Project webpage: www.train4creativity.eu

 

Despite the widespread recognition of the need of creativity and innovation in industry, practical guidance and systematic approaches to managing the creativity process are still not available in an integrated training framework. Therefore, managers still search for better ways to unleash the creativity and the innovative capacity of their employees. It is therefore essential for the modern organizations and enterprises to develop systematic and methodical mechanisms to support the creativity and Innovation of their employees within their everyday business operations. This is exactly the overall aim of the TRACTORS project: Τo develop intergraded training framework (material and methodologies) for creativity and Innovation in the working place aiming to support the European SMEs and R&D organizations to benefit from this knowledge and use it in a practical manner in their every day activities.

More specifically trainees, who will participate in TRACTORS courses will understand the dynamic nature of creativity and innovation process and will learn to meet the demands of creativity and innovation in the workplace. Among others, TRACTORS courses will include techniques of how to build frameworks for filtering and value high quality ideas as well as to identify the negative attitudes that block creativity and innovation (organizational and personal), how to foster a climate of creativity, what are the characteristics of the creative person, where to look for new ideas and how to identify them when they occur.  In addition a well-selected series of courses from leading innovation management researchers & practitioners will be presented in order the trainees to be able to integrate and implement all the above knowledge in the real workplace to develop the organization ability to innovate.

Project TRACTORS is financed by European Funds through the framework of Leonardo Da Vinci programme

 

The specific aims of TRACTORS project are:

1.      To set the boundaries and define the role of all the sciences involved in Creativity and Innovation Management because C&I has a multidisciplinary nature and to provide a certified training process and curricula combining tools and practices from several sciences (Tacit Knowledge Management, H.R Management, Organisational Learning, Organisational Behaviour, etc).

2.      To provide target groups and potential users with a fully documented training material in C&I Management. The material will offer a practical framework to every business or R&D organisations planning to practise such methods.

3.      To provide the European SMEs with necessary tools, which are demonstrated in practise (C&I self-audit tool and methodology) in order SMEs to develop abilities to better identify their obstacles to creativity and innovation and take necessary actions.

4.      To increase the competitiveness and the innovation capacity of European SMEs and other interested organisations by providing them with the necessary creativity tools and practices for their every day activities.

5.      To increase the European business and vocational training community awareness and to cultivate a common consciousness about creativity management in order to create the necessary supporting culture for creativity in Europe.

6.      To increase the adaptability of the business culture as creativity requires the complementarities of both the technological and organisational modernisation as well as change management.

7.      To enlarge the networking and synergies in creativity and Innovation Management between the European SMEs, the research community and vocational training organisations creating a virtual space (portal in creativity and Innovation Management) bringing together people from all these communities.

 

 

 

 

Project Coordinator

Thessaloniki Technology Park Management & Development Corporation S.A (Greece)

 

Partners

University of Western Macedonia (Greece)

Atlantis Consulting S.A (Greece)

Western Business and Innovation Centre (Ireland)

Firenze Tecnologia Special Agency of the Florence Chamber of Commerce (Italy)

Multidisciplinary European Research Institute Graz [MERIG] (Austria)

Kaunas University of Technology Regional Business Incubator (Lithuania)

Labein Technalia (Spain)

 

More info:

Contact Persons:              

 

FOR GREECE: Mando Karvelli, Nikos Katsiadakis, Thessaloniki Technology Park, www.thestep.gr, Tel: + 30 2310 498201, E-mail: mando@thestep.gr

 

CONTRACTOR: Mirari Zaldua, LABEIN Tecnalia, www.labein.es, Parque Tecnológico, Tel: +34946073300, E-mail: mzaldua@labein.es