SIC International Cooperation

SIC International Cooperation

Central Bohemian Innovation Center (SIC) recognizes the value of international collaboration in facing complex challenges, sharing knowledge, and accelerating the development and application of innovative solutions. By establishing strategic alliances with different organizations and experts across borders, we aim to create a dynamic ecosystem that transcends geographical limitations, ensuring that our innovations have a far-reaching and sustainable impact. Through joint initiatives and active participation in international networks, we strive to position SIC as a catalyst for transformative change on a larger scale.

International Networks

European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN) ‒ since 2024

EBN is Europe’s leading innovation partner network, connecting business innovation leaders and providing smart solutions for regional economic, sustainable, and social development. EBN’s extensive network of quality-certified EU|BICs (incubators, accelerators, technology transfer offices, science parks, and other business support organizations) enables direct access to key innovation stakeholders, allowing them to leverage valuable partnerships and expertise in their (inter-)regional and national projects.

In January 2024, SIC became a member of EBN, aligning it with the network’s core values of fostering innovation, enhancing regional development, and building sustainable business models and ecosystems. In May of the same year, after a thorough certification process, SIC received the Quality Label (recognized by the European Commission), which assures SIC’s stakeholders and clients that SIC meets specific standards for the organization’s performance and impact across several vital categories: support services, ecosystem building capacity, startup performance, and access to finance.

EBN knowledge will allow SIC to:

• Gain insights into international best practices, innovative technologies, and cutting-edge strategies to enhance SIC’s clients’ businesses.
• Form alliances with like-minded organizations at the pan-European level, which can lead to collaborative projects, shared resources, and knowledge transfer.
• Gain exposure to global trends and practices to accelerate innovation in SIC and the businesses SIC supports.

CAPREX (Capital Regions Exchange) Network ‒ since 2018

CAPREX is an initiative started by the Central Bohemia Region and Lower Austria in October 2018. The aim of this network is to facilitate exchange of information on the participating regions’ structural similarities and differences and the challenges for economic policy and innovation strategy that arise in the capital regions of Brandenburg (Germany), Central Bohemia (Czech Republic), Helsinki-Uusimaa (Finland), and Lower Austria (Austria). All these regions have a structural similarity in that they surround their country’s capital city. This network represents an opportunity for peer learning; to this end, CAPREX regions meet once a year to share and discuss the different approaches implemented in specific topics/sectors related to innovation. Cooperation at the meetings takes place on two levels: the operative level and the expert level. The operative level is formed by the following organizations: (1) Central Bohemian Innovation Centre (SIC), (2) the Economic Development Agency of Brandenburg (WFBB), (3) Ecoplus – The Business Agency of Lower Austria, and (4) Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.

Ultimately, CAPREX wants to facilitate potential projects for regional stakeholders (companies, research organizations, etc.). Some of the topics that have been discussed for cooperation are innovation policies (RIS3 strategies), digitalization and energy, innovation marketing, innovation in the food sector, circular economy (in textile, food, and construction), bio-based solutions, and AI.

Twinning projects

Twinning projects refer to the transfer of knowledge of best practices from organizations around Europe and the world to SIC. To establish a Twinning program, we mainly look for partners with experience designing, implementing, and delivering unique innovation instruments targeting SMEs and research organizations, but we have also done Twinning benefiting municipalities and schools. The activities include intensive on-site or virtual training, expert visits to SIC, and the development of implementation manuals. The Twining projects have been supported by Smart Accelerator I, II, and III in Central Bohemia, which are Funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and by the Central Bohemia Region.

Braventure, Brabant Region, Netherlands ‒ 2024

The focus of this twinning was the Startup Readiness Program, which is an accelerator program for Brabant startups. It consists of a series of sessions divided into modules and key milestones covering everything from discovering how to bring a startup idea to life and validating it to conducting customer conversations to achieve customer commitment. In other words, the program’s goal is to successfully develop startups to scale-ups. The collaboration took place in November 2024, and the new knowledge is planned to be piloted in two of SIC’s programs: Validation of Commercial Potential and Startup Academy.

Accelerance, Copenhagen, Denmark ‒ 2023

The focus of this twinning was collaboration between large corporations and startups, and Accelerace developed the best practice called the “Matchmaking Program”. This engagement program runs on the electronic platform developed by Accelerace where, on the one hand, the startups can apply to take part in specific calls (curated between Accelerace and the corporates) and have several tools at their disposal, and on the other, the corporations can learn which startups are responding to their challenges and can participate in the process of selecting one or two startups to implement a pilot project. Tools to promote the calls and the different methods for scouting startups play a key role in the program. The twinning took place in November 2023, and SIC launched the first pilot project based on the new knowledge in 2024 with successful results, making it part of SIC’s permanent services and expanding it to not only startups but also to SMEs and research organizations.

KOMPASS Frankfurt, Germany ‒ 2022

The project: 4+1 Model

This twinning was intended to support startups, and the project’s name was 4+1 Model. KOMPASS developed a process-oriented framework tracing the lifecycle of a startup—from idea inception to startup to sustained existence and growth in the market—called the 4+1 Model. Some aspects of this model were incorporated in the SIC program Start-up Now! The cooperation took place in September 2022 and was funded by Smart Accelerator II in Central Bohemia. The final report of the twinning is available upon request.

Lulea University of Technology (LTU) Business, Sweden ‒ 2021

The project: Innovation Due Diligence (IDD)

This dealt with the commercialization of innovative ideas and the name of the project was Innovation Due Diligence (IDD). LTU Business developed a holistic model called IDD, which accelerates time to market and reduces costs for bringing innovation to the market for SMEs and research organizations. Based on this training, SIC created a special service for research organizations, Validation of Commercial Potential. The cooperation took place between April and November 2021. The final report of the twinning is available upon request.

Spin Lab, Leipzig ‒ 2019

This twinning centred on digital innovation hubs and the name of the project was Smart Infrastructure Hub. The best practice developed by this partner was the use of their Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) established between the accelerator SpinLab and the City of Leipzig for the digital transformation of SMEs using the startup ecosystem. The cooperation took place in November 2019 and it was funded by Smart Accelerator II in Central Bohemia. The final report of the twinning (Implementation Manual) is available only in English.

State Secretary of Innovation, Science and Technology of Jalisco, Mexico ‒ 2018

The project: Maker Education

This twinning focused on digital education and the project’s name was Maker Education. The State Secretary of Innovation, Science and Technology of Jalisco, together with the University of Guadalajara, developed a Digital Innovation Lab network implemented at the high school level, promoting 21^st century skills in teachers and students using Maker Education and the Gradual Immersion Method (GIM). The twinning took place in April 2018, and several activities emerged from this twinning. Between November 2019 and January 2021, SIC implemented a pilot project in a Technical High School of Central Bohemia, certified high school teachers in Maker Fundamentals, accredited the used Maker method with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and carried out a SIC Online Ideathon using the Maker approach and GIM with teachers and researchers. To see the successful results of these activities, please visit Maker Culture in Education in Central Bohemia. The twinning and ensuing activities were funded by Smart Accelerator I in Central Bohemia. The final report of the twinning (Implementation Manual) is available only in Czech.

Ecoplus, The Business Agency of Lower Austria ‒ 2016

The project: Competence Mapping

This twinning took place in the field of cross-clustering and the name of the project was Competence Mapping. Ecoplus developed the best practice called Competence Mapping, which aims to stimulate cooperation across sectors and clusters by focusing on the technical and organizational competences of SMEs and research organizations. The cooperation took place in September 2016 and it was funded by Smart Accelerator I in Central Bohemia. The final report of the twinning (Implementation Manual) is available only in Czech.