Sjef van Herpt Archives - InnovationManagement

SJEF VAN HERPT

Syntens, innovation network for entrepreneurs, supports business people in small and medium-sized businesses through countless activities and projects in the broadest sense of the word. The aim is to increase the revenue of those companies by means of innovation and improvement. The Syntens consultants work independently and match the entrepreneur to the right (market) parties via their extensive network of companies and institutions. Syntens is a not-for-profit organisation for companies who “are willing and able” to innovate. Syntens’ advice stretches from the first crucial phase of innovation, “the challenge” to finding the best possible solution for challenges that occur when companies start innovating.

How to Engage SMEs in Innovation Networks- Lessons from the Dutch campaign FuturizedBusinesses

Current public innovation support often fails to activate a significant group of SMEs. As a result, the innovation infrastructure is not utilized to its true value and capacity by a key constituency – small and growing companies. Not-for-profit intermediary Syntens initiated a campaign “FuturizedBusinesses” with Regional Development Agencies and the Chambers of Commerce to tackle this. Here's what we learned.