Benchmarking National - PRO INNO Europe

Users were also asked what they felt to be the most important elements of a service
similar to the SEGAPI offerings. Ease of access and identification (given the fact that
marketing still seems to be an area for improvement), administrative efforts and
costs as well as timely delivery were considered as most important factors
contributing to the success of a service like SEGAPI. Interestingly, the competence
of the staff was also considered important by most of the SMEs surveyed, but the
share of users who put “high” relevance to this aspect was less than with other
services analysed in the scope of this study (see Graph 144). This can be due to the
focus on trade marks which may be considered easier to handle than patents.
13.3 Elements of good practice
The service exhibits the following success factors
(resp. good practice elements):
� Clearly stated, very specific goals, offered in a regional context;
� Governance structure: Careful planning process and existing evaluation
culture;
� Integration into a wider range of IPR-related services; interaction with general
innovation support programmes;
� Referral activities to external consultants (by subsidising them), when solutions
are needed that cannot be supplied to SMEs directly;
� Uniqueness: Only service of its type in Galicia;
� Quite large take up.
The service faces the following challenges:
� Low visibility with its target group, supposedly due to its young age
� According to the statements received by programme officials, larger companies
are increasingly seen as a viable target group, but also private individuals.
Therefore, it seems that the regional government is getting more interested
not to address SMEs only. A step in this direction has been taken in 2006, since
when subsidies were also offered on an experimental basis to larger companies,
but only to cover expenses derived from the geographical extension of already
existing IPR titles.
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ANNEX I – CASE STUDIES