The I3-INSHAPE project is the fundamental step in the INSHAPE journey. It aims to strengthen the European digital economy by developing a European competence centre for SME initiatives in the field of sports & vitality. This is the INSHAPE Network of Innovation Hubs, where innovative solutions can be developed, funded and brought to the market thanks to interregional collaboration among SMEs.
The project supports mature SME-led innovations in the commercialisation and scale-up phases to capture opportunities in this fast-growing global market. As such with I3- INSHAPE we contribute to solving the problem of increasingly inactive lifestyles across the general population, recognised as a major cause of increased levels of chronic and endemic diseases across the population (diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer and cancer). The approach is demand-driven. The consortium wants to link key challenges for SMEs identified to data-driven growth, upscaling innovations and bringing them to the market.
The project will build the portfolio of interregional investment (I3) cases (TRL6-9) up from 5 pre-selected Flagship SME I3 cases (included in the partnership) and another 30+ SME I3 Cases selected during the project via an Open Call. The new SMEs will benefit from cascade funding to address specific needs of Flagship SMEs and build a second Stream of additional I3 cases, thereby contributing to building interregional value chains around the Flagship and Second Stream I3 cases.
Finally, the project will transform this structured interregional collaboration into the INSHAPE European Network of Innovation Hubs, a self-sustaining, demand-driven ecosystem carried on beyond the lifetime of the I3-INSHAPE project.
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Missing interregional connections to building value chains and expanding market presence
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Digitalization of services & products and better access to data
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Business and innovation support: user-driven innovation, scale-up, commercialization and access to financing
To invest in 6 flagship SMEs incorporated in the partnership for next steps in order to address their needs and assist them in reaching market readiness (TRL 9)
To identify additional interregional investment cases (SMEs) in Europe to build further up new investments and new initiatives.
To strengthen data and digitalisation infrastructure in order to facilitate interregional innovation processes and provide support to SMEs in the interregional innovation ecosystem.
To further develop and strengthen the interregional innovation ecosystem in sports and technology from this partnership. This will pave the way to a self-sustainable and interregional European digital innovation Hub in the field of sports and vitality, with a positive impact on health and well-being in society.
The I3-INSHAPE partnership also includes some pre-selected SMEs from different EU regions, companies with great potential and specific business needs to be tackled.
Thanks to the project’s actions, their innovation level aims to elevate from the pre-market development phase (TRL 5 or 6) to TRL 9.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMSs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
inshape@sportsandtechnology.com