Helping Yourself

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see."

(1) Make a summary of your project idea on no more than one A4 page. In particular:

• what are your objectives? To produce a new technology, product, process, and/or service?
• what are the main technological and/or scientific and/or manufacturing challenges that will have to be addressed to make your innovative idea a reality?
• what is the “window of opportunity”’ for getting your innovation to market? Is it “immediate”, or within 18 months, within 3 years – or more?
• is the market already asking for your innovation? Or will the market need to be made aware of the advantages your innovation will bring?
• what are your expectations on benefits from this innovation? For your enterprise, for your industry, for the European economy? What lessons are going to be learned during the work?

(2) From your summary, make a list of “a few” keywords – the more specific the better -
     which describe the technological nature of the innovation

(3) To find out if someone else has already done anything similar in Europe –
      go to the “Community R&D information system” (CORDIS) website of the European Commission

• Via CORDIS, you can search the entire database of projects, back to 1982, which have been (or are being) financed by the European Commission. A wide variety of search options is available to you.

(4a) Found something similar that’s already been done in Europe?

• Be aware that projects which duplicate work already done are very unlikely to be funded.
• You need to identify key differentiating factors to justify the new, higher added value of your approach.
• You may need to rethink your idea.

(4b) Found nothing similar?

• That’s quite encouraging.
• Now try a search on the worldwide web using, e.g. Google, with the same keywords.

(5a) Found something similar that’s been done outside Europe?

• Be aware that a project which is “me too” (i.e. proposing to have the same thing in Europe as in the US/Japan or wherever) will not be funded.
• You need to identify key differentiating factors which deliver advantages that are substantially better than anything that exists.
• You may need to rethink your idea.

(5b) Still found nothing similar? That’s very encouraging. You can now go further.

• Which partners have you already worked with in the past, whom you believe would be interested to collaborate with you to achieve this innovation?
• Which complement of capacities or capabilities do you need – R&D capability, access to markets or distribution channels, components or enabling technologies – large companies, other SMEs, or centres of R&D excellence?

Lacking time? Need assistance?

We can help you to confidently move forward, and will be pleased to discuss, in confidence, your collaborative innovation project idea with you.

Please feel free to contact us : we look forward to exploring how we can assist you to successfully innovate.

Gazelles