TAGES participates to a new project as partner titled FIRE (Facilitating Innovation in Renewable Energy) funded by the EC under the 6th Framework Programme. The project started on December 1st 2006, and the kick-off meeting has been held on February 28th, 2007 in Brussels with the participation of all the project partners.
The FIRE project aims to support SMEs operating in renewable energy sector having a potential for R&D to participate in the EU 7th Framework Programme (FP7) The project consortium is composed of 16 organisations from 12 countries among whom TAGES takes part as the only organisation from Turkey. The project is coordinated by EurExcel, European Association on Innovating SMEs from the United Kingdom.
TAGES will make a survey on 150 Turkish SMEs in the sector and will select 20 of them having the potential for research and development, then TAGES will audit those SMEs on their existing status of innovation and then will provide support for the participation into FP7 project with European renewable energy sector SMEs, big companies and research partners. At the end of the project it is expected that 10 Turkish SMEs of RES sector will be incorporated in FP7 project proposals.
The overall strategic aim of the project is to facilitate and foster the participation of SMEs from the Renewable Energy sector (RES) in relevant calls of FP7. To this end, operational objectives and goals of the project are determined as follows;
– Identification and targeting of SMEs to participate in FIRE: 4000 European SME companies within the renewable energy sector will be targeted and pre-screened to strategically selected 200-250 SMEs deemed potentially eligible to participate in the FIRE activities.
– Preparation of Innovation Audits in order to identify the innovation potential of these SMEs and in order to ensure that a ‘bottom-up’ approach is achieved. Following these audits a final selection of 150-170 companies will be made,at least 25% of them being from New Member States and Accession Countries.
– Organisation of European Sectoral Workshops: 10 sets of EU mentoring and interactive workshops and follow-up schemes for the continuous assistance and development of FIRE’s SMEs; trans-national or trans-regional transfer of best practices will be designed and held across Europe.
– Promoting SME participation in existing and future RTD: During the project, participation of 150 FIRE SMEs is expected in FP7 projects. Production of 5 strategic project proposals and initiation of European Renewable Energy Technology Platform are envisaged. 100 strategic projects will be contacted and 40 resulting positive agreements are expected.
– 6 TPs and JTIs will be targeted with an objective of the integration of 50 FIRE SMEs in European TPs and JTIs.
– SME Clustering: FIRE SMEs, where possible, will be divided into clusters according to a number of defined common criteria- sector, innovation potential and need, goals, etc.
TAGES is responsible for the project’s activities to be organized and executed in Turkey. TAGES role in the project is determined as follows:
– Targeting Turkish SMEs to participate in the project by sending out the mailing in Turkey and screening suitable SMEs via questionnaires.
– Carrying out the Innovation Audits in Turkey and selecting suitable Turkish SMEs to participate in the FIRE project.
– Hosting a European Workshop in Turkey.
– Mobilizing research centers, NGOs and public organisations to take part in the European Renewable Energy Technology Platform to be established in the project.
– Managing dissemination of project results in Turkey.
Project Consortium
| Participant organisation name | Participant org. short name | Country |
| 1. EurExcel, European Association on Innovating SMEs | EUREX | United Kingdom |
| 2. Innova Europe S.a.r.l. | INNOV | Luxembourg |
| 3. Projects in Motion | PIM | Malta |
| 4. TAGES Industry&Information Technologies RDI S.A. | TAGES | Turkey |
| 5. International Initiatives for Cooperation | IIC | Bulgaria |
| 6. Centre d’Innovacio I Desenvolupament Empresarial- IRC Catalonia | CIDEM | Spain |
| 7. Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca in Europa- IRC CIRCE | APRE | Italy |
| 8. Investitions-und Förderbank Niedersachsen GmbH- EIC Hannover | NBANK | Germany |
| 9. Agderforskring as-EIC Kristiansand | AGDER | Norway |
| 10. EIC Jönköpings lan AB | JONK | Sweden |
| 11. INNOSTART Hungary National Business and Innovation Centre | INST | Hungary |
| 12. Centre de Recerca I Investigacio de Catalunya S.A. | CRIC | Spain |
| 13. Energy Center Netherlands | ECN | Netherlands |
| 14. Innovation and Research Center Services Ltd | FKK | Hungary |
| 15. Malta Industrial Innovation for SMEs Ltd | MIIS | Malta |
