The on-line PIM Platform has been developed within the European Project “Improving innovation in business process management of Eastern Europe SMEs by using qualified Process Innovation Managers”, supported IST “Information Society Technology” and co-funded by the European Commission (FP6).

The new PIM platform address is http://89.96.249.242/proto_pim

THE NEED FOR INNOVATION
The PIM project was initiated further the recognition that a culture for business process innovation, within organizations such as SMEs, represents the best insurance that they can succeed in the dynamic EU economy.
Considering that innovation is an essential means to create competitive advantages and to improve product/service position on the market, PIM project promotes the idea that, either individuals and groups or organizations should continuously improve the processes. PIM boosts the performance and competitiveness of SMEs, providing them with a technological platform aimed at facilitating the collaboration among innovation managers, providing them with a virtual cooperative environment, allowing the management and sharing of the latest innovation-related information and technological tools within East-European SMEs.
The approach of innovation in SMEs is of major importance in leveraging productivity growth in the European economy, since SMEs represent the clear majority in Europe. For them is crucial to combine external knowledge and internally available knowledge and technology.

PIM OBJECTIVE is to support the organizations’ managers in the implementation of really innovative solutions within their SMEs business processes, with a focus on organizational performance and competitiveness improvement. This aim is accomplished by the means of an innovative technological platform, including advanced profiles, collaborative tools and multi-lingual display, in order to support the broadcasting of process innovation in countries throughout Europe.

PIM PARTNERS
Business Schools:
• Polytechnic University of Milan, MIP – Consorzio per l’innovazione nella gestione delle imprese e della (Italy)
• University of Miskolc, Miskolci Egytem (Hungary)

Technical Partners:
• Quality & Reliability AE (Greece)
• Sineura Spa (Italy)
• GFI Benelux SA (Belgium)
• International System House Ltd (Hungary)

Certification Bodies:
• IGQ – Istituto Italiano della Garanzia della Qualità (Italy), IQNet partner
• CQS – Sdruzeni pro Certifikaci Systemu Jakosti (Czech Republic), IQNet partner
• SIQ – Slovenski Institut za Kakovost in Meroslovje, Ljubjana (Slovenia), IQNet partner
• MSZT – Magyar Szabványügyi Testület (Hungary), IQnet partner
• SRAC – Societatea Romana pentru Asigurarea Calitatii (Romania), IQNet partner
• Region Podlaski NSZZ “Solidarnosc” (Poland)

ADVANTAGES OF JOINING PIM COMMUNITY
Benefits for SMEs:
During the Project and after, the SMEs:
- access PIM Platform and benefit of its services without effective costs;
- are trained to use the technological functionalities and, especially, to use PIM solution in order to support and implement innovation in organization;
- approach a problem arisen during their activity, related to business process innovation, being supported by PIM Consortium partners, in exploiting the selected knowledge and sharing knowledge and best practices in PIM Community;
- select the specific business processes on which the PIM solution will be based on, according to their needs;
-  improve inter-companies relations, abroad too, and competitiveness in the enlarged European market.

Benefits for INNOVATORS:
The Innovators are all organisations, such as Association for Innovation, Incubators, Chambers of Commerce, Industrial Association, Universities and Advisory companies, which usually lead the innovation in each Country.
During and after the project, Innovators:
- access to PIM Network and use its services with no effective cost
- share their experience and knowledge into the PIM Community making themselves visible to a large scale of potential customers
- could demonstrate their capacity of supporting innovation within enterprises, cooperating with SMEs to face everyday problems about real business process themes, through the use of the PIM Solution services too.

THE MAIN TASKS CARRIED OUT IN PIM PROJECT
• The development of a technological platform to allow managers from Eastern European SMEs working with an innovative instrument.
Currently, the final prototype of PIM Platform is subject to trials by all involved users. At the end of April PIM Platform will be publicly launched.

• An extended set of researches and demonstrative activities, involving:
– User requirements analysis, by involving at least 200 East-European SMEs
– Large trial sessions by involving at least East- European 80 SMEs in using PIM Platform to stimulate business process innovation
– Developing the best practices (PIM Handbook)

The working sessions with the SMEs and Innovators involved in the Project activities, involved 60 persons and have been conducted as follows:
-  9 – 14 February 2007 – training and testing of the PIM Demo Solution (23 participants)
- 27 – 31 August 2007 – training and testing of Prototype I PIM (22 participants).
- 17 – 20 December 2007 – training and testing of Prototype II PIM (28 participants)
- 4 – 8 February 2008 – training and testing of Final PIM Prototype (27 participants)
The meetings were focused towards:
- training the participants on PIM Platform: innovation related aspects, Platform functionalities, benefits for users, etc.
- testing PIM prototypes, assessment and improvement of functionalities
- project activities: development of case studies related to business process innovation, identifying solutions through PIM Platform and selecting the best practices.

SPECIAL THANKS
We thank to all organizations’ representatives, which contributed to the development of this innovative tool and dedicated a share of their time and experience to support the activities of this project.

JOIN PIM COMMUNITY
For more details concerning the possibility to become a member of PIM Community, please contact us by e-mail pim@srac.ro.

For more information about PIM project, please visit www.pim-project.com.

The Romanian Society for Quality Assurance, in cooperation with the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Centre for Advanced Technologies and the National Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises INIMM, have the pleasure to invite you to the Seminar „Supporting innovation in Romanian organizations. Innovative instruments for successful companies”, organized on 27 May 2008, in the Festivity Hall of the Technical University of Bucharest – Faculty of Installations, from 66 Pache Protopopescu Blvd, Bucharest, according to the Agenda (click here).

The seminar is aimed at presenting relevant aspects related to business process innovation – present and perspective, importance of business ethics as well as the introduction of a solution, developed in the framework of the European PIM project, to facilitate innovation, knowledge transfer and cooperation at European level.
For more information about PIM project, please visit www.pim-project.com.
 
The seminar is organized within the European PC6-IST Project PIM „Improving innovation in business process management of Eastern Europe SMEs by using Qualified Process Innovation Managers”, in which the Romanian Society for Quality Assurance is partner.

To register the event, please fill in the Registration Form (click here) and send it by fax: +40 21 3132380 or e-mail srac@srac.ro, until 22.05.2008. The registration is free of charge.

You can support us in achieving the project objectives also by disseminating the results of PIM project to your partner or subordinated organizations.

For any additional details and information, feel free to contact us at phone +40 21 3136335 – Marketing & PR Department.

We are looking forward to receiving your registrations!