MS08: Implementation of 6 Training seminars on Capacity Building on Public Procurement of Innovation in Regional Hubs

The first four workshops/seminars with identified target audiences have taken place and most of the remaining will take place before the end of 2016. The final session will take place in Q1 2017, due to availability issues with some of the intended audience. The team aims to produce either a roadmap/guidemap for preparing and implementing successful PPIs in Research Infrastructures (for use also by other projects), or to provide recommendations for the European Commission on specific requirements that will allow PPIs to be implemented successfully by Research Infrastructures. Currently identified issues centre around the fact that at RIs much of the research is also done at the RI itself and it is sometimes difficult to draw demarcation lines on activities and responsibilities. This issue then becomes one of perception of whether PPI should be a science-led instrument for innovation or a - more traditional - procurement instrument. This will be discussed further in the next seminars. Although the Roadmap is not an official deliverable in the BrightnESS project, the consortium is willing to produce such a document, following discussion and agreement with the European Commission on the 7th December 2016.