The proposal aims to illustrate the Sardinian case through a description of the rationale behind it and a governance model tested for strengthening the link between innovation and public procurement. From the beginning, the crucial goal was as follows: how to render innovation procurement more attractive for public buyers and for SMEs. In the combination of public procurement and innovation, Sardegna Ricerche has tried to move on two guidelines. A) First of all, Sardegna Ricerche has implemented numerous activities aimed at satisfying specific needs and requirements of public administrations and enterprises through the acquisition, development and/or dissemination of solutions that are not necessarily new to the market or that exceed the frontier of technology, but that represent organizational or process or service innovations for the contracting authorities and enterprises, such as e-procurement, digitalization, skills strengthening, Green Public Procurement, (innovation of the procurement). B) Secondly Sardegna Ricerche has planned and implemented an integrated action plan that pursues the crucial goal of stimulating and disseminating skills and tools on innovation public procurement (or public procurement for innovation), supporting regional public administrations in purchasing research and development services. The response of Sardegna Ricerche working group has been to suggest a non-centralised cooperative pathway for innovation procurement provided on a tailor-made basis.

The action “Establishing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SME's in the Enterprise Europe Network" represents an important breakthrough in delivering the EEN services. Until now the EEN consortia partners’ role was mainly catalyzing the SMEs innovation needs with the innovative product, services and processes provided by other companies or research centres, with the aim of fostering their internationalization. Strengthening the target of internationalization, the EEN consortia partners will improve their action providing on site support to SMEs, and becoming a part of the companies for assessing their capacity in the innovation management issues. The ELSE – SIM (Enterprise Lazio and Sardegna for Europe- SMEs Innovation Management) consortium as a whole is able to provide the expected services: Key Account Management • Assess SME gaps and needs, • Facilitate the identification and the initial coach-SME interaction to prepare coaching plan, • Support companies in the project management and administration Enhancing SME innovation management capacity , • Asses innovation management capacity based on performance, • Action plan implementation.

EEN consortia partners will improve their action providing on site support to SMEs, and becoming a part of the companies for assessing their capacity in the innovation management issues. The ELSE – SIM 2019 (Enterprise Lazio and Sardegna for Europe- SMEs Innovation Management) consortium as a whole is able to provide the expected services: Key Account Management • Assess SME gaps and needs, • Facilitate the identification and the initial coach-SME interaction to prepare coaching plan, • Support companies in the project management and administration Enhancing SME innovation management capacity , • Asses innovation management capacity based on performance, • Action plan implementation

The action “Establishing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SME's in the Enterprise Europe Network" represents an important breakthrough in delivering the EEN services. Until now the EEN consortia partners’ role was mainly catalyzing the SMEs innovation needs with the innovative product, services and processes provided by other companies or research centres, with the aim of fostering their internationalization. Strengthening the target of internationalization, the EEN consortia partners will improve their action providing on site support to SMEs, and becoming a part of the companies for assessing their capacity in the innovation management issues. The ELSE – SIM (Enterprise Lazio and Sardegna for Europe- SMEs Innovation Management) consortium as a whole is able to provide the expected services: Key Account Management • Assess SME gaps and needs, • Facilitate the identification and the initial coach-SME interaction to prepare coaching plan, • Support companies in the project management and administration Enhancing SME innovation management capacity , • Asses innovation management capacity based on performance, • Action plan implementation.

The action “Establishing services enhancing the innovation management capacity of SME's in the Enterprise Europe Network" represents an important breakthrough in delivering the EEN services. Until now the EEN consortia partners’ role was mainly catalyzing the SMEs innovation needs with the innovative product, services and processes provided by other companies or research centres, with the aim of fostering their internationalization. Strengthening the target of internationalization, with the New Action, the EEN consortia partners will improve their action providing on site support to SMEs, and becoming a part of the companies for assessing their capacity in the innovation management issues. The SCRIPT consortium as a whole is able to provide the expected services: Key Account Management • Assess SME gaps and needs, • Facilitate the identification and the initial coach-SME interaction to prepare coaching plan, • Support companies in the project management and administration Enhancing SME innovation management capacity • Asses innovation management capacity based on performance, • Action plan implementation.