Info and training materials

Pilot Action (PA) Crowd Innovation for Companies

From July-September 2020, the SYNERGY Project team is carrying out the Online Pilot Action “Crowd Innovation for Companies” on the Synergic Crowd Innovation Platform (SCIP). This pilot action connects companies with a project idea that requires technical solutions with suitable problem solvers from the online crowd who present matching technical solutions from the key project areas of Additive Manufacturing and 3D-Printing, Micro- and Nanotechnologies and Industry 4.0.

Challenge

Crowd innovation is considered as a revolutionary process for research and innovation projects’ development. By matching innovative ideas – from Industry 4.0, Additive Manufacturing and Micro- and Nanotechnologies - with specific technical competences, the SYNERGY platform has created an opportunity for research teams to receive direct support from other interested researchers in a quick and simple way. Discover how the platform works!

What we Offer

This pilot action offers an easy and fast way to find a suitable solution for your project idea among the different co-workers from our problem solver network on the platform. Find the perfect co-worker for your project and increase the awareness for our project idea and your chances of success! This action offers the best conditions for the development of long-term collaborations. The winner(s) of the online action will be awarded a prize from the corresponding challenge givers.

Figure 1 Process of SYNERGY Pilot Action on Crowd Innovation for Companies

Target Groups

Challenge Giver

If you are a representative of a company, for example, an SME or a large enterprise, as well as of a business support organisation, the SYNERGY platform offers you as a challenge giver the opportunity to present your challenge and find technical support for a solution from July 1^st through September 20^st 2020.

Solution Provider 

If you are a representative of a higher education and research institution, a business support organisation or a member from the general public, explore as a solution provider the projects and challenges on the platform and contribute with your expertise. Present your solution and you could be selected and awarded as the winner by the challenge giver. 

Voucher Awarding

The SYNERGY team selects the two best solutions and awards the winners with a voucher to the value of up to 3.000 EUR each. Vouchers will be allocated to solution providers and can be spend on any kind of business support service from the list of possible services. 

The allocation of vouchers is managed according to the state aid and de minimis rule. You can find further info at this link: State aid and the de minimis rules in terms of vouchers assignment procedure.

Evaluation procedure and criteria

The pilot action evaluation and selection procedure for the voucher granting will be conducted by an expert commission, a jury, appointed by the partner responsible for the specific pilot action, CRIT. The jury selects the most promising solutions based on the criteria in table 1. 

Criteria that will be taken into account

Criteria that will be taken into account for the evaluation include:

1.    Requirements: the jury will evaluate the correspondence of the proposed solution with the challenge, the linkage to one of the key project areas, and the feasibility of the project (max. 15 points); 

2.    Level of technological innovation and implementation of the idea: the level of technological innovation, the economic and commercial impact of the solution; and references of the solution provider (max. 15 points); 

3.    Cost/Benefit analysis: evaluation of all the potential costs and revenues of the proposed solution (max. 5 points). 

Table 1 Evaluation Criteria PA Crowd Innovation for Companies 

List of services

The rules mentioned in the section “voucher awarding” apply to the use of the service vouchers.

Below, there’s the list of services that could be demanded by the “winners” of a challenge. Services will be selected by the winner by filling in an Application for service module. After delivering this module, CRIT and PROFACTOR will contact the service provider and put into contact the service provider with the winner. After the delivery of services, the service providers will send CRIT or PROFACTOR the invoice and the winner will send an email to confirm the reception of the service.

Some examples for services that may be used are:

• patent analysis, 
• research ordering, 
• training, 
• infrastructure sharing ,
• measurements/tests/field services, 
• (IPR) consultancy, 
• consultancy on how to write a project/on funding opportunity, 
• business support services, 
• consultancy on branding, 
• supply of materials (consumables), 
• research project publications/ proof-reading/translations, 
• conference fees, 
• other (specify), ………………………

More Information

Find more information on the SYNERGY website or contact us via e-mail in case of any questions synergy@pwr.edu.pl.