Call for pilot projects – an opportunity to try something new

Some advisors, participating in the i2connect training program, could participate in a promising interactive innovation initiative, and have a clear idea about an effective approach to support it. I2connect offers the opportunity for those advisors to request support to try this approach through i2connect. These pilots will become showcases for approaches that support interactive innovation in specific local circumstances. To qualify as a pilot, the following criteria must be met:

• The pilot involves multiple stakeholders.
• The pilot focuses on sustainable innovation.
• The pilot aims to solve a certain challenge.
• The trainee, requesting the pilot, assumes the role of facilitator.
• The pilot case may be part of a larger project, but the funding is used to support a co-creation aspect of it.

i2connect offers a maximum budget of EUR 5,542 for the student who takes on the role of facilitator. This budget covers both personnel costs and other expenses (e.g. travel costs) and must be duly justified. In total 13 pilots will be selected and supported.

Pilot projects offer the opportunity for a selected number of advisor training participants to put their training into practice and test an interactive approach to innovation. However, since the resources to support these projects are quite limited, we were looking for a way to make the pilot projects accessible and the administrative process as simple as possible for the participants. In this document , the application, selection process and reporting for the i2connect 4.3 task, pilot project, is explained.

We are aware that these are very broad criteria. Pilot projects are a tool for experimentation, so we want to allow for as much diversity as possible. The core remains, of course, that projects involve a multi-stakeholder approach. If you would like to apply, please use the application template!

For any questions, please send an email – mail to charlotte.lybaert@ilvo.vlaanderen.be