From day one, we conceived it not just as a report that stores knowledge (which it also does), but as a practical tool for public decision-making and collaboration between companies, agents, and the administration. The purpose: to reflect on the innovation model that the region wants and can have, and to convert data and listening into real, sustained levers of change.
To achieve this, we combined three lines of work: primary sources (structured interviews with SMEs and ecosystem agents, an ad hoc questionnaire, and co-creation dynamics), secondary sources (comparative analysis and previous documentation), and future design methodologies to guide action with clear scenarios.
We articulated the content into five major focuses that facilitate the implementation of measures: interregional comparison, sectoral policies, systemic measures for an ‘innovative region,’ responses to SME barriers, and actions linked to future scenarios. This architecture allows each actor to find ‘where to act’ according to their role and capabilities.
The diagnosis showed enormous potential but also very specific frictions, which are what offer us the possibility to act and evolve. The practical result is materialized in a catalog of actions and recommendations and in four short-to-medium-term strategic lines. All of this is accompanied by a call to define long-term lines coherent with the innovation model that Aragon decides to promote.
In synthesis, this White Paper is a starting point for thinking, deciding, and acting with shared ambition: a guide to transform the innovative potential of Aragonese SMEs into tangible and sustainable results, based on proximity and collaboration.
