In the face of current economic challenges SMEs are widely recognised as potential engines of growth that have the necessary attributes of agility, flexibility and technological innovation. It is also recognised that they find it exceptionally difficult to mobilise the resources needed to help them bring breakthroughs to market quickly, costing time and money and inhibiting economic growth. In particular SME innovation can stall at critical points where they need access to expertise that they do not have in–house or could not afford on a full-time basis.If SMEs are able to cost-effectively identify and leverage external expertise this may unlock substantial benefits for both parties. However the majority of SMEs are unaware of sources of external skills and expertise, have no way to readily identify these potential assets and no easy way to access the resources and execute against a specific problem.OPENISME is designed to help unlock the innovation capacity for smaller firms, through the creation of novel "Open Innovation" partnerships between European SMEs and research partners.This requires the development of new forms of collaboration that support the partnering cycle of exploration; extraction and exploitation through improved tools, frameworks and new business models for the sharing of risks and rewards.Through the development and testing of the innovative Open Innovation Platform at the heart of this proposal we intend demonstrate how such technologies can help innovative SMEs:1. Find potential collaboration partners within Europe's research communities;2. Qualify those who have the complementary skills or assets for effective co-creation; and3. Explore the enablers and barriers to shared value creation and distribution