The project aims to improve SME access to high value innovation support and technology and make NWE more competitive. By 2014 the project will create a network of 500+ innovation actors to achieve this. Actions will create transnational support for innovation and technology transfer; provide SMEs access to a wider range of high quality technologies and innovation support than available locally; increase capacity of SMEs and universities to access and provide support transnationally; and reduce regional disparities in SME access to innovation support and technology. Actions will demonstrate the value of the network in improving SME competitiveness; change existing infrastructures to sustain transnational access by SMEs; and lead increased adoption of the approach at all policy levels. Funding will be used to modify existing. regionally-based support to enable transnational access and piloting of actions building on established best-practice from two or more regions. The strategic aim of the project is influence policy at all levels and increase investment in transnational innovation support and technology transfer. The project will contact at least 100.000 SMEs and engage with over 2000 people from SMEs. universities and innovation support agencies. train 1500 SMEs and a further 100 innovation support agencies. Actions are estimated to result in 300 transnational collaborative projects; the creation of 30 new jobs; 90 student exchanges; 90 new products and processes; €3 million in leveraged private and public sector finance; a number of new enterprises; and a 5% average increase in turnover by SMEs engaged in collaborative projects. The project is a proposed strategic initiative. responding to the call for a NWE Knowledge transfer network and adopts a responsible innovation philosophy. This network will be called the Knowledge Acceleration and Responsible Innovation Meta-network (KARIM). Achievements: Set up to assist SMEs in North-West Europe, KARIM has made a significant breakthrough in the innovation landscape by considering responsibility from the perspective of those behind it - entrepreneurs and researchers. Its new guidance book, Responsible Innovation in the context of the KARIM project, proves there is competitive advantage by innovating using new technology from universities in a way, which considers the impact of innovation on society, groups within it and the environment. Such is the evidence that the EU has invested in KARIM to encourage wider adoption of responsible innovation. Knowledge baseComplementing the guidance on Responsible Innovation, the project has conducted transnational research to answer a series of questions related to SME & labs international cooperation: How do SMEs build cooperation in KARIM regions, how do they prepare to go international, what is the available support in their jurisdictions? What is the role of spinoff in technology transfer in the several KARIM regions and their experiences in the technology- transfer from academia to industry? The resulting studies deliver a detailed picture of the national and regional policies and innovation systems that frame the emergence and operation of spinoff companies, and report on the experience lived by innovative SMEs in different European locations. Capacity buildingIn just over 2 years, KARIM has proven the value of transnational cooperation between academia and innovation support organisations to foster cross border partnerships between labs and SMEs. KARIM is piloting blended learning, a mixture of online and offline training on entrepreneurship, European cooperation, and responsible innovation. It takes the best- practice from year one and trains a larger number of people across different countries. Responsible innovation is being integrated into teaching from undergraduate to master degree level. So far, over 1,200 students have benefited from KARIM support. SME supportKARIM provides transnational support to SMEs in order to enhance their involvement in European cooperation. This support builds on a special team of transnational Business Development Managers, students with a collaborative placement scheme, SMEs responsible innovation diagnostic, partnering and funding events. The transnational Business Development Manager (BDM) model has been successfully piloted in the KARIM partners and its success on both a national and transnational level has been demonstrated. While the traditional model focuses on a national/regional level where the BDM is either based in a university or in a state body supporting SME in their region. The BDM model used a blended approach where the BDM extended the range from national to transnational in the support of SME outside their region and worked with academics and innovation agencies in different geographical locations, with a focus on (getting the best European solution) capacity building for both the academics and the SME.