build a strategy. Eurochambres Innovation Committee

11. Best Practices 6 : complying with regulation The 30 ARIST advisors (located in most of the regional CCIs) supply companies with their expertise in IPR (patent search, state of the art technology, brand monitoring , risks of couterfeiting,…) They can use the "Check-Up N & R“ assessment tool , developed by the CCIs from Brittany and Pays de la Loire, which ensures that the new products meet standards and regulations as soon as designed. Eurochambres Innovation Committee

12. 2014, Innovation Year for the French CCIs Through many special events and field actions, the ambition is to create a national boost into innovation with 3 objectives : 1 - Improving SME’s competitiveness through a comprehensive and harmonized service offering (using the “CCI Innovation” label ) 2 – Developing open / soft innovation approaches in order to accompany all types of SMEs (whatever size or sector) 3- Developing new synergies with the other players of the innovation ecosystem “ Innovation for All “ : the challenge is to democratize the innovation culture among the entire society (especially young people). Eurochambres Innovation Committee

13. Thank you for your attention !..... Claire SOVIGNET Project manager, CCI France c.sovignet@ccifrance.fr Eurochambres Innovation Committee