Innovation network
Through PROFIT, a big network of businesses and organisations in the 2 Seas region was supported in their innovation process. One of the most important goals was to reach SME’s and help them think about innovation and development of their businesses. Now that we are at the end of the project, our experience with supporting SME’s was not only challenging, but also inspiring for the partners. The cross-border innovation network for SME’s is the result of all the actions partners undertook. In order to effectively map the activities and the number of businesses involved, an infographic was produced – see below.
Interaction differs from action to action. Within the SME context cooperation was supported by the digital platform which had already 3,500 unique visits and nearly 26,000 pageviews. This means that more than 1,000 enterprises, public stakeholders and research entities where reached and inspired by this network tool alone.
Watch the reactions from the 2seas tourism experts following the first PROFIT Think Tank
Tourism is an important economic sector in the coastal regions of Kent, Essex, Pas-de-Calais, the Belgian Coast and Zeeland. Partners from these five regions have been closely cooperating in the Interreg 2 Seas project PROFIT, to create the optimal conditions for innovation in tourism SMEs. Many regions are looking for the best practices that will help their SMEs innovate and grow. Within PROFIT, the project partners have developed an extensive training and coaching programme. This has provided SMEs with the chance to participate in masterclasses , benefit from customised coaching sessions and has seen the very best end up with bespoke innovation plans . Our teams of experts have helped them focus in on specific issues that can make a difference. The PROFIT project successfully hosted a Cross Border Think Tank on 'Tourism & Innovation', bringing experts from all 5 regions to Canterbury (UK). to shed light on their findings and approaches that they have discussed with SMEs in each region that have the potential to drive innovation in tourism. The Think Tank will be an opportunity for all participants to share their expertise and contribute to building a unique picture of tourism innovation in the 2 Seas region.