The Making Knowledge Work (MKW) consortium consists of 12 ambitious regions wishing to improve their regional innovation capacity. They all observe that excellent research does not always find its way into commercially valuable innovations and excellent ideas are often not used. Policy action is needed to bridge the gap in the innovation chain. It asks for projects on micro level and meso level strategies, measures and platforms that improve RTD-support by the regional innovation ecosystem. All actors within the triple helix must be involved.Overall objective:Transferring and mainstreaming good practices to improve the innovation capacity of regions, by bridging gaps within the innovation chain. The focus will be on the link between RTD and the final stage of innovation: MKW will mainstream activities, policies and measures that stimulate the take up of innovative ideas and knowledge to transform them into chances for economic value added.MKW will mainstream good practices that involve all actors of the triple helix, for example:- activities that pick up and valorise unused ideas and patents from universities or larger companies- good practices that are putting researchers into contact with potential launching customers- public authorities stimulating innovation by asking for innovative products in their procurement policies- improving the availability and entrance to (pre) seed capital- strategies to address intellectual property and patents (IPR)Sub-objectives are:A. Exposing and analyzing good practices that support the transformation from knowledge and ideas into chances for economic value added.B. Preparing the ground for their transfer by investigating the conditions for transferability and necessary supportive actions.C. Joint development of demand-oriented regional Action Plans.D. Promoting good practices, transferability and consortium-building beyond the project partnership.Partners will participate in Fact Finding Missions to visit successful good practices and to investigate the opportunities to transfer (elements of) them to their own region. Subsequently, partners will work on their regional action plans that will elaborate how the identified practices will be implemented through the mainstream programme of their region. Partners will gather regularly in Central Sessions and will receive additional information and training on specific topics, according to their needs. Project activities also include Brussels Briefings on specific MKW-themes, for daily practitioners, experts and policy makers beyond the project consortium.MKW aims to achieve intensive stakeholder involvement. Partners will act demand oriented. The Regional Managing Authorities will be closely involved. The European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) will guarantee that the project will be accompanied and reflected throughout its network of 70 dynamic regions in Europe. Achievements: The Making Knowledge Work (MKW) project aims to bridge gaps in the innovation chain which have held back Europes creative potential for too long. MKW brings together regions from across the European Union that are dedicated to investing in knowledge and turning inventive ideas into marketable products and services. Project partners have proposed good practices that set high standards in the development of innovative ideas and the effective commercialisation of R&D results. With an inventory of 12 good practices (GP) MKW covered a broad range of approaches, methodologies and activities. Examples of good practices include Creative Conversion Factory (CCF, Brainport Eindhoven), Innoscope SME innovation tool (region Lille), Competence Centres (Stuttgart Region) and Innovative Public Procurement (Helsinki Region). Intensive exchanges of experiences took place during fact-finding missions that provided first hand experience, while project partners learned from each others experiences.Eleven MKW partners have set up a regional action plan (RAP) signed by a wide diversity of stakeholders and MA's. In some regions the RAPs are strongly related to new policy plans (Navarra, Lodz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Nord-Pas de Calais). In other regions RAPs are mainly allocated to projects and regional initiatives (e.g. Brainport Eindhoven Region, Helsinki, Stuttgart Region, West-Midlands UK, Milan and Flanders). Examples of GP transfer from one region to another are 1) adapting the SME Innoscope-tool (Lille) by Birmingham Science Park and Brainport Development NV, 2) implementing the Competence Centre approach (Stuttgart) by Milan region and 3) plans for an innovation lab in Kujawsko-Pomorskie based on the good practices in Oresund (Mobile Heights), Brainport (CCF) and Aalto Design Factory (Helsinki). Six concrete RAP projects have already been submitted for funding during the MKW-project (regions Lodz, Brainport Eindhoven, Birmingham and Flanders).However specific mainstreaming options of RAPs are a problem as they are scarce, as in many regions EFRD-funds have been (almost) fully depleted (a.o. Brainport, Stuttgart, Lancaster). Alternative financial routes have been sought for the implementation of RAPs (at local, regional, national and European level). The MKW Mainstreaming Guide contains detailed information on the regional GPs, RAPs and a summary of the project findings (download on www.makingknowledgework.eu). The MKW project has had impact on policies and instruments in all MKW regions. Examples are:- Navarra: Regional Innovation Strategy and 4th Technology Plan of Navarra 2012-2015- Lodz: Regional Operational Programme for the Lodz Region for years 2007-2013- West-Midlands: Birmingham City Council Development Plan- Kujawsko-Pomorskie: Regional Operational Programme of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship 2007-2013- Brainport Eindhoven Region: Brainport 2020 Strategy and Implementation ProgrammeThe Making Knowledge Work project has deployed a wide range of dissemination activities a.o.:- Two Newsletters, a wide range of press releases / articles in all MKW regions- Organisation of four succesfull Brussels Briefing: 25 October 2010 on EU's Innovation Union, 23 February 2011 on MKW good practices, 22 June 2011 on Smart Specialisation and 12 December 2011 on Future EU Policies and regional innovation- MKW project has been presented and discussed at a variety of (regional) innovation and economic events- MKW video clip in 7 languages a.o. screened during the 3rd Brussels Briefing, the Regions for Economic Change Conference (23-24 June) and at the Interreg IVC briefing on 12th July 2011 for more than 100 elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) On 16 and 17 November 2011 a very succesfull Final MKW-event was organised embedded in the Creativity World Forum 2011 in Hasselt, Belgium. The workshop on the 2nd day was evaluated as the best of all CWF-workshops.