The first phase of PerúDesignNet consisted of a tender to small and medium enterprises in Peru from the Crafts, Gastronomy and Tourism sectors. These SMEs were invited to propose problems from their context, in order to be selected to become a platform for the development of real and innovative solutions.

A total of six proposals were selected from the almost 200 received. The winning companies are the following:

SMEs SELECTION CRITERIA

1. It must be a company or business conglomerate whose headquarters, or one of whose work centres, is based in Peru.
2. It must be a company that seeks to include improvements, processes, services and solutions for technological and non-technological innovation in its activities, and fulfils the requirements established by the PerúDesignNet organisation.
3. It must be an SME that can commit to the 12 months that the projects lasts, providing a supervisor, facilities, operational capacity and the ability to produce the prototype.
4. It must be an SME that fulfils the requirements established by the current legislation set by the Peruvian government.

All the SMEs fulfil the requirements set out above. The following factors were also taken into account:

• Innovation degree.
• Valuing of the entrepreneur and the managing team.
• Potential for growth.