Ten high-tech small and medium-sized companies involved in diverse sectors, including optoelectronics, electric car manufacturing, and medical equipment, are taking part in the initiative, which winds up around the middle of next month. If deemed successful, Innovation Norway could roll it out on a wider basis.
The programme, which Scientific Generics delivers via regional or national development agencies, is designed to improve the innovative capacity both of emerging technological clusters and of twilight industrial sectors. Long-established companies in traditional industries, which have little or no R&D effort, and newer concerns with a firm grasp of their technology but which lack market knowledge, have benefited from the programme, says John Greaves, business development director at Generics Group. It offers them, he says, access to the kind of international expertise that would otherwise be beyond the reach of an individual SME.
"Part of it is helping other companies to do what we do for ourselves," says Greaves. The Generics Group, of which Scientific Generics is a part, actively develops technologies in-house, which it commercialises through spin-outs. One of these, fuel cell technology developer CMR Fuel Cells, raised £10.3 million in an initial public offering on the Alternative Investment Market in London on 22 December.
Short-term deliverables
The Innovation Angels approach is stripped-down and practical, designed to yield short-term deliverables that have a high impact. "Even in a few days you've done something," Greaves says.
Scientific Generics landed the Norwegian assignment on the recommendation of its long-standing Nordic partner, Oslo-based management consultancy Hartmark Consulting. The two companies have previously performed assignments for some of Norway's largest concerns, says Hartmark partner Bredo Mehlin. The international flavour that Scientific Generics brings is important for Norwegian SMEs, he says, as some can be isolated from overseas industry networks.
"We have solved some real meaty technical problems and we have identified some new applications for their technologies as well," Greaves says.
The Norwegian assignment represents the first outing for the Innovation Angels methodology on mainland Europe. Scientific Generics is also working on projects in Scotland, Ireland and Yorkshire. The Yorkshire project, which centres on the region's advanced engineering and metals sector, has been its biggest to date. By its close, the three-and-a-half-year, €5 million assignment will have involved some 200 companies selected from an initial 2,000 firms.
The individual projects have been highly diverse but some of the results have been dramatic. Scientific Generics enabled one company that produces coin-stamping machines to increase throughput from 750 coins per minute to 1,000 coins per minute. Another that was an expert in metal fabrication was able to enter the high-growth wind turbine production market following input from Scientific Generics.
The Irish project, dubbed 'innovation to profit' (i2p) kicked off last July. It involves 70 companies located through the country and includes formal knowledge-sharing sessions among the participating firms.
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