Most of incubated SMEs struggle to become a solid reality; they're compelled to face a strong competitive environment with few resources. Though, their readiness for change, the close links to the incubator organization and its networks, the nearness of other incubated and complementary SMEs, and the frequent proximity to knowledge and technology poles, may be regarded as encouraging factors, and often result in incubated SMEs being amongst the companies with the larger potential for innovation. On the other side, national governments trying to meet Lisbon objectives, namely in terms of private investment in R&D, are encouraging spin-offs and entrepreneurship and providing incentives, as tax benefits or support to creation of R&D structures in companies. But seldom do incubated SMEs take advantage of such incentives, as they lack the resources and information to apply, being too focused in their daily business.

Boost-It proposes to bridge these two realities, and contributing to exploit the innovation potential of incubated SMEs by developing a range of services that will help them to benefit from Community and national incentives. Boost-It gathers into a permanent structure a core group of innovation service providers and small incubator societies, in order to develop a framework (made of services and tools), capable of supporting incubated SMEs through the live-cycle of their own innovation projects.