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NEXT - Creativity and innovation for industry

Taking account of the global crisis, innovation and the ability to be creative are considered an essential driver for development and economical recovering. On the other hand, the crisis depressed investments in creativity and innovation as the first costs to be cut are those related to immaterial learning and skill development. Particularly SMEs are concerned, as they employ external services and staff to develop innovation, but in crisis circumstances neither have internal resources, nor strategic vision to face the market competition. NEXT project tackled this problem. The transnational consortium supported the spreading of a creative and innovative culture inside the organisations by transferring and implementing methodologies, tools and concepts developed by the Dutch company New Shoes Today as a systemic approach to creativity for enterprises and organisations. Methodologies and tools, gathered in the book Creativity Today, deal with organisational development and with new product creation. Therefore, a comprehensive programme for innovation transfer was set up by the partnership; the consortium includes the source of innovation, the Dutch company New Shoes Today, which made available its valuable expertise and stimulated learning in participants, by showcasing the process of developing creativity and innovation. The consortium gathers bodies from four Member States (Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania): employers service organisations in Northen and Southern Italy, Chamber of Commerce, SMEs and an operational organisation of the Wood and Furniture Sector are involved. The outstanding outcome is the implementation of a mentality open to change and innovation in enterprises, experts, trainers and resource developers. Other intangible outcomes include a three steps transfer strategy designed to spread concepts, methodologies and tools amongst participants. An adhocratic multicultural approach to partnership relationships has been provided. A crucial tangible outcome is the production of Action Plans for creativity and innovation development in enterprises, designed by participants and evaluated by the consortium, as a first step to spread the creative mentality inside beneficiaries’ companies. This supported and enhance mid and long term impact of the project, related to the consolidation of a “conceptual” economy, i.e. a market of innovative products and services whose realisation needs a culture of creativity and innovation.
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