INPROCAP project

The "Building Innovation Procurement Capabilities in Big Science – INPROCAP" is an EU funded project under Horizon Europe programme. It aims to establish specialist advisory services on innovation procurement. Mainly among national Industrial Liaison Officers (ILOs) who work with Big Science Organisations (BSOs). Including entities like CERN and EuXFEL, BSOs are major European investments driving advancements in various fields such as energy, health, materials, environment, and IT. The INPROCAP project has three primary objectives: 1. Motivate start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from across Europe to participate in Big Science innovation procurement processes. 2. Enable ILOs to provide specialist advisory services on innovation procurement to public procurers from among BSOs. 3. Establish innovation procurement as a standard tool in the Big Science market. INPROCAP will develop and implement a sustainable, long-term advisory platform for innovation procurement processes within the Big Science innovation ecosystem. It will integrate innovation procurement knowledge into the roles of ILOs, leveraging their network to engage innovative companies across Europe. Currently, ILOs assist companies from their respective countries in securing contracts with large international and national public research and science infrastructures (BSOs). Moreover, they also provide feedback on procurement processes. Through INPROCAP, ILOs will gain comprehensive knowledge and a specialized toolbox for innovative procurement. This enhancement will allow them to build on their deep technical knowledge and market expertise, further boosting innovation and engaging SMEs, start-ups, and innovators in both national and international ecosystems.