What is all of this about?
For SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region to remain competitive in the long term, it is necessary to increase their innovation capacity and reduce the gap between qualification requirements and demands. For this reason, the Knowledge Alliance “Human Resources and Organizational Development”, consisting of eleven partners from four countries, relies on increased cooperation between universities and companies in order to realize education and innovation promotion. To reach as many SMEs as possible, chambers strengthen the partnership between universities and companies.
Human capital is the most important resource for strengthening innovation and productivity. Hence, the project focuses on the comprehensive promotion of Workplace Innovations. While there is great need for further development in this area in the countries south of the Baltic Sea, Workplace Innovations are already more advanced in the Scandinavian countries. Therefore, the project involves countries from both regions.
The alliance, which will be extended to 68 partners from 13 countries and permanently continued, focuses on cooperation in two areas. First, the development, testing, and implementation of SME-specific methods, instruments, and projects through R&D work at universities, that create workplace innovations in areas such as employee recruitment, motivation and digitization, a more innovative working environment and more efficient use of human capital. Second, the strengthening of awareness and competences in this new area of innovation promotion for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Baltic Sea Region through qualifications.
The project will develop and implement:
- three comprehensive continuing education programs: “Digitization & Cooperation”, “Employees & Co-entrepreneurs” and “Innovation Processes”.
- a dual bachelor’s degree course: “Corporate Management 4.0”
All products and further results will be transferred to 68 actors in 13 countries for implementation.