INNOVACOOP is an SME founde in 2012 to promote innovation and internationalization processes of cooperatives associated to Legacoop Emilia-Romagna. This cooperative association represents 1,250 enterprises, 150,000 employees, 2.8 million shareholders and a total production value amounting to 32 billion Euro in 2016.

INNOVACOOP carries out promotion, information, dissemination, support to knowledge and technology transfer activities for the benefit of regional cooperatives associated to Legacoop. INNOVACOOP also supports the participation of cooperatives into public programmes sustaining research & innovation and internationalization processes. Activities consist in technical assistance for the development of the cooperative business model at international level (e.g. in Argentina, Brasil and Tunisia) and for the implementation of innovation and internationalization processes. More specifically, actions are developed in order to:

• favour the access to public financing for project development and funding;

• stimulate networking, research, technical/technological expertise and knowledge scouting and sharing;

• promote Industry-Science relations and the development of innovation partnerships; cooperation with Universities, research centres, innovation clusters and platforms;

• support cooperation among cooperatives;

• foster the creation of innovative startups and spinoffs.