Raise the level of innovation in manufacturing SME´s and thus create more growth in the companies through supportingcompanies heading for Industry 4.0.

In Denmark as in many other industrialized countries, the future industries are a central business policy focus area. The movement toward Industry 4.0, which is the integration between the digital world and the physical production, is regarded as the industry of tomorrow. Therefore; it is crucial to support automation, digitilisation and servitisation of production enterprises.

The objective is to develope a project where experiences and developed methods and tools in different regions are made available for the other regions who participates in the project, so they can use and test those tools in their own environment through pilot projects etc. Over the course of the project new methods and approaches to support growth in SME´s will be developed. It is expected that the transnational and manifold partnership will be particularly fruitful for the development of new ideas. Initially; the project may be divided into four professional work-packages, e.g.:

WP1: New business models and strategy development in relation to the global market

WP2: Development of products, better use of technology and design

WP3: Industrial incubation and start of new companies

WP4: Training and education as well as the recruitment of staff with relevant qualifications.

Central Denmark Region (CDR) har a variety of cencepts, methods, tools, etc. related to the above mentioned work packages, which we wish to bring into the project.

In relation to WP1, we have programs targeted at SMEs with themes surrounding industrial business models, internationalisation and networks. An analysis has resulted in a model of corporate growth progress and a "growth compass". During WP2 concepts for private counselling and cooperation between knowledge institutions and businesses may be mentioned. During WP3 the region has experience in establishing ex. industry incubators. In WP4 we have analysed the future needs of skills in the industry and focused on increasing the vocational education training (VET) required by the industry.

It is possible to group some of the proposed work packages, to skip some, or to include work packages with other subjects. The project partners choose for themselves which work package(s) they wish to be involved in and thus each partner does not need to participate in all work packages.

The output and results will depend on the number of participating regions and partners. As an example, by having five regions participating the envisaged output and results will be:

A) 30 methods and tools presented during the project period and made available for the other regions

B) 12 improved or new tools will be developed to enchance the level of innovation in the companies

C) 120 organisations/companies will initiate new solutions by the end of the project period and the companies will experience an increase in employment and/or turnover

D) 1200 organisations/companies will be informed of new possible solutions by the end of the project period

The Manufacturing industry carries a lot of weight in Central Denmark Region. It is, however, a challenge that the employment level of the manufacturing industry is decreasing, and we believe that many regions in the North Sea area are facing the exat same challenge. Obviously, this development is due to significant macro economic causes, but there are also factors which we are able to address at the regional or local level.

In the Central Denmark Region one of the problems for instance is, that many manufacturing companies have problems recruiting staff with the adquate professional qualifications and skills. Some companies are not sufficiently innovative and as a result loses market shares, or they are unaible to exploit new possibilities arising at the global market. The entrepreneurial rate is lower in the manufacturing industry than in other industries.

The regional innovation system plays an important role in addressing these challenges and thereby supporting companies in generating growth. Different measures and various tools might be used to achieve this. Cental Denmark Region has initiated various programmes, e.g. the programme "Future business models of the industry" to address the challenges and to support growth in the manufacturing industry. Other regions may have similar, or other, challenges and have found other solutions.

The new element in the project is the systematic pooling of experiences, methods and tools with the aim of supporting the manufacturing industry in the whole North Sea Region and also the common development of new tools. The wide base of experiences is necessary to reach the intended targets and results, as the challenges are, to a high degree, common for the manufacturing industry throughout the North Sea Region.

Currently none

1) Regional or local authorities with responsibilities for, or tasks related to, business promotion - the development of business strategies and programmes for SME´s in particular and with focus on the manufacturing industry

2) Business service centres with responsibility for implementation of business development programmes for SME´s

3) Science parks or business incubators offering advice, technological service and networking activities etc. to the companies they are housing. They must, to some degree, focus on manufacturing companies

4) Technology centres, tech-trans organisations with focus on industrial technology

5) Trade organisations, business associations etc. which offers services to their member companies

6) Educational institutions who offer training and education to the industry

Private companies with relevant competences might be partners in the project.