Picks in the News

The 4th European Congress of Local Governments

The Institute for Eastern Studies is organizing the 4^th European Congress of Local Governments. The event taking place in Krakow, Poland on the 26^th and 27^th of April will gather 2,000 participants representing regional elites, government officials, business executives, NGOs and journalists from all over Europe.

Through thematic blocks, panel discussions, workshops, lectures, presentations and receptions the Congress intends to be a meeting platform to exchange views with public administration, NGOs and business.

Among the wide range of topics that will be addressed it is worth mentioning the panel focused on “How Can Local Governments Support Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises?”. Based on the assumption that small and medium enterprises drive economic growth, determining the national market’s condition, panelists will discuss the following main issues:

• What kind of benefits can development of small and medium enterprises bring to the regional economies?
• In what way do local governments support enterprises?
• Where can small and medium companies look for the public services?

More information is available at the following page.

The International SME Convention

The International SME Convention (ISC) is an event organized by India SME Forum in collaboration with the Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. From the 22^nd to the 24^th of April the top 500 Indian SMEs and International SMEs from over 30 nations will gather in New Delhi, India to build business partnerships, form joint ventures, and explore new test markets. The ISC will cover 36 focus-sectors, including renewable energy, consumer electronics, textiles, chemicals, construction, health products, and electronic systems and information technology.

Special focus seminars with extensive Q&A time, will also be conducted for Women Entrepreneurs and startups covering topics ranging from setting up a business, finding financing, global business opportunities, growing a sustainable business. Speakers include successful women entrepreneurs from around the world.

International entrepreneurs interested in business partnerships with Indian SMEs can register to the hosted SME Program which offers:

• 2 All Access Passes
• 10 Minute slot for Product Presentation in focus sector areas
• 1 complimentary Expo Display Stall for showcasing innovative products at Convention
• Business Matching & Diligence Services from India SME Forum & Facilitation for Deal/MOU signing at event
• Complimentary Stay for 2 people in one Double Room for 3 nights at a partner hotel (4* or 5*)  next to the venue.

More details is available here.

For any further information about the event please visit this page. In case of any question send an e-mail to isc@indiasmeforum.org or have a Whatsapp chat with the organizers by contacting the following numbers + 91 7710000939 or +91 7710000960.

The World Intellectual Property Day – 26th of April 2018

The 26th of April 2018 will be the World Intellectual Property Day, an initiative organized every year by the World Intellectual Property Organization (INSME Member) to celebrate the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity.

This year the activities organized in this special day will deal with “Powering change: Women in innovation and creativity” with the aim of highlighting how the intellectual property (IP) system can support women with game-changing inventions in bringing them to the market.

The World Intellectual Property Day offers a variety of opportunities to all those organizations interested in getting involved: from public debates to workshops, exhibitions, interviews, photo competitions and much more.

To concretely contribute to the initiative, please have a look at the complete list of suggested activities at this link.

For any further information about the World Intellectual Property Day, please click here.

Policy Brief on Women's Entrepreneurship

The European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – OECD (INSME Moral Sponsor) have recently released a policy brief on women’s entrepreneurship analyzing  the gender gap in entrepreneurship, the differences between male- and female- owned businesses, and the challenges that female entrepreneurs face when they decide to start a business.

Women have an unexploited entrepreneurial talent and policy makers have to unlock this potential. New policy approaches to support women entrepreneurs are starting to emerge and the policy brief highlights those that provide more support for growth-oriented women entrepreneurs through:

• dedicated business incubators and business accelerator programmes and
• the creation of an infrastructure for risk capital.

In order to reduce the gender gap, the institutional conditions need to be improved. It is important to promote women entrepreneurs as role models and ensure that the education system is gender-neutral and does not discourage women from going into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The policy brief also suggests the adoption of more targeted actions ensuring that family, social and tax policies do not discriminate against entrepreneurship by women.

The full policy brief is downloadable here.

Find out more