Overall goals, project goals and milestones The overall goal of the project is to increase the number of innovative SMEs and thereby help to strengthen their competitiveness. The project goal is to shorten the distance between innovative idea to market-established innovation. The milestones are to provide customised sustainable innovation advice, to promote cooperation with other promoters and with the business community that leads to innovation, and to contribute to greater sustainability and to make more SMEs aware decisions. How to work to achieve the project’s goals Needed innovation advice based on the challenges of companies is the starting point. The project will work with customised advice, business panels, test beds and workshops/seminars. Methods for group coaching and experience exchange groups will be tested and further developed. The project will combine the offer with Almi’s other operations and partners in order to strengthen the effort against the individual company. The project will further contribute to SME’s sustainability efforts and sustainable innovations. Short description of the project’s activities Among other things, the project will arrange workshops in, for example, innovation, internationalisation and digitalisation, conduct needs analysis to discuss challenges and needs of support, sustainability, innovation, service and product development and networks/external contacts -advice individually or in groups with a holistic approach to the innovation process. The innovation advisory process includes advice on intellectual property rights and how these can be protected. —Business panels where entrepreneurs/companies pitch ideas for panels with experts and get feedback on their ideas/projects How the regional industry will participate in implementation The target group for the project is small and these participate in several of the project’s activities. Established entrepreneurs and startups will also participate in the project by offering advice and expertise to sme. Among the expected results and benefits at the end of the project period are a platform for innovative SMEs where they are offered support in the development of innovative ideas, that Almi has become a partner for an incubators, hubs and other networks that are working to develop innovative ideas, sme will be prepared and engaged in activities that capture innovative ideas and build competitive advantages and thus have strengthened their competitiveness and development opportunities, Sme has been part of networks with other companies that become permanent after the project. Expected long-term effects can be mentioned that innovative SMEs have developed sustainably and that their competitiveness has been strengthened, that Stockholm County has access to stable and independent innovation advice, that the support system around innovation development has been made more accessible and the actors’ offerings in various respects have been coordinated.