Issue N 44 - May 2007
In this Issue:
Life of the Network
2007 INSME General Assembly
News from the INSME Members
The new Italian industrial innovation policy
RITLA new website
Meta Group: EASY Project second event
CEI: IDEA Project final conference
INSME's Picks in the News
EU: IP-Charter for research institutions and universities
INSME's Interviews
Mr. Carenzo (ABC Network, Europe INNOVA)
Highlighted Projects
EVPAT-Economic Valuation of Patents
PRO INNO Europe VALOR Project
Recommended Websites
New European Portal for SMEs
APEC SMEIC website
Tenders & Calls
European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services - Call for proposals
EUROPE INNOVA Annual Partnering Event 2007 - Call for expressions of interest
Publications
African Economic Outlook 2007
Events
Highlighted Events
Future meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME
 
INSMEnews!
Contact the editorial staff
 
 

Innovation is also ... a matter of chemistry!

Dear INSMEnews Readers,

let us draw your attention on a new topic. On June 1, 2007, a new EU regulation called REACH will enter into force in the 27 Member States of the European Union, deeply affecting the chemical industry. Hopefully this change in the legal framework will also stimulate innovation among businesses in this field.

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals. In the future, enterprises which manufacture or import more than one ton of a chemical substance per year will be required to register it in a central database managed by the new European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Unlike in the present system, all chemical substances, whether new or old, will be subject to the same standard for registration and testing. As a consequence, there will no longer be an incentive for companies to keep using old chemicals and a disincentive for them to produce new and possibly healthier chemicals.

Innovation will become more worthwhile.

This new integrated legislative system will not only improve the protection of human health and the environment, but will also foster the competitiveness of the European economic system. REACH can be regarded as a step forward towards the implementation of the EU Lisbon Agenda, whose progress we constantly monitor and report to you through the INSME portal and this newsletter.

Keep track of innovation advances. Enjoy this issue of INSMEnews!

Ms. Simona Marzetti
INSME Association Secretary General

 

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Life of the Network
   2007 INSME General Assembly


Reinvigorating our Global Partnership for Innovation

13 July 2007 - Rome, Italy


This meeting - open to INSME Members only - will be an occasion to take stock of INSME's achievements so far and move the Association forward towards better exploiting its networking potential around the world. The General Assembly will also appoint the new INSME Board Members for the mandate mid 2007-2009.

For information, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Mrs. Giulia Di Meglio
 secretariat@insme.it
Phone: +39 06 80972.466 

 

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News from the INSME Members
   The new Italian industrial innovation policy

The Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion (IPI, INSME Founding Member) is supporting the Italian Ministry of Economic Development in implementing its new strategy to increase the development and competitiveness of the Italian industrial system.

This new policy is outlined in "Industria 2015" which identifies 3 main policy instruments:

  • the Industrial Innovation Projects in 5 strategic technological areas: energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, life sciences and biotechnology, new technologies for SME's development, innovative technologies for the enhancement of cultural heritage;
  • the Fund for Corporate Finance, to facilitate business access to finance;
  • the Networks of Enterprises, specifically dedicated to SMEs who want to join forces (without necessarily merging) with a view to increasing their critical mass and strengthening their presence on the market.

For further information:
 Download a presentation on "Industria 2015" (in English)
 visit "Industria 2015" website (in Italian only)

 

   RITLA new website

Vist the restyled RITLA website at www.ritla.net!

RITLA, the Latin American Technological Information Network, has a new website, featuring information about the Network activities in 3 languages: Portuguese, Spanish and English.

RITLA, INSME Full Member, is an international organisation devoted to enhance cooperation among Latin American countries in the field of scientific and technological development.

For further information, please refer to:
 http://www.ritla.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=27

 

   Meta Group: EASY Project second event



5-7 June 2007
Helsinki EASY - INTRO Investment Forum
Second EASY transnational event
Helsinki, Finland


This Forum promotes cross-border investments. Over 20 European companies will have the opportunities to meet over 200 business angels and other investors.

The INTRO Investment Forum is part of the European Commission's EASY Project, an initiative aimed at activating European business angels in trans-national investment activities. Meta Group (Italy, INSME Full Member) is one of the 17 partner organisations involved in it.

For further information, please vist the Forum website:
 http://www.preseed.fi/easy/

 

   CEI: IDEA Project final conference

CEI, Central European Iniatiative (INSME Full Member), is pleased to announce the launch of the online IDEA Project platform.

IDEA, Interactive Database for Enterprises and Associations, is an interactive system providing:

  • a comprehensive outline of the Business Support Organisations (BSOs) operating in CEI Member States;
  • an agenda of projects promoted/implemented by BSOs in cooperation with international donors, SME associations, industrial clusters, etc;
  • an online notice board for BSOs and SMEs offering/seeking for assistance, consultancy, co-operation, partners and services.

CEI is also pleased to invite you to take part in the Final Conference of the IDEA Project:
8 June 2007
Promotion and Networking of Business Support Services in Central and South Eastern Europe: the First Evaluation of the IDEA Project
Sofia, Bulgaria
 Conference programme

 

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INSME's Picks in the News
   EU: IP-Charter for research institutions and universities

IP Charter - Charter for the management of Intellectual Property from public research institutions and universities

This is a proposal put forward by the German European Union Presidency during an informal competitiveness ministers meeting at the of April.

Its aim is to promote the adoption of some basic principles for the proper management of Intellectual Property and to professionalise this task within public research institutions and universities in accordance with certain standards.

The German EU Presidency will submit the Charter to approval by the European Council in June.

Download the IP Charter proposal:
 http://www.bmbf.de/pub/Eckpunkte_IP_eng(2).pdf 

 

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INSME's Interviews
   Mr. Carenzo (ABC Network, Europe INNOVA)

"Agro-biotech clusters for a more innovation-friendly environment in the agro-food sector in Europe"

This month interview focuses on Mr. Gianluca Carenzo, representing Parco Tecnologico Padano (Italy), coordinator of the ABC-Network Project, a Europe INNOVA project aimed at strengthening networking between existing and potential clusters focused on animal and vegetable biotechnologies applied to the agro-food sector.

Agro-biotech clusters (ABC) differ from classical agro-food clusters. Mr. Carenzo explains why and how this peculiarity is exploited to the benefit of innovation in the field.

Read INSME Interview with Mr. Carenzo at:
 http://www.insme.org/

Read other INSME Interviews at:
 http://www.europe-innova.org/

 

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Highlighted Projects
   EVPAT-Economic Valuation of Patents

http://www.evpat.net/

This research project on patent evaluation addresses the following main issues:

  • lack of generally accepted methodologies for the valuation of innovation and intellectual property rights;
  • difficulty to predict the relationship between investments in innovation, patents and firm economic performance, given that the expected results from innovation activities are subject to a very high degree of uncertainty;
  • limited value relevance of financial reporting on intangible assets.

The EVPAT project is articulated in two main activities:

  1. research activities investigate the issue of patent valuation at different levels of analysis and in different stages of firm life cycle;
  2. training and diffusion activities aim to disclose the research results and raise awareness on the importance of the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights.

EVPAT is a research project of the Department of Management of the University of Bologna (Italy), funded by the European Investment Bank, under the EIBURS- University Research Sponsorship Programme.

 

   PRO INNO Europe VALOR Project


VALOR - Development of an Effective Joint Trans-National Knowledge Valorisation Process and Coordinated Innovation Policy

The main objective of the VALOR project is to coordinate and network key players in innovation policy at European level in order to develop a common agenda and a joint action plan for the valorisation process, that is the translation of knowledge into commercially viable products or services.

This will enable innovations with a high potential to be identified and supported at an early stage and the appropriate supporting measures to be put in place. The final results will be an increased effectiveness of the programmes currently undertaken at national or regional level.

Learn more about the VALOR project:
 VALOR Presentation (key activities, Expected results, Partners)
 http://www.proinno-europe.eu/

The VALOR project is funded under the INNO Nets programme within the PRO INNO Europe innovation policy initiative (European Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry).

 VALOR call for participation in the online stakeholders survey

Online Questionnaire:
 http://fd2.formdesk.com/b2/VALOR?test=true

 

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Recommended Websites
   New European Portal for SMEs

The European Commission has recently launched a web portal acting as a catalist for the whole spectrum of information relevant to Europe's small and medium-sized enterprises (EU legislation, EU funding, SME policies, etc.).

The European Portal for SMEs is available in 19 languages at:
 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sme/index_en.htm

 

   APEC SMEIC website

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) aims at building Small and Medium sized Enterprises' innovation capacity by linking them with support organizations: governments and public sector agencies, universities and research centers, investors of each member economy in the Asia region. For this reason the APEC SME Innovation Center (APEC SMEIC) was set up in 2005, based in Seoul (Republic of Korea). Its Innovation Conference will takeplace in November 2007 in Seoul.

For further information, please visit:
 http://ww.apec-smeic.org

A newsletter is also available online. If you want to contribute, read more at:
 http://www.apec.org/apec/news___media/enewsletter.html   

 

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Tenders & Calls
   European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services - Call for proposals

The overall objective of the European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services (KIS-Platform) is to foster technological as well as non-technological innovation in services, taking into account the dynamic interconnections between reaserch, skills, entrepreneurship, finance and clusters.

In order to maximise the potential impact, it will particularly address the needs and specificities of potential high growth ventures active in KIS, which represents the most challenging segment, but also the most rewarding one in terms of economic growth and value added.

The KIS-Platform is supposed to be implemented through a public-private partnership, based on a sectoral networking approach (strand 1) complemented with horizontal support services (strand 2).

 Read the full text of the call

For further information:
 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/funding/grants/themes_2007/calls_prop_2007.htm#cip_07

Final date for proposals' submission: 7 September 2007.

 

   EUROPE INNOVA Annual Partnering Event 2007 - Call for expressions of interest

A few days left to express your interest in organising the 2nd Europe INNOVA Annual Partnering Event.

It's about a two-day European meeting to be held in mid-October, preferably 18-19 October 2007. The target number of participants is about 200.

Should you be interested in organising and hosting the Annual Partnering Event 2007, the deadline for responding is 30 May 2007.

For further information on organisation requirements and how to apply, please refer to:
 http://www.europe-innova.org/index.jsp?type=page&cid=7871&lg=en

The first Conference was held in Valencia (Spain) in late November 2006.

 

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Publications
   African Economic Outlook 2007

 
The African Economic Outlook (AEO) aims to provide policy makers, private sector operators and researchers with an objective analysis of economic and social developments in the African continent.

The report consists of three main parts: an assessement of the position of Africa in the world economy, country studies on selected African countries and finally, a statistical annex. The 2007 focus is on Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Please find a presentation of this year edition at:
 http://www.oecd.org/dev/publications/africanoutlook

The African Economic Outlook is a joint project of the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre, with support from the European Commission.

 

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Events
   Highlighted Events

20-22 June 2007
EBN 2007 Annual
Congress "Global Innovation Bridges: A new Generation of Business and Innovation Centres"
Canterbury, United Kingdom

The conference of the European BIC Network (Business and Innovation Centres). Organised in cooperation with The Kent Innovation Partnership (Kent Business and Innovation Centre and Kent County Council).

pdf format Congress brochure
pdf format Congress programme

 
25 June 2007
IBAN Annual Meeting 2007
"Creation and Growth of Innovative Enterprises: the International vs the Italian Experience"

Milan, Italy
 
Organised by the Italian Business Angel Network.

pdf format
 Programme
 

 

28-29 June 2007
La Baule 2007 World Investment Conference (WIC)
"Making Europe more Attractive and Competitive"

La Baule, France  

This conference aims at monitoring FDI flows, benchmarking economic and social policies, understanding international investor's needs, linking European region to the world. Organised by Europe+ Foundation.

   Future meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME

JUNE 2007

1-3 June 2007
ISMOT '07 - 5th International Symposium on Management of Technology - Managing Total Innovation and Open Innovation in the 21st Century
Organised by the Research Centre for Innovation & Development of the Zhejiang University.
Hangzhou, China

3-5 June 2007
Global Investment Promotion Summit 2007
Sponsored by UNIDO and the Chinese Industrial Parks Association, supported by the National Development and Reform Commission of China, the Ministry of Commerce of China and organized by Guangxi Provincial Government.
Liuzhou City, China

4-5 June 2007
International Conference - "Governance For Competitiveness In Latin America" 
Hosted by the United Nations Development Programme in Mexico.
Mexico City, Mexico

5-7 June 2007
ILSI-Biomed Israel 2007 - 6th National Life Science and Technology Week in Israel 
Organised by Kenes Exhibitions in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labour and MATIMOP (the Israeli Industry Center for R&D).
Tel Aviv, Israel

6-15 June 2007
CASIN Seminar - "Fostering Entrepreneurship & Leadership" 
Organised by the Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN).
Geneva, Switzerland

6-8 June 2007
4th Technopolicy Network Annual Conference - "Internationalising Regional Innovation"
The conference will cover topics such as: attracting talent and entrepreneurs, supporting the international growth of high-tech companies, internationalisation of R&D and dealing with cultural differences.
Fairfax, Washington D.C., United States

6-8 June 2007
"Culture as Innovation - The Search for Creative Power in Economies and Societies" 
This conference will bring together people from universities, research institutes, companies, regional authorities, public sector, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The aim is to promote networking between people from different backgrounds.
Turku, Finland

7-9 June 2007
3rd European Research and Innovation Exhibition
Organised by Fondamental Expo, under the auspices of the President of the French Senate and with the sponsorship of the European Commission's DG Research, the French Ministry of High Education and Research and the national Centre for Scientific Research.
Paris, France

7-8 June 2007
4th Pan-European PPP Forum 2007
Istanbul, Turkey

11-13 June 2007
Regional Conference on "Knowledge Management As An Enabler Of Change And Innovation In Africa" 
The focus of these events was to share experience and insights on the challenges faced by research institutes in managing the knowledge that they are generating so that they can strengthen their operations and offer better services to their clients.
Cairo, Egypt

12-15 June 2007
Sustainable Energy Asia - Congress & Exhibition
This year's event will run with the full support of the Singapore Sustainable Energy Association and is collocated with Biofuels Markets Asia to maximise networking and business opportunities for participants.
Singapore

12 June 2007
Euro-Mediterranean Conference - "Textiles and Clothing Sector at the Time of Globalisation: Managing Structural Changes and Remaining Competitive"
Organised by the European Commission with the support of the Commission's Europe-Aid Co-operation Office, in collaboration with ITKIB.
Istanbul, Turkey

13-15 June 2007
ICSB (International Council for Small Business) 2007 World Conference - "At the Crossroads of East and West: New Opportunities for Entrepreneurship and Small Business"
Organised by the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) in co-operation with the Small Business Institute at the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration (TSEBA).
Turku, Finland

13-15 June 2007
IANIS Annual Conference 2007 - "Technological Innovation & Creativity: Knowledge-Based Regions For A Competitive Europe" 
Bilbao, Spain

17-20 June 2007
ISPIM 2007 Conference: "Innovation for Growth: The Challenges for East & West"
Organised by the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM).
Warsaw, Poland

17-20 June 2007
LES International Conference 2007 
Organised by the Licensing Executives Society International.
Zurich, Switzerland

18-19 June 2007
International Conference on: "Reducing Barriers to Entrepreneurship and Encouraging Enterprise Development: Policy Options"
Organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - UNECE.
Geneva, Switzerland

19-21 June 2007
EuroNanoForum 2007 - "Nanotechnology in Industrial Applications"
Organised on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and promoted by the European Commission.
D�sseldorf, Germany

19-20 June 2007
New York Venture Summit 
This summit is the premier VC conference for venture capitalists, angel investors, executives of early stage and emerging growth companies, incubators, investment bankers and industry leaders.
New York City, NY  United States

19-20 June 2007
Territoires Métropolitains Innovants: Technop�les Et P�les De Compétitivité
Conference organised by the World Bank, Marseille City Council, and GTZ under the patronage of the Tunisian Ministry for Research, with the support of Tunis City Council.
Tunis, Tunisia

27-30 June 2007
OECD World Forum on: "Statistics, Knowledge and Policy"
Istanbul, Turkey

28-29 June 2007
"Patent and Innovation - Econometric Studies" 
Organised by the Applied Econometrics Association.
Strasbourg, France

28-30 June 2007
3rd International Conference on "ICT for Business Clusters in Emerging Markets" 
The final objective of the conference is to understand: cluster requirements based on sector, age, size and location; barriers to ICT adoption with respect to government policy, purchasing power and ICT solutions for cluster-growth.
East Lansing, MI,  United States

29 June - 01 July 2007
EARMA Annual Conference 
Organised by the European Association of Research Managers & Administrators.
Warsaw, Poland

JULY 2007

2-4 July 2007
IASP World Conference on Science & Technology Parks - "Creative Jobs & Creative Companies: Key Factors for Growth and Competitiveness"
Organized by IASP (International Association of Science Parks).
Barcelona, Spain

4-6 July 2007
The R&D Management Conference 2007
Organised by Universit�t Bremen. The conference will aim to comprehensively explore and address R&D Management and it welcomes papers from across the spectrum in order to achieve this objective.
Bremen, Germany

9-10 July 2007
The 4th SMEs in a Global Economy Conference 2007
Shah Alam, Malaysia

11-14 July 2007
International Conference on Perspectives on Technological Entrepreneurship
Organised by the E-Business Management Section of the Institution of Higher Education ISUFI - University of Lecce, Italy.
Ostuni, Italy

25-27 July 2007
International Conference on: "IPR protection and Transforming R&D Outputs into Intangible Assets" 
Organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - UNECE.
Geneva, Switzerland

SEPTEMBER 2007

7-11 September 2007
The 8th Annual CINet Conference on "Continuous Innovation - Opportunities and Challenges" 
Organised by the Continuous Innovation Network (CINet), a global network set up to bring together researchers and industrialists working in the field of Continuous Innovation.
Gothenburg, Sweden

13-15 September 2007
BALTIC DINAMICS 2007 - The 12th Annual Conference of the Business Incubation Associations of the Baltic States "International Partnership for Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges" 
Organised by the Latvia Technological Center.
Riga, Latvia

20-21 September 2007
13th Annual Cambridge Technology Management Symposium - "Successful Innovation In An Uncertain World: Recognizing And Exploring Opportunities"
Organised by the University of Cambridge Centre for Technology Management, this annual two day Symposium is a firm fixture for those at the forefront of new ideas and practical application in the field.
Cambridge, United Kingdom

20-21 September 2007
2nd Annual Conference of the EPIP Association on Intellectual Property Rights
Organised by the European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP) Consortium and hosted by the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE) at Lund University.
Lund, Sweden

26-28 September 2007
EuroBio 2007
The main aspects of this event - conferences, a trade exhibition, a business convention and a recruitment drive- bring together partners from the worlds of Research, Industry and Finance.
Lille, France

 

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