The project supports mature SME-led innovations in the commercialisation and scale-up phases to capture opportunities in this fast-growing global market. As such with I3-INSHAPE we contribute to solving the problem of increasingly inactive lifestyles across the general population, recognised as a major cause of increased levels of chronic and endemic diseases across the population (diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer and cancer).

The approach is demand-driven. The consortium wants to support SMEs in their process to address challenges in data-driven growth, to upscale innovations and to bring them to the market:

1) find interregional connections to building value chains and expanding market presence;
2) digitalize services & products and create better access to data,
3) provide business and innovation support: user-driven innovation, scale-up, commercialization and access to financing.

The project will build the portfolio of interregional investment (I3) cases from 6 pre-selected FLAGSHIP SME I3 cases (included in the partnership) and another 30+ SME I3 Cases selected during the project via a series of bottom-up OPEN CALLS. The 30+SME I3 Cases will benefit from additional funding to A) address specific needs/requests from Flagship SMEs and B) build a second Stream of additional I3 cases, thereby contributing to building interregional value chains around the Flagship and Second Stream I3 cases.

Finally, the project will transform the I3-INSHAPE Innovation & Investment Hubs into a self-sustaining, demand-driven ecosystem carrying on beyond the lifetime of this proposal.

Objective 1)

To invest in 6 flagship SMEs incorporated in the partnership for next steps in order to address their needs and assist them in reaching market readiness

Objective 2)

To identify and build further up to 35 interregional investment cases through the project implementation to contribute to flagship investments (WP2) or as new initiatives (WP3)

Objective 3)

To strengthen data and digitalisation infrastructure in order to 1) facilitate interregional innovation processes, 2) provide support to SMEs in the interregional innovation ecosystem (WP4)

Objective 4)

To further develop and strengthen the interregional innovation ecosystem in sports and technology from this partnership. (WP5). This will pave the way to a sustainable (e.g., self-sustaining) interregional European Digital innovation hub in the field of sports and vitality and a positive impact on health and well-being in society