SARDEGNA RICERCHE

Their core work

Sardegna Ricerche is the regional innovation agency of Sardinia, Italy, providing technology transfer, innovation management, and internationalization support services to local SMEs. They operate as part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), helping small businesses access finance, protect intellectual property, and connect with European markets. Their core work is coaching companies through structured innovation assessments, action plans, and market development strategies — essentially bridging the gap between Sardinian enterprises and the broader EU single market.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2014-2016), Sardegna Ricerche focused on broad innovation assessments and market development for SMEs, with emphasis on Key Account Management and structured coaching plans. From 2017 onward, their work shifted toward more specific financial and IP advisory services — access to finance, intellectual property rights, and support for researchers and spin-offs. This evolution suggests a maturation from general innovation coaching toward deeper, more specialized business support services.

Moving from general SME coaching toward specialized support for research commercialization and spin-off creation, making them increasingly relevant as a bridge between academia and industry in Sardinia.

How they like to work

Sardegna Ricerche always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — their role is to deliver regional EEN services within larger Italian consortia. With only 12 unique partners across a single country, they work in tight, recurring partnerships (the ELSE SIM series ran four consecutive editions with Lazio-based partners). This signals a reliable, stable partner for Italian-focused consortia but not an organization that builds wide European networks independently.

Their network is compact and domestically focused: 12 partners all within Italy, primarily collaborating with organizations in the Lazio region through the recurring ELSE SIM consortium. No evidence of cross-border partnership building beyond the EEN framework.

What sets them apart

Sardegna Ricerche is the primary public innovation intermediary for Sardinia, giving them direct access to the island's SME ecosystem and research institutions. For consortium builders, their value lies in providing a reliable entry point into the Sardinian market — a region with specific economic challenges (insularity, distance from mainland markets) that make local intermediaries essential. They bring continuity: four consecutive ELSE SIM projects demonstrate sustained commitment and accumulated regional knowledge.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ELSE SIM 2020-21
  Their largest funded project (EUR 71,966), representing the culmination of four consecutive editions of SME innovation management work across Sardinia and Lazio.
• SCRIpT
  Their earliest H2020 project (2014), focused on implementing EEN services through the CINEMA consortium — establishes their long track record in innovation support.