BIC PLZEN SPOLECNOST S RUCENIM OMEZENYM

Their core work

BIC Plzen is a Business and Innovation Centre in the Plzeň region of the Czech Republic, operating as part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). They provide innovation management advisory services to SMEs, helping companies access EU funding instruments such as the SME Instrument and EIC Pilot. Their core work is coaching businesses through innovation processes — from identifying funding opportunities to preparing applications and managing innovation portfolios. They serve as a regional bridge between Czech SMEs and European innovation support programs.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

BIC Plzen's focus has remained remarkably consistent across 2015-2021, centered on innovation management and SME Instrument advisory through the Enterprise Europe Network. The notable shift comes in the later period (2019-2021), where EIC Pilot and Key Account Management emerge as new themes — reflecting the EU's own transition from the SME Instrument to the EIC accelerator and a move toward more personalized, intensive support for high-potential companies rather than broad-based advisory.

BIC Plzen is shifting from general SME advisory toward targeted, intensive support for high-growth companies navigating the EIC funding landscape.

How they like to work

BIC Plzen operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with their role as a regional EEN node within a national Czech network. They work within a small, stable group of 5 partners all based in the Czech Republic, renewing the same consortium structure across four consecutive project cycles. This makes them a reliable, low-risk partner for nationally-scoped coordination and support actions, though their consortium experience is narrow.

BIC Plzen collaborates with a tight group of 5 Czech partners, maintaining the same national consortium across four consecutive BISONet projects. Their network is domestically focused with no recorded cross-border consortium partnerships in H2020.

What sets them apart

BIC Plzen's value lies in their deep, continuous presence in the Plzeň region as an EEN contact point — four consecutive project cycles demonstrate institutional stability and trusted local relationships with SMEs. For anyone needing a reliable partner to reach Czech SMEs in western Bohemia or to deliver innovation support services on the ground, BIC Plzen offers proven regional access. However, their experience is limited to coordination and support actions; they have no track record in research or technology development projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BISONet PLUS4 ENH
  Most recent project (2020-2021) marking the transition to EIC Pilot advisory and Key Account Management — signals their evolving service model.
• BISONet PLUS ENH
  The founding project (2015-2016) that established BIC Plzen's role in the Czech EEN consortium for innovation management support.