Led by Prof. Dr. Antje Bierwisch, the INTERREG research project SUNrise supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the craft sector in developing sustainable and innovative business models. SMEs face major challenges such as digital transformation, workforce shortages, climate change, and the energy crisis. SUNrise provides practical tools to help businesses navigate these challenges and develops policy recommendations for intermediaries, training institutions, and decision-makers.
The project fosters cross-regional collaboration between Northern Italy, Austria, and Salzburg, enabling knowledge exchange and cross-industry synergies.
Co-Design Workshop No. 5: Engaging with Craft Businesses in Innsbruck
Two co-design workshops were held as part of the project. The fifth workshop, led by MCI professor Antje Bierwisch, took place in Innsbruck on January 28 and brought together representatives from the skilled crafts sector and project partners. The focus was on the challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the sustainable transformation of their business models. The first results of the project were presented and valuable feedback was gathered. Opinions on the current state of the innovation path, the need to adapt tools for small businesses, and the necessary support from intermediaries were discussed. A key finding was that sustainability is a strategic goal for companies, but that practical implementation options are needed. It also became clear that existing methods are often designed for larger companies and need to be further adapted for SMEs. The exchange between companies and experts proved to be essential for the development of customized solutions.
Participants The workshop brought together representatives from the craft sector and project partners:
Co-Design Workshop No. 6: Key Insights from Bolzano
The sixth co-design workshop was organized by the Italian partners and took place in Bolzano on February 13. The event was conducted in Italian and moderated by t2i and TEC4i. The focus was on the central challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the sustainable transformation. The participants analyzed the current challenges, defined sustainable future goals and developed concrete measures and strategies. Here, too, it became clear that companies in Italy consider networking to be a decisive factor for a sustainable transformation. In addition, the innovation process must be flexibly adapted to different company sizes and industries. Funding and external support play an essential role for long-term digital and sustainable innovations. The insights gained will be directly incorporated into the further development of the SUNRISE toolbox, which supports SMEs in the innovation process.
Participants The workshop gathered representatives from companies and associations, including:
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Participate in the pilot phase: take part now!
With SUNrise into a digital and sustainable future: the pilot phase is starting! Companies have the opportunity to further develop their business models with the support of experts.
Why participate?
Your contribution:
Contact us now:E-mail: Susanne.Schmid@mci.eduPhone: +43 512 2070 - 4241
The pilot phase is directly based on the results of the co-design workshops: participating companies receive targeted support based on the findings of the previous workshops. The practical methods and tools are further developed together with the participating companies in order to create realistic and implementable solutions for the digital and sustainable transformation in the skilled crafts sector.
Content structure of the workshop. MCI / Susanne Schmid
Research Project SUNrise
SUNrise Project Kickoff
Noi-Techpark in Bolzano
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