SME innovation managementprimary
3 projects
Core focus across UK150330_IMCpilot, EES Innovation CSA, and GreenOffshoreTech — all centered on enhancing SME capacity and support.
Organization
HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS ENTERPRISE
Scottish regional development agency supporting SME innovation, energy transition, and smart specialisation in the Highlands and Islands.
Public authoritysocietyUKNo active H2020 projects
H2020 projects
4
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€486K
Unique partners
25
What they do
Their core work
Highlands & Islands Enterprise is Scotland's regional economic development agency for the Highlands and Islands, focused on helping SMEs grow through innovation support, business advisory services, and connecting firms to European networks. In H2020, they contributed expertise in SME innovation management, Enterprise Europe Network activities, and regional smart specialisation strategies. Their work bridges EU policy frameworks with practical business support for companies in remote and rural regions of Scotland.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Regional smart specialisation and policyprimary
2 projects
RIPEET and GreenOffshoreTech both address regional smart specialisation strategies and innovation policy experimentation.
Energy transition and green innovationemerging
2 projects
RIPEET focuses on responsible innovation for energy transition aligned with the European Green Deal; GreenOffshoreTech targets green offshore technologies.
Blue economy and offshore industriesemerging
1 project
GreenOffshoreTech specifically targets blue economy, offshore industries, and cross-sectoral collaboration in maritime-adjacent sectors.
2 projects
EES Innovation CSA and UK150330_IMCpilot both involved EEN-related SME instrument support activities.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
SME instrument and EEN support
Recent focus
Green transition and regional policy
In 2014–2016, HIE focused narrowly on SME instrument support and innovation management coaching — practical, hands-on business advisory work through the Enterprise Europe Network. By 2021, their focus shifted dramatically toward energy transition, green deal alignment, smart specialisation policy, and cross-sectoral cluster collaboration in blue economy and advanced manufacturing. The evolution reflects a move from operational SME support toward strategic regional innovation policy with a strong sustainability dimension.
HIE is moving toward energy transition and green economy policy experimentation, making them a strong partner for projects needing a regional development perspective on sustainability.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: active_partnerReach: European13 countries collaborated
HIE always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a regional development agency contributing domain knowledge rather than leading research. With 25 unique partners across 13 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in broad, diverse consortia and are well-connected across Europe. They are a reliable consortium member who brings practical SME engagement and regional policy implementation experience.
Despite only 4 projects, HIE has built a broad network of 25 partners across 13 countries, indicating they join large, geographically diverse consortia. Their reach spans well beyond the UK, with strong pan-European connections.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
HIE offers something rare in EU projects: a regional economic development agency from a remote, rural area with direct operational links to SMEs in energy, offshore, and advanced manufacturing. They bring real-world SME engagement infrastructure and understand how EU innovation policy translates into business impact in peripheral regions. For consortium builders, they are an ideal partner when a project needs genuine SME reach and regional smart specialisation credibility.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- RIPEETLargest funded project (EUR 242,875), connecting responsible innovation policy with energy transition and the European Green Deal — a significant thematic upgrade from earlier SME support work.
- GreenOffshoreTechCombines blue economy, advanced manufacturing, and environmental technologies in a cross-sectoral cluster collaboration — reflects HIE's unique position at the intersection of offshore industries and regional innovation.
Cross-sector capabilities
Energy transition and green technologiesBlue economy and offshore industriesAdvanced manufacturingRegional innovation policy
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