Over 80 representatives from public and private innovation and business support organisations of 14 different countries across the world are expected for the upcoming INSME-UNIDO International Training Programme on:

"Business Start-up and Access to Finance for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and New Technology-Based Firms" 30 November - 1 December 2006  Final Agenda [256 Kb] Venue: IPI Headquaters Viale Pilsudski, 124 - Rome, Italy

INSME thanks the following partnering organisations: UNIDO ITPO Bahrain, UNIDO ITPO Italy, Bahrain Development Bank, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Investment Fund, venture capital fund Pino Partecipazioni, Z-Cube, Invent SAS Innovation Venture, European Business and Innovation Centers Network, Italian Business Angels Network, Europe+, Meta Group, Torino Wireless Foundation, FILAS and Sviluppo Italia.

Speakers' presentations will be available on the INSME portal after the training programme's conclusion.

Contact the INSME Secretariat for the latest arrangements: 
 secretariat@insme.it

After the successful outcome of the first Italian entrepreneurial mission to Qingdao (China) on November 3-11, the INSME Association is pleased to support the organisation of the next Italian-Chinese Meeting on Innovative Technologies for SMEs in Tianjin (Hebei District) on January 19-27, 2007.

The aim of this initiative is to facilitate the transfer of Italian knowledge and of innovative technologies to Chinese SMEs, as well as to promote the settlement of Italian innovative SMEs in China and viceversa.

 Read the Report on the Qingdao mission [in Italian]
 Learn more about the Tianjin mission [in Italian]

The Qingdao and Tianjin missions are part of the ITI Programme (International Technological Incubators), supported by the Italian AISCRIS Association. For further information, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
 secretariat@insme.it

Following contacts and meetings in Istanbul in July and September 2006 between the INSME Secretariat and representatives from the BSEC-Black Sea Economic Cooperation (the economic organisation of the Black Sea Region), we are happy to announce that BSEC has recently granted INSME  sectoral dialogue partner status.

We are confident that this recognition will open up new opportunities for collaboration and information sharing in the region.

The Italian Ministry for Economic Development (MSE) and IPI have just joined the EUROTANS-BIO (ETB) Network involving 17 national and regional innovation agencies in the following European countries/regions: Austria, France, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Flanders (Belgium) and the Basque Country (Spain).

Co-financed by the European Commission within the  ERA-NET scheme of the Sixth Framework Programme, ETB aims to support trans-national R&D private/private and private/public co-operations between companies, especially SMEs, and academic labs by coordinating national or regional public funding programmes in Member States.

The next ETB transnational common call for proposals for industry-driven cross-border R&D projects will be launched in Spring 2007 (information available from January 2007). Stay tuned to the EUROTRANS-BIO website for updates:
 http://eurotransbio.net/

Download the ppt presentation:
 http://www.insme.org/documents/ETB_Presentation_200706.ppt 

Within EUREKA (Europe-wide Network for Market-Oriented R&D and Innovation), a new programme specifically addressed to high growth potential SMEs performing their own research is expected to be rolled out in 2007.

EUROSTARS will aim at encouraging R&D performing SMEs to create new business activities based on research results, also supporting them to bring new products, processes and services to the market.

Eurostars' financial backing will come from both EUREKA member countries' funding instruments and the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). The first call for proposals is to be launched next Spring.

For further information, please refer to: 
 http://www.eureka.be/files/:1794464
 http://www.eureka.be/

The Euromed Innovation and Technology Programme (Medibtikar) aims to strengthen the management skills and the technology transfer capacity of institutional authorities, intermediaries and SME supporting organisations of the MEDA countries and territories.

It will support the creation of innovation networks, the development of an innovation culture and the design of an enhanced innovation system so as to reinforce SME competitiveness in the region.
 
The Programme started in April 2006 and will run for 3 years with a budget of 7.3 million euro.
 
A dedicated website is available at www.medibtikar.net, where you can find information on the scope, specific objects and expected output of the programme.

Training of SMEs to Become Successful Coordinators of the European Commission's Framework Programme Projects

Being coordinator of a Framework Programme project involves taking charge of many different activities in addition to the actual project work: preparing the project proposal, establishing the project consortium, negotiating the contract with the European Community, managing the relationship with the consortium partners, etc.

SMEtoLead training modules will assist you in acquiring the appropriate skills and competences.

Register to attend the next free of charge SMEtoLEAD training sessions.
� Cyprus, 4-5 December 2006 
� Riga (Latvia), 25 and 26 January 2007
� Gy�r (West Hungary), 21 and 23 February 2007

Please visit the SMEtoLead website to find out how to benefit from this service:
 www.smetolead.org

For further information, please contact SMEtoLEAD team at:
 info@smetolead.org

� Call for Experts

Issuer: Organisation for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD), Local Economic and Employment Development Programme (LEED Programme)
 
Object: Selected experts are requested to carry out 10 case studies of strong and innovative practice in designing local skills strategies in East Asia, Europe, Australasia and North and South America. OECD LEED will be looking at:

1. case studies which illustrate the best and most innovative local skills strategies currently visible in the field;
2. case studies which address the particular problems of local areas that are losing skills through demographic change and emigration.

Deadline: 18 December 2006.

For further information, please visit OECD portal.

� Call for papers

Title: Nurturing Champions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship - 27th Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Maribor, Slovenia (March 21st - 22nd, 2007)

Issuer: Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business management, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor 

Papers must have practical implications for entrepreneurship and innovation development.

Deadline: 20 December 2006

 http://www.podim.org/indexe.php?action=vabilo_prispevki

http://iri.jrc.es/ - This website presents the main results of research activity carried out at the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), one of the seven scientific institutes of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).


It provides a platform for the long-term collection, monitoring, analysis and reporting of information on industrial research and innovation in the EU, though some analytical work is also performed at firm, sector, country and international levels. Special emphasis is put on the relation between research, innovation and economic performance.

Positioning University as Drivers, Fostering Entrepreneurship, Increasing Access to Capital


Prepared for the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, by the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), this resource guide provides a comprehensive overview of the main instruments and methodologies adopted in the U.S., at local or state level, to promote a Technology Based Economic Development (TBED), focusing on three main pillars of a tech-based economy: intellectual infrastructure, capital, and entrepreneurial culture.

 http://www.ssti.org/Publications/Onlinepubs/resource_guide.pdf

This report of the European Commission (DG Research) is based on the findings of an online survey, case studies and interviews with SMEs that participated in one of three SME-specific schemes of the Fifth and Sixth Framework Programmes: cooperative research, collective research and economic and technological intelligence.

The majority of SMEs interviewed said that they benefited from participating in the schemes, pointing above all at the transnational dimension, which gave added value to their projects, and at networking opportunities. Increased turnover, profit and other socio-economic impacts, as well as development of new and improved products have also been reported.

However SMEs also admit lack of business intelligence skills (for instance projects led to innovation, but were unsuccessful due to a lack of regulation in the market). So additional measures to help SMEs better anticipate markets and competing technologies or services are called for.

You can download the report at:
 ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/sme/docs/FP-SME_Impact_Final.pdf

In the framework of the STREN project (Scientific and Technological Results Exchange Network), the following training course is planned:
Knowing and Managing Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Tunisia and the European Union
Tunis, Tunisia

Module 2:
12-13 December 2006
Innovation and Innovation Capacity: From Programmes to Research and Technological Development Projects

Module 3:
23-24 January 2007
Effective Management of Research and Technological
Development Projects. Results Evaluation

Module 1 took place in early November. About 50 researchers and technologists were trained on research and technological opportunities arising from European Union programmes (6th and 7th Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development) and bilateral co-operation schemes (Italy, Spain and Germany).

STREN Training Programme presentation [FR]

For further information, please contact:
Ms. Francesca Giannotti, IPI (STREN Consortium Partner)
giannotti@ipi.it
Phone:+39.06.80972519

4-8 December 2006
UNIDO PHAROS Training Workshop - "Measuring, Benchmarking and Managing of Industrial Enterprise with UNIDO Pharos Software Suite
Organised by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with GOLEM IMS GMBH (INSME Full Member), Austria.
Vienna, Austria

4 December 2006
Annual International SME UNION Conference - "The World of Micro-Enterprises: Let them Start, Grow, Innovate & Employ!"
Organised by the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Union of the European People's Party (EPP) and the National Union of Romanian Employers (UNPR).
Brussels, Belgium

6-8 December 2006
1st China/Europe Industrial Business Convention
Jointly organised by the French Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. This event aims at promoting partnership between Chinese and European enterprises.
La Havre, France

7-8 December 2006
Euromed Fundamentals of Innovation
Organised by ANIMA (the Euro-Mediterranean Network of Investment Promotion Agencies), Medibtikar (Euromed Innovation & Technology Programme), Medinnov (Euro-Mediterranean Network of Innovation, animated by Marseille Innovation).
Rabat, Morocco 

7-8 December 2006
Science Alliance's Fifth Annual Conference: "Best Practices in Science Based Incubators"
Organised by Science Alliance in close cooperation with Symbion Science Park, Gate2Growth Incubator Forum, the City of Copenhagen and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Denmark.
Copenhagen, Denmark

7-8 December 2006
Brussels IP 2006 - Pan-European Intellectual Property Summit: "IP World Best Practices: What Lessons for Europe?"
Organised by The Wall Street Journal Europe and IAM (Intellectual Asset Management). Supported by European Commission, European Parliament and World Intellectual Property Organization.
Brussels, Belgium

11-13 December 2006
ICITM 2006 - International Conference on Information Technology and Management: "Best Practices on Development, Service and Education"
Organised by the Institute for Systems Management (ISM) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Hong Kong

11-14 December 2006
SRO IV - Scientific Research Outlook and Technology Development in the Arab World
Organised by the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF). On this occasion, ASTF will launch its IZDIHAR Programme for the development of Science and Technology in the Arab world.
Damascus, Syria

14-15 December 2006
PRO INNO Europe - Official Launch Event
PRO INNO Europe is a European Commission's initiative whose mission is to facilitate trans-national cooperation in the field of innovation policy.
Copenhagen, Denmark   

9-12 January 2007
ISPIM-Asia 2007 Conference "Innovation and Knowledge Management of Social and Economic Issues: International Perspective"
Organised by ISPIM (International Society for Professional Innovation Management, INSME Member) in collaboration with Singapore Management University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India.
New Delhi, India

14-16 January 2007
SME Expo & Conference
Organised by INTEX Dubai (International Exposition.
Dubai International Exhibition Centre, United Arab Emirates  

23-24 January 2007
Training Programme on "Knowing and Managing Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Tunisia and the European Union" - Third Module
Organised in the framework of the STREN Project (Scientific and Technological Results Exchange) funded under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme.
Tunis, Tunisia

26 January 2007
GreenVillageTechs International Brokerage Event 2007 on Technologies for Renewable Energies, Bioconstruction and Environment Protection 
Organised by Agenzia per lo Sviluppo in collaboration with IRC Irene and the Innovation Relay Centre network.
Bolzano, Italy

28-30 January 2007
"Trading Ideas - The Future of IP in Asia Pacific"
This symposium will be hosted by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum. It will explore the themes of IP challenges and the emerging global IP environment.
Sydney, Australia

29-31 January 2007
The Conference Board 2007 Growth and Innovation Conference - "Thriving on the Challenge"
The Conference Board is a US-based business membership and research organisation.
New York City, United States

30-31 January 2007
20th Annual European Finance Convention - "South Eastern Europe and Western Balkan's Financial Services & Banking on Road to Integration"
Organised by the European Finance Convention (INSME Member).
Athens, Greece