Facilitating the access of innovative start-ups and SMEs to the public procurement market

Date: 4 February 2025 | 09:00 – 17:30
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands | Science Park 301 | Matrix ONE building | SustainaLab space
Registration link: https://adra-e.eu/registration-facilitating-access-innovative-start-ups-and-smes-public-procurement-market

Purpose

The acquisition of innovation by public administrations does not only improve the services offered to citizens, but also provides business opportunities to local entrepreneurs.
However, small companies face overcoming challenges trying to access the public procurement market. Several barriers make it difficult for them to participate in and win tenders. Easier access to public procurement markets can help start-ups and SMEs find new opportunities and grow.

With the Adra-e project, we are hosting a workshop addressing the main challenges that AI, Data and Robotics small companies face in procurement processes. By bringing together experts from local administrations, networks of cities and communities, testing and experimentations facilities and specialists in Pre-commercial Procurement, the workshop aims to:

• Promote demand-driven co-creation of innovative solutions for the benefit of local public services, start-ups, SMEs and citizens
• Raise awareness on the advantages of the collaboration between public organisations and local innovators to accelerate the adoption of innovation by the public sector
• Explore the potential of the instruments supported by the European Commission to attract innovative start-ups and SMEs to the procurement market
• Analyse the processes required at the local level to facilitate interoperability
• Stimulate knowledge sharing, collaboration and emergence of new ideas among participants

Agenda

Breakdown of the sessions

Session 1 - How to accelerate the adoption of innovation by the public sector
This session aims at showcasing different successful stories regarding the improvement of local public services through the adoption of breakthrough technologies, and will delve into the role of innovation procurement in fostering the development of new solutions.
Our keynote speaker will provide practical insights from an urban perspective, emphasizing also the important role of the European Innovation Council at supporting innovative start-ups and SMEs with disruptive nature and with the potential to grow and scale up.

Session 2 - Pre-commercial procurement implemented by cities: a more dynamic management of public spaces by deploying innovative solutions
The Pre-commercial Procurement challenges industry from the demand side to develop innovative solutions (not market-ready) for public sector needs, and provides a first customer reference that enables start-ups and SMEs to create competitive advantage on the market.
The Pre-Commercial Procurement boosts the business opportunities for start-ups and SMEs:

• it awards 70% of the contracts to start-ups and SMEs instead of the usual 30%
• it boosts their international growth (20 times more contracts awarded cross-border)
• it doubles commercialization success rate (more than 50% of the companies increased their revenues)
• it helps create strategic partnerships with larger companies
• it helps start-ups and SMEs obtain financial investments which are 4 times the amount invested in the Pre-commercial Procurement

The purpose of this session is to present the Pre-commercial Procurement process in practice, as well as to illustrate with examples the growing evidence of its value for the uptake of innovation by cities.

Session 3 - How CitCom.AI offers support to AI innovators  
The new EU-wide networks of sectorial Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs)  offer a combination of physical and virtual facilities, in which technology providers can get primarily technical support to test their latest AI-based software and hardware technologies (including AI-powered robotics) in real-world environments. TEFs serve technology providers who want to develop their AI/Robotic solution from Technological Readiness Level (TRL) six to eight.  
This session aims at presenting the support and services offered by CitCom.ai, the testing and experimentation facility in Smart Cities and Communities, in which start-ups and SMEs are able to test free of charge their latest AI-based soft/hardware technologies in real-world conditions.
 
Session 4 - Scaling digital solutions with Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs)
This session will explore the different layers of interoperability, and scrutinize what is needed for local authorities to take steps in the field of data and knowledge sharing and communicating systems.
Our speakers will highlight the Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) as the sufficient ground for interoperability that cities, companies and researchers can use when procuring and using digital tools and systems, and will present practical use cases of interoperability in the field of procurement strategies.

Session 5 - Panel discussion: How to overcome challenges that innovative start-ups and SMEs face trying to access the public procurement market
This session will gather representatives from Digital Europe and Horizon Europe-funded projects who, from very different perspectives, will discuss the potential and benefits that the instruments supported by the European Commission can bring in attracting small innovative players to the public procurement market and accelerating the adoption of innovation to enhance public services.
Highlighting the importance of engaging with and bringing tangible benefits to the citizens, our panelists will present diverse viewpoints on how to define and then overcome the digital, urban and social challenges by developing innovative technical solutions.

Join us in Amsterdam

 
This one-day workshop is an open invitation to innovative start-ups and SMEs, local public procurers of innovation, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), urban living labs, start-up incubators and accelerators and stakeholders from academia, business or civil society interested in digital transformation.
It will take place on the 4th February 2025, from 9:00 to 17:30, at Amsterdam Science Park, a renowned centre for talent development in AI and digital innovation. It will be hosted by the Matrix One building (Science Park 301) at the SustainaLab space.

Please find here information on how to get there by train, bus or car. You can also download from here the Amsterdam Science Park map.

Registration

Registration is free of charge but mandatory.
Joins us in Amsterdam and please register before 31st January 2025 via the link below:

REGISTER HERE

We look forward to your participation in this workshop, which will contribute to enhancing public sector innovation and local business competitiveness.