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Issue N
52
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February 2008
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Keep up to date on innovation matters with the INSME Association!
INSMEnews is the free monthly newsletter edited by the INSME Secretariat to stay updated about the activities of the International Network for SMEs, its Members and Partners worldwide. Main issues related to SME innovation at international level are tackled as well.
Sponsors and Promoters to translate this newsletter into other languages are welcome among INSME Members and Third Parties.
Enjoy this latest edition and as always, send us comments and suggestions that can enrich and improve our ongoing work to support innovation intermediaries to the final benefit of small and medium sized companies (SMEs) and their competitiveness.
The INSME Secretariat
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Updates on the life of the INSME Network
INSME Annual Meeting 2008 "Encouraging SME Innovation and Growth: Increasing Capital Access through Public-Private Partnership"
The next INSME 2008 Annual Meeting will take place in Guangzhou (Canton), P.R. China, on July 2-4, 2008 and will be co-hosted by Administration Center of Innovation Fund for Technology-based SMEs (Torch High Technology Industry Development Center), Ministry of Science & Technology, the Chinese INSME Member, holding the INSME Vice-presidency since July 2007 and by the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province.
The INSME General Assembly will take place on July 2 and will be dedicated to INSME Members only. An international Conference open to INSME non Members will be organised on July 3. Site visits will take place on July 4.
Venue: China Marriott Hotel Guangzhou: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/canmc-china-hotel-a-marriott-hotel-guangzhou/
For more information about the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport: http://www.baiyunairport.com/english/index.jsp
More details about this event will be available on the INSME website in the next weeks.
Participation in the Annual Meeting is free of charge for INSME Members only.
For further information, please contact: insme2008@insme.it
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top of the page
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News from the INSME Members |
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APEC SMEIC and INSME: 1st International Training Programme |
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26-27 June 2008 Innovation and Technology Transfer Services for SMEs: the Role of Intermediary Organisations" Seoul, Korea
Organised by the SME Innovation Center (SMEIC) of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in collaboration with the INSME Association.
Venue: 203B ASEM Hall Meeting Room, COEX World Trade Center Samseong-dong, Seoul.
The training is addressed to intermediaries and their innovative SMEs. It is open to participants from the APEC economies and INSME Members. Participation is for free. The working language will be English with interpretation into Korean.
Details about registration will be soon available on the INSME portal.
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INSME's Picks in the News |
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EU Cluster Conference in Stockholm |
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A European Presidency Conference on Innovation and Clusters was organised by the Swedish and the Slovenian government on 22-23 January 2008 in Stockholm under the Slovenian Presidency.
The conference emphasized the importance of concerted changes in policies, initiatives, and thinking at many different levels across Europe in order for cluster policy to be a real driver of European prosperity.
The Stockholm Conference also launched a European Cluster Memorandum supported by national and regional agencies for innovation and economic development. The Memorandum is addressed to policy makers at national and European levels to pave the way towards the establishment of a European Cluster Agenda in 2008. It is open for signature until July 2008. Download the European Cluster Memorandum
The European Presidency Conference on Innovation and Clusters was part of the activities undertaken under the European Cluster Alliance established in the framework of the PRO INNO Europe initiative.
Learn more about the conference at: http://www.proinno-europe.eu/index.cfm?fuseaction=nwev.NewsReader&news=2040&lang=EN&topicID=90&parentID=0
Video files and ppt presentations are available at: http://www.vinnova.se/In-English/misc/Speciella_sidor/Innovation-and-Clusters/
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Small Business Act for Europe |
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The European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry has announced a proposal for a Small Business Act (SBA) for Europe, including new initiatives to reduce problems for SMEs, to help providing necessary financial/human resources for SME development and to facilitate small companies in facing the challenge of globalization and climate change.
The SBA, that is due for adoption in June 2008, should create the best conditions for micro- and small enterprises, and give a concrete answer to the different challenges that SMEs are facing along their life-cycle.
Download the Press Release: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en.htm
An online consultation has been launched for SMEs and SMEs' stakeholders. It targets their concerns and aims to collect contributions that will help to design the Small Business Act for Europe.
UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) on the SBA proposal
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Enterprise Europe Network kick off |
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A new European business support network is born under the slogan "business support at your doorstep!".
Launched by the EC on February 7, the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is dedicated to provide information and advice to EU companies on EU matters, in particular to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) develop their full potential and innovative capacity. EEN will combine the services provided so far by the Euro Info Centres (EIC) and the Innovation Relay Centres (IRC Network), according to the principle of the no wrong door.
The Secretariat of the EEN will be provided by the newly created European Executive Agency for competitiveness and innovation (EACI) to be operational in April.
Visit the EEN website: http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
Download the press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/192&type=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
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Focus on...INSME Members |
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Tenders & Calls |
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1st ISPIM Symposium Call for Papers |
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Issuer: The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM, INSME Member).
Theme: "Managing Innovation in a Connected World" (Singapore, 15-17 December 2008).
This symposium, connecting players from different backgrounds and cultures, will provide excellent networking opportunities together with a taste of local culture and solutions for academics, businesses and consulting firms to understand the challenges faced in managing innovations in such a connected world.
Deadline for submitting abstracts: 30 June 2008.
Details on specific submission requirements and processes are available at: http://www.ispim.org/symposium/
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EraSME 4th Transnational Call |
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Under FP6 ERA-NET programme named EraSME, a 4th call for European trans-national projects has been open since January 11, 2008 with 10 participating EU Contries/Regions: Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
The call is intended to increase cross border collaboration between SMEs and RTOs (Research and Technology Organisations) in all technological areas, enhancing the competitive capacity of SMEs.
Closing date of the call is March 31, 2008.
Read more at: http://www.era-sme.net/public/4th-call-for-proposals
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FP7 Capacities Call for Proposals |
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Research for SMEs Call 2 (FP7-SME-2008-1) Programme: Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for Research and Technological Development - Specific Programme: Capacities - Theme: Research for the benefit of SMEs.
Aim: Strengthening the innovation capacity of European SMEs and their contribution to the development of new technology based products and markets by helping them outsource research, increase their research efforts, extend their networks, better exploit research results and acquire technological know how, bridging the gap between research and innovation.
Deadline for submitting proposals: 11 April, 2008.
Budget available: € 92.720.000,00.
Participants: at least 3 SMEs (from 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries) and 2 RTD performers (independent from any other participants).
Read more at: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CapacitiesDetailsCallPage&call_id=105
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Interesting Initiatives |
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BIAC-OECD portal to help remove barriers to SME internationalisation |
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The Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently launched a private sector initiative named "BIAC-OECD Initiative to Facilitate SME Access to International Markets".
Supported within the OECD framework by the Greek Ministry of Development, this initiative is aimed at improving Small and Medium sized Enterprises' access to relevant country specific information on commercial contacts, business environments/opportunities, regulations, access to finance, intellectual property, etc.
A dedicated SME Web Portal will be available in 2008 to improve information flows to SMEs, providing a platform for possible cooperation between Multinational and Small/Medium sized Enterprises.
For further information, please contact the OECD Secretariat at: sme.division@oecd.org
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The Central Europe Programme |
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The European Union has launched a new programme that promotes economic, environmental and social development across the countries and regions of Central Europe (see regions) with the aim to enabling them to make better use of their innovation potential.
The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme is part of European Territorial Cooperation ("INTERREG IVB"), a policy framework that supports cooperation between regions in the European Union. The programme, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), runs from 2007 to 2013 with the purpose of reducing economic and social disparities, improving competitiveness and mobilising the growth potential of cities and regions. The programme makes € 246 million in ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funds available for eligible expenditures incurred by lead partners and project partners.
For further details visit the website: http://www.central2013.eu/working-with-central/about-central.html
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INNOSME Project |
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One of the priorities of the European Union has long been the increased participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in its Framework Programme for R&D (FP7). For this reason, the EU has launched an innovative programme, the INNOSME Project, aimed at increasing SMEs' chances of being awarded funding contracts, particularly in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT).
From its set up, InnoSME intends to identify innovative SMEs from the different ICT areas located in the 12 Member States that have joined the EU since 2004 (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia), assess their capabilities, and improve their conditions in order for them to increase their participation in research and technological development and innovation projects under the FP7.
For further information, please visit: http://www.innosme.eu
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Publications |
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Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2007 |
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The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report provides an annual assessment of the national level of entrepreneurial activity of several selected developed and less developed countries. In 2007, 42 countries were analysed among high-income, middle and low-income countries.
Download the GEM Report 2007 [2.028 Kb]
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Compendium EBAN Statistics 2007 |
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Find out more about the role of business angels and their networks across Europe: EBAN Statistics Compendium 2007 is the result of a survey conducted in 2007 among federations of networks or regional business angel networks.
Download the Statistics Compendium 2007: http://www.eban.org/download/Statistics Compendium 2007_EBAN.pdf [186]
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European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2007 |
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This report includes innovation indicators and trend analyses for the 27 Member States of the European Union, as well as for Croatia, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, the US, Australia, Canada and Israel. EIS is a valid instrument to provide, with continuity, a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of the EU Member States over time.
Download the full report: European Innovation Scoreboard 2007 [186 Kb]
For a summary of the situation in the 27 Member States, please refer to: http://europa.eu/rapid/
Commissioned by the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, the European Innovation Scoreboard is prepared by the Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) assisted by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
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Recommended Websites |
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lac-access.net |
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LAC-ACCESS is a new network mainly conceived for supporting Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) research institutions in participating in calls for proposals launched under the EU Framework Programme for R&D (FP7). The network also aims at multiplying scientific and technological exchanges in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Visit the website: http://www.lac-access.net/
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Recommended Newsletter |
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Events |
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Highlighted Events |
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Future meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME |
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3-5 March 2008 INTED 2008 - International Technology, Education and Development Conference This conference aims at promoting international collaboration in the field of technology, engineering and science education. Valencia, Spain
5-7 March 2008 IECER 2008 - Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research Hosted by the University of Regensburg. Conference theme: Entrepreneurial Contexts, Decisions, and Strategies. Regensburg, Germany
8-9 March 2008 10th WOIBEX - Global Businesswomen & Leaders Summit Woibex 2008 will bring global business and government women leaders and professionals face-to-face with new trends and challenges in an environment that fosters knowledge building. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
10-13 March 2008 Nanotech2008 - Nanotechnology for Industry 2015 International conference jointly organised by Airi/Nanotec IT and Veneto Nanotech with the collaboration of Regione Veneto. Venice, Italy
13-14 March 2008 Conference of the Latin America and the Caribbean-European Union Government Responsibles for SME Organised by the Peruvian Ministry of Labor and Employment and SELA-IBERPYME Programme. Lima, Peru
18-19 March 2008 INNOVACT - The European Forum for Innovative Growth Companies Reims, France
24-28 March 2008 MRS Symposium PP: The Business of Nanotechnology This symposium aims to address the intersections of scientific research and business considerations in the nanotechnology space. San Francisco, United States
27-28 March 2008 PODIM - 28th Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation: "The Power of Networking" Organised by the Institute for Entrepreneurship Research (IRP), the Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments (JAPTI) and the University of Maribor. Maribor, Slovenia
29-31 March 2008 International Conference and Exhibition on Knowledge Parks Co-organized by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Qatar Foundation (Qatar). Doha, Qatar 31 March - 4 April 2008 The CINet PhD Seminar on Research in Continuous Innovation Organised by the Continuous Innovation Network (CINet). Z�rich, Switzerland
2-4 April 2008 Technopolis Open Training Practical training targeted to all stakeholders responsible for innovations support and interested to benefit from high-tech development. Organised by Technopolis, the largest technology center operator in Europe. Helsinki, Finland
17-18 April 2008 The 5th ASAP Europe Alliance Summit - "Alliances for Innovation. Techniques and Tools for Collaborative Growth" Organised by the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP). London, United Kingdom
24-25 April 2008 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Private Equity Forum Organised by the Euromed Capital Forum Association. Tunis, Tunisia
29-30 April 2008 GCC Small and Medium Business Conference - "Small and Medium Businesses as the Engine of Growth for the Future Global Economy" Leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council region (GCC), as well as from Europe, North Africa and Asia, will explore innovative developments for SMEs and will discuss ideas on how SMEs can best be positioned for local and global success. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6-7 May 2008 InvestorNet ICT RoundTable Organised by Gate2Growth in collaboration the Fraunhofer Institute. Stuttgart, Germany
15-16 May 2008 Franchising: Growth and Replication of Success - Innovative Practices in the Central and SE Europe Organised by the ICPE, the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises in collaboration with the Chamber of Trade of Slovenia & Slovenian Franchise Association. Ljubljana, Slovenia
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