The Italia-Malta cooperation project I KNOW, an acronym for Interregional Key Networking for Open Innovation EmpoWerment, is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. It aims at setting up a permanent hub to encourage the creation and strengthening of SMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), providing them with faster access to the markets and boosting their competitiveness.

Priority Axis 2

Competitiveness

Objective 2.1
To promote the creation and the enhancement of enterprises (micro, small and medium) in the intervention field of the cooperation area

Investment Priority
Promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, even through business incubators

Successfully concluded four editions of Seminars on entrepreneurship acceleration organised in Malta and in Sicily to lead accomplished and would-be entrepreneurs to address innovative and competitive cross-border networks where new and successful ideas can be presented to access new markets.

Students, researchers, aspiring start-ups, new entrepreneurs, incubators and investors will be able to benefit, in the three-year period 2018-2021, of services organized in specialized seminars for Business Plans, Pitching, Social Innovation, Circular Economy, and in actions of Competition, Mentorship, Incubation, Open Innovation Working-Lab, Hackaton, Networking, Matchmaking with investors, with priority to the sectors “the quality of life and health of citizens” and “environmental protection”.

The creation of a multimedia platform “Open Innovation Service Lab” will be the acceleration tool for SMEs and start-up to foster funding and investment opportunities, links to initiatives and open networks.