About 80 representatives from Italian and Tunisian technical and entrepreneurial intermediaries and international organisations gathered in Tunis on December 13, 2004, for the RésIT Project Partnership Day, jointly organised by the Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion (IPI) and the Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Energy and SMEs.

The event presented the main results of the RésIT project (Italian-Tunisian Network of Intermediaries to Approach International Markets), namely the opportunities and means to internationalise Italian and Tunisian services to neighbouring countries. Presentation included the financial instruments available to reach this goal.

Special sessions were focussed on partnership promotion in the textile and clothing, leather and shoes, packaging, mechanics and electrics sectors.

Sites visits to the four Tunisian centres involved in the project took place in the afternoon.

For further information about the RésIT Project Partnership Day visit the INSME portal, where you can also find a photo gallery of the event:
 http://www.insme.org

To learn more about the RésIT Project go to:
 http://www.insme.org/

Strengthening Innovation and Technology Policies for SME Development in Turkey - Opportunities for Private Sector Involvement

The report, which has just been published, provides important perspectives on Turkey's integration process with Europe as well as several recommendations for both the public and private sector on how to enhance performance in innovation and SME development in Turkey. In particular, Turkey's ability to foster more R&D investment, knowledge intensity of manufacturing and trade, capital market development, entrepreneurial activity and internationalisation of the private sector require urgent attention and are dealt with in this report.

The report is available for download on IKED website:
 http://www.iked.org/default.asp?id=1&ACT=5&content=132&mnu=1

For information contact:
Ms. Glenda Napier
 glenda.napier@iked.org

See also the European Union's Policy Scoreboard on Turkey:
http://trendchart.cordis.lu/tc_country_list.cfm?ID=41

From January 2005, the 3 INSME Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) will be freely available to the public without the previously necessary authentication (up to now this area of the INSME portal has been accessible solely through the use of a username and a password). This means that anyone browsing through the INSME portal will be able to read the messages posted by participants in these discussion rooms. Authentication will be required only when posting a message or replying to a message already posted.

Registered users will also receive an e-mail alert notifying them when new messages are posted in the TWGs for which they are configured.

We remind readers that participation in the TWGs is open to anyone interested in exchanging knowledge on specific topics regarding innovation and technology transfer or SMEs related issues, either INSME Members or non-Members.

The Thematic Working Groups that are currently available are: 

• the TWG on Innovation Finance and Venture Capital; 
• the TWG on Information and Communication Technology; 
• the TWG on Innovative Enterprises.

Further information on TWGs can be found at:
 http://www.insme.org/

To express your interest in participating in one or more of the INSME Thematic Working Groups or to propose a topic for a new TWG, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Mr. Mariano Cordone
 secretariat@insme.it
Phone: +39 06 80972.472
Fax: +39 06 80972.443

We are pleased to announce that a Japanese version of the main sections of the INSME portal is now available:
http://www.chusho.meti.go.jp/insme/

This service is kindly provided by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Information about the INSME Association, its Members, organisation and activities is also available on the INSME portal in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

If you are a professional with proven experience and expertise in the fields of innovation, technology transfer and SME related issues (management, training, Information Technology fields, etc.), seize this opportunity: send the INSME Secretariat your CV to be included in the INSME Experts Database available for INSME Members.

Information on how to apply and details about the areas of expertise can be found at:
 http://www.insme.org/

You can also contact the INSME Secretariat:
Ms. Valentina Milazzo
 milazzo@ipi.it
Phone: +39 06 809472.517
Fax: +39 06 80972.443

Deadline: January 15, 2004

INSME is pleased to announce that a training programme on innovation and technology management is currently being jointly organised with the Federal Investment Council (Argentinean public body) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs.

The course will be held in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in the end of June 2005 and, as always, INSME Members will be entitled to reduced fees for participation. Details will be available in early 2005.

If you are interested in attending or getting more information, contact the INSME Secretariat:
Mr. Mariano Cordone
 secretariat@insme.it
Phone: +39 06 80972.472
Fax: +39 06 80972.443

The Serbian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (SASME), founded in 2001, is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation. It has complete private ownership. The Association aims at developing entrepreneurship in the Republic of Serbia and facilitate the relationship of its entrepreneurs with international financial organisations, chamber's of commerce, other associations and unions.  The Members of SASME are legal and private persons. They cooperate and contribute with their activities to the accomplishment of the goals and duties of the Association. It is financed by the founding capital, voluntary donations from legal and private persons and sponsors. SASME is also a member of the OECD/LEED partners Club (Local Economic and Employment Development Programme) and has joined the INSME Association in July 2004.

For further information on the Serbian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, please visit its website at:
 http://www.srb-smeasoc.org/?lang=en

Read also about the II International Serbian SME Congress, organised by SASME in cooperation with the SME UNION of the European People's Party and SEA (Serbian Employers Association) in Belgrade, Serbia on December 18, 2004.

In 2005 small businesses in less developed countries will be granted greater access to credit, savings, insurance, transfer remittances and other financial services.

As a matter of fact, the year 2005 has been declared the International Year of Microcredit by the United Nations in an effort to build support for making financial services more accessible to poor and low-income people, raise public awareness about microcredit and microfinance and promote innovative partnerships among governments, donors, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academia and microfinance clients.

The International Year of Microcredit is one of the tools helping to reach the Millennium Development Goal of cutting in half, by 2015, the proportion of people living on less than one dollar a day.

Read the UN communication to the press:
 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/dev2492.doc.htm

Visit the website dedicated to the International Year of Microcredit 2005:
 http://www.yearofmicrocredit.org/

Starting from January 1, 2005, a new definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises will be in use in the European Union. This new definition retains the staff number thresholds used to determine SME sizes since 1996, but substantially raises the financial ceilings (turnover or balance sheet total) to take account of inflation and productivity growth.

In particular, the category of SMEs will be made up of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.

The definition of an SME aims to ensure that the benefit of access to national SME support mechanisms and European programmes supporting SMEs is reserved exclusively for those enterprises which have the characteristics of real SMEs (without the economic strength of larger groupings).

Further information about the new SME definition is available at:
 http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/n26026.htm

The INSME Secretariat is exploring opportunities to promote the Association and establish contacts in Russia. A first result has been achieved through the initiation of discussions for the creation of a partnership with "Technology Business in Russia". Dialogue for the establishment of this alliance focused on strategic guidelines and mutual benefits that could result from the partnership.

"Technology Business in Russia" is a web resource covering high-tech business and innovation in the country. It includes a database of business incubators, investment funds, business angels' portals, scientific and technology parks and a section dedicated to technology projects and to partner search.

http://www.techbusiness.ru/

This book, published by Calibre Communications, offers case studies of comparative market research showing industry attitudes to research and technology based organisations in the USA, Europe and Australia, providing insights into the perceptions and conditions that lead to successful partnerships between industry and research organizations.

It also includes a new chapter on positioning knowledge-based organisations, technology market assessments, and many other topics useful to innovation and technology commercialisation professionals like your members.

An appendix offers some checklists, market survey templates and other job tools of immediate interest to innovation and technology commercialization professionals.

Thanks to an agreement with the publishers, a special 20% discount is offered to INSME Association Members who order the book, provided they mention their membership in their faxed or web orders.

Order forms are available at:
 http://www.calibrecommunications.biz

The World Bank's Development Marketplace (DM) Program has launched its call for proposals for the next Global DM (DM2005), focussed on projects related to the environment. As such, all proposal submissions should reflect the theme "Innovations for Livelihoods in a Sustainable Environment".

Proposals are welcome from a range of development innovators' civil society groups, social entrepreneurs, private foundations, academia, private sector corporations, as well as staff from the World Bank and other donor organizations.

Deadline for submitting proposals: January 21, 2005.

For instructions and detailed information on how to apply, visit the Development Marketplace website:
 http://www.developmentmarketplace.org

or contact the DM team:
 DMinfo@worldbank.org

Within the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6), the European Commission has published a call for proposals under the specific programme Integrating and Strengthening the European Research Area and specific activity Policy support and anticipating scientific and technological needs.

Download the text of the call to know the details about the areas covered and instruments to be used:
 FP6 Call - Scientific Support to Policies

Deadline for submitting proposals: 1 February 2005

Title: "Via Economic Cooperation to EU Integration".

Organised by: the Serbian Association of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SASME) and the Serbian Employers Association (SEA) in cooperation with the SME UNION of the European People's Party.

Participants: high-ranking politicians, Members of the European Parliament, heads of international organisations, representatives of the European Commission and SMEs.

The programme included sessions focussed on SMEs' role in the process of globalisation and ways for attracting investments and strengthening the finance sectors in the Balkans. A presentation of INSME was made by Ms. Simona Marzetti, INSME Secretary General, in the first panel.

Download the full programme:
 II International Serbian SME Congress - Programme

Update your agenda!

The "Small & Medium Enterprises International Conference and Exhibition" will take place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from January 31 to February 2, 2005. The Marriot Hotel will be the new meeting venue.

Registrations are open until January 5, 2005.

We remind readers that a special reduced registration fee (US$ 150 instead of US$ 200) is foreseen for INSME Association Members who intend to attend the meeting. Please, mention you are an INSME Member when registering.

Register now! We look forward to welcoming you in Dubai.

For further information:
 Conference website
 Conference Presentation
 Conference Programme
 info@seagull.ae

In the framework of the 7th CEI (Central European Initiative) Summit Economic Forum in Portoroz (Slovenia), an extended meeting of the Working Group on SMEs took place on November, 2004, in which 12 CEI Member States as well as special guests from the TurnAround Management Group (EBRD), OEDC/LEED Programme, CECCI Secretariat (Unioncamere), ICE (Italian Institute for Foreign Trade - Italy), Informest (Italy) and representatives of the private sector involved in CEI Co-operation Activities participated.

The meeting provided an occasion for discussing ways of implementing three concrete activities which have been identified by the Working Group as effective means of promoting the development of the SMEs in the CEI Region and have reached now an advanced stage of preparation:
� the creation of an Interactive Database for Enterprises and Association (Bulgaria);
� the promotion of the Internationalization of Clusters in the CEI Region (Slovenia);
� the promotion of investments in Innovative SMEs (Croatia).

For further information visit:
 http://www.ceinet.org/home.php
or contact Mr. Leonardo Baroncelli:
  baroncelli@cei-es.org

If you want to be kept regularly informed about major international events related to innovation, technology transfer and SME issues, you can subscribe to the weekly INSME E-mail Alert for Events.

Here is this month's selection of interesting events:

06-09 January 005
The Future of Research in Europe - a Knowledge Base for Policy and Management
First annual PRIME (Policies for Research and Innovation in the Move towards the European Research Area) conference
Manchester, United Kingdom

10-11 January 2005
"Challenges of design promotion in Europe"
A two day conference organised by APCI (Agency for the Promotion of Industrial Creation)
Paris, France

14 January 2005
SMEs in the EU VI RDT Framework Programme
Organised by the Agency for the Promotion of the European Research
Roma, Italy

14 January 2005
Experts Seminar: "Presentation of the mid-term Results of the Feasibility Study of a European Statute for SMEs"
Organised by European Commission's DG Enterprise
Brussels, Belgium

19-21 January 2005
"Intellectual Capital & Innovation"
26th McMaster World Congress
Hamilton (Ontario), Canada

20 January 2005
More Energy for SMEs!
Conference focussed on the future of the European Energy market and its effects on SMEs. Organised by SME Union.
Budapest, Hungary

20 January 2005
Why and How to Use a Subsidiary Company to Facilitate Technology Transfer
Workshop organised by ASTP (Association of European Science & Technology Transfer Professionals)
Copenhagen, Denmark

25 January 2005
2005 Symposium on SMEs & Transnational Cooperation: Boosting Innovation for a Competitive Europe - Implementing the Lisbon Agenda
Organised by SME Union
Brussels, Belgium

26-27 January 2005
Small Business Day 05
Organised by the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research
Orebro, Sweden

31 January - 02 February 2005
Small & Medium Enterprises International Conference and Exhibition
Organised by the Department of Economic Development, UAE; Seagull Group; Council of Arab Business Women; WASME; INSME
Dubai (new venue: Mariott Hotel), United Arab Emirates