Sponsors:

"Competitiveness, Culture and
Cross-Border Co-operation: 
Assisting SMEs to Grow, Innovate
and Reach International Markets"

23^rd - 26^th May, 2011
Helsinki, Finland

Only 2 months to go before our next Annual Meeting. We are glad to announce that this year the INSME Annual Meeting will take place in the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) 2012.

The EU Committee of the Regions has recently labelled the Helsinki-Uusimaa region with this prestigious award which recognizes those areas with the most credible plan of action promoting entrepreneurship with realistic foresight and outstanding political vision.

Registration is mandatory to confirm any participation.

 Please register online at: https://events.congreszon.fi/INSME2011/en/ParLogin.jsp

Stay tuned on the 7th INSME Annual Meeting also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!

For further details, please, visit the conference website at:
 www.annualmeeting2011.insme.org

or contact the INSME Secretariat at:
 insme2011@insme.it

The INSME Association has recently launched its official webpage on Twitter and on LinkedIn in order to strengthen interactions within - and outside - its network, to better promote INSME and INSME Members’ initiatives and to reach a wider international audience interested in SMEs.

To receive our regular tweets, please, sign in on Twitter and became an INSME follower and/or connect us with LinkedIn, we would be delighted to provide you with the latest breaking news about innovation matters!

 Follow us onand on

The United Nations Industrial and Development Organisation - UNIDO is organising the training on "Export quality and territorial competitiveness: The role of consortia of SMEs" to be held from 4th to 8th July 2011 in Turin (Italy). Furthermore, an e-learning session (60 hours) will be held from 18th July to 14th November 2011.

The training will be in Spanish only and is on a fee basis.

Submission deadline: 6th June 2011

 To learn more, download the flyer (Spanish version) and visit the website at: www.unido.org/exportconsortia and http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000132

The White House recently released "A Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity," which outlines the importance of investing in innovation to make the U.S. economy grow, create new jobs and cope with the economic crisis.

 Download the full report at www.whitehouse.gov/innovation

Furthermore, within the new Startup America campaign under President Obama a new initiative has been launched: the Startup America Partnership.
Founded by the Kauffman Foundation and The Case Foundation, this is an alliance of US most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, foundations, and other private sector leaders working to increase the success of high-growth enterprises in the US.

 Find out more at: http://www.startupamericapartnership.org/

The Serbian Association for SMEs (SASME) is a private business association which aims to develop entrepreneurship in Serbia offering support to local SMEs. Its headquarters are hosted by the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce.

To achieve its obiective, SASME is strengthening international connections and cooperation among SMEs with a view to provide them with better innovation support. SASME is a member of UEAPME and has joined INSME in March 2011.

 Find out more at http://www.srb-smeasoc.org (please note that the English version is under construction)

 Grant

Organised by the Universal Medica Group and its partners, this grant aims to acknowledge innovative talent and the development of new processes or products in the biotechnology industries sector and allow those pro-active in the French and European biotechnology industries to be brought together around a common objective - excellence in the technical innovation and the development of bio-industries.

Participants: European Young Innovative Company or a European research team member or individual.

The Grant will be up to 100.000,00 Euros (to be shared between 2 finalists according to the Jury’s final decision and will be completed by one year free of charges consulting services by Universal Medica Group)

Deadlines:

• Closing date for application: May 31^st 2011
• Submission of full application forms: June 1^st-15^th 2011

 Read more about the 2011 Universal Biotech Innovation Grant here

Call for tenders

Objective: to better help EU Member States and regions in designing strategies to develop new, globally competitive advantages in "emerging industries" through clusters, and in this way strengthen the role of cluster policies in the rejuvenation of Europe’s industry as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Work Packages: The work shall cover the following three tasks:

• WP 1: Establishment and management of a European Cluster Cooperation Forum
• WP 2: Case studies on cluster-specific framework conditions for world-class clusters in emerging industries
• WP 3: Preparation of a European Cluster Excellence Scoreboard

Total Budget: 1.000.000,00 EUR (Excluding VAT)

Deadline for submission of tenders: April 19^th, 2011

 Download the tender specifications here

 Read more about the Extension of the European Cluster Observatory (Phase three) here

Call for Papers

The 4^th ISPIM Innovation Symposium "Managing Innovation for Sustained Productivity: Creating Advantage and Resilience", organised by ISPIM - The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (INSME Member), will be held in Wellington, New Zealand on 29^th November - 2^nd December 2011. This symposium will bring together professionals interested and involved in innovation management from research, industry, universities and intermediary organisations.

Themes:

- Innovation for productivity & resilience (event focus)

• Collaboration for innovation (inc. Open innovation)
• Culture & team management in innovation
• Entrepreneurship, venturing, business models & financing innovation
• Innovation and SMEs
• Innovation training & education
• Methods & tools for innovation
• Networks & clusters of innovation
• Organisational creativity & idea generation
• Public sector & social innovation and policy

Submission Deadline: September 10th, 2011

 Read more about the 4^th ISPIM Innovation Symposium (http://symposium.ispim.org/) and about the call for papers (http://symposium.ispim.org/index.php/home/call).

Application for training programme

Understanding China, a project co-funded by the European Commission is organising its 2011 training programme offering a mix of academic and practical courses on Chinese business and culture with a view to provide participants with a more in-depth and practical knowledge.

Participants: business intermediary organisations - such as Chambers of Commerce, trade promotion agencies, sectoral associations, etc.

Training modules: The training is made up of 4 modules:

• 1 week training in Antwerp (Belgium)
• 1 week training in Shanghai (P.R.China)
• 1 week study visit to Beijing (P.R.China)
• 2 days wrap-up in Antwerp (Belgium) with a graduation ceremony in Brussels (Belgium)

The participation at the Training Courses is on a fee basis.

Application deadline: May 1^st , 2011

  Read more about the Understanding China Training Programme 2011 here

Launched in September 2009 by the European Commission, Cluster-Excellence.eu- the European Cluster Excellence Initiative- puts together the most experienced persons and organisations in Europe to identify and set up a meaningful set of quality indicators and peer-assessment procedures for cluster management. The intention is to develop training materials and set up an approach for quality labelling of cluster management, in order to help cluster managers achieve high levels of excellence in their duties and to succeed in the peer-assessments.

  Read more about the "European Cluster Excellence Initiative" here

  Download the Cluster-Excellence.eu Project Flyer here

The objective of the study is to gain a better understanding of financing issues faced by eco-innovative SMEs in their early stages, as well as those faced by their investors, in order to allow an improved design of instruments in support for eco-innovation at the European and national levels (particularly in light of the new financial framework after 2013).

The Financing Eco-innovation Final Report was carried out by EIM (http://english.eim.nl/) and the Oxford Research for the European Commission- DG Environment.

  Download the Financing Eco-innovation Final Report:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/published_files/0211_final_report_eco_innovation.pdf

UNESCO Science Report 2010, analyses the trends and developments that have shaped scientific research, innovation and higher education over the past five years, including the impact of the current global economic recession, which has hit the Triad (notably Europe, Japan and the USA) harder than either Brazil, China or India.

  Read the full report: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001899/189958e.pdf

United by the common goal of making innovation happen in SMEs and increasing the innovation professionals performance by improving knowledge sharing and the mutual learning process, INSME has become a knowledge partner of TAKE IT UP

TAKE IT UP, a Europe INNOVA promotion pillar coordinated by META Group (INSME Member), is a project aimed to raise the impact of EU-funded innovation projects.

 Read more on the Europe INNOVA website at:
http://www.europe-innova.eu/web/guest/home/-/journal_content/56/10136/397823

 and on the TAKE IT UP website:
http://www.europe-innova.eu/web/guest/novel-tools-services/take-it-up/about

The Customs Law of the Peoples Republic of China prohibits the export or import of goods from or to China that infringe IP Rights. Whereas most countries’ customs only examine imported goods, China differs in that its customs examine goods being imported and exported.

China Customs have the authority to protect IP Rights by confiscating infringing goods and imposing fines on infringers. If the infringement of IP Rights exceeds a certain threshold, then the customs authorities will also arrange for criminal proceedings to be brought against the infringing party.

 Read the article

Open Innovation Portal is as an informational resource for consultants, business leaders, academics and others who have a deep interest in open innovation matters. Created by Mr. Henry Chesbrough, Executive Director of the Center for Open Innovation, this forum is intended to be a digital community where theory is put into practice. The contribution of passionate opinions and the sharing of "best practices" is encouraged along with reactions and interpretations related to news headlines and events.

 Learn more here: http://www.openinnovation.net/category/open-innovation/

This quarterly e-newsletter, issued by the European Commission - DG Enterprise and Industry aims to update on European actions in public procurement and innovation.

 Learn more about the Public Procurement and the previous newsletters, please, visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/lead-market-initiative/public-proc_en.htm

 Join (till 18 April) the EC public online consultation on the modernization of EU public procurement policy:
ttp://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/publicprocurement/modernising_rules/consultations/index_en.htm

4^th- 6^th April 2011
2011 ACA Summit "Angel Investing - From Seed to Harvest"
Organized by Angel Capital Association (ACA)
Boston, MA, United States

5^th- 7^th April 2011
4th PRO INNO Europe® Annual Partnering Event "Innovating knowledge transfer"
Hosted by European Patent Office (EPO) and organized in collaboration with the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry
Munich, Germany

6^th- 7^th April 2011
HANNOVER MESSE 2011: b2fair Tech Co-operation Days on "Solutions & Tech for Future Mobilty"
Organized by Enterprise Europe Network South West
Hannover, Germany

6^th- 9^th April 2011
12th Mediterranean Research Meeting
Productivity and Innovation in the MENA Region - Mapping Euro-Med Knowledge and Technology Transfer
Florence, Italy

8^th April 2011
Ip4inno Virtual Classroom
Organized by European Patent Academy within the framework of ip4inno project
Munich, Germany

10^th-13^th April 2011
25th NBIA's International Conference on Business Incubation
Organized by National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) and hosted by the Environmental Business Cluster and the San Jose BioCenter
San Jose, California, USA

10^th-14^th April 2011
IAMOT 2011 "Technology and the Global Challenges: Security, Energy, Water, and the Environment"
Organised by the International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT)
Miami Beach, Florida, USA

14^th- 15^th April 2011
ITTBC-International Technology Transfer Beijing Conference 2011 (AUTM-Asia 2011)
Organized by the Institute for International Intellectual Property
Beijing, China

18^th April 2011
4th International Business Partnership Matchmaking Forum "Russia-Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers"
Organized by MEA-Moscow Entrepreneurs Association
Moscow, Russia

24^th- 26^th April 2011
14th Private Sector Meeting for the Promotion of Trade and Joint Venture Investment among Islamic Countries "SMEs in Developing Economies of OIC Countries and the Role of Private Sector"
Organized by the General Secretariat of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

2^nd -4^th May 2011
2011 Open Innovation Leadership Summit
Organized by NineSigma
Arlington, Virginia, USA

3^rd -4^th May 2011
Turning IP knowledge into profit
Organized by European Patent Academy within the framework of ip4inno project
Vienna, Austria

5^th -7^th May 2011
4th International Conference for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development (ICEIRD) "From Entrepreneurial Learning to Innovations and Regional Development"
Organized by the National Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Learning
Ohrid, Macedonia

7^th- 14^th May 2011
Innovation Festival Vilnius: "Collaboration and Open Innovation"
Promoted by the European Commission as part of PRO INNO Europe Initiative
Vilnius, Lithuania

10^th-11^th May 2011
EBAN Institute Pre-event workshops for BAN and Seed Fund Managers
Hosted by Lewiatan Business Angels
Warsaw, Poland

12^th -13^th May 2011
EBAN 11th Annual Congress and 6th Award Ceremony" Syndication and Co-investment: Partnerships and Vision for the Future"
Organised by EBAN - the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and other Early Stage Market Players (INSME Member)
Warsaw, Poland

17^th-18^th May 2011
Building and defending IP value
Organized by European Patent Academy within the framework of ip4inno project
Berlin, Germany

18^th-19^th May 2011
ICIC 2011-International Conference on Innovation Clusters: "The Innovation Cluster in an Era of Convergence and Open Innovation"
Hosted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Innovation Cluster Foundation (KICF)
Daejeon, Korea

23^rd -26^th May 2011
7th INSME Annual Meeting on "Competitiveness, Culture and Cross-Border Co-operation" - Assisting SMEs to Grow, Innovate and Reach International Markets.
Organised by the INSME Secretariat in collaboration with EPROCA (European ProClusters Association)
Helsinki, Finland

24^th -25^th May 2011
SBA Conference "Mobilising SMEs for the Future of Europe"
Hosted by the Hungarian Presidency of the EU
Gödöllõ, Hungary

25^th -26^th May 2011
2nd EU Russia Innovation Forum
Organized by University and City of Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta, Finland

25^th -27^th May 2011
6th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training "eLearning Africa 2011 - Spotlight on Youth, Skills and Employability"
Organized by ICWE GmbH
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

25^th-26^th May 2011
IP in business practice
Organized by European Patent Academy within the framework of ip4inno project
Munich, Germany

26^th May 2011
International Training Programme on "Access to research and innovation for SMEs: challenges and tools"
Organised by the INSME Association
Helsinki, Finland

26^th May 2011
International Training Programme on "Increasing global competitiveness of SMEs: tips and tools"
Organised by EPROCA- the European ProClusters Associatin (INSME Member)
Helsinki, Finland

26^th -28^th May 2011
TII Conference 2011 "Innovation, Prosperity and Quality of Life"
Organized by T.I.I.-Technology Innovation International
Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Fed.

30^th May -3^rd June 2011
4th Global Forum on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Organised by infoDev and the Finnish Government
Helsinki, Finland

23^rd -24^th June 2011
Regions for Economic Change Conference "Exchanging good practice between Europe's regions"-Annual Conference "Fostering Smart and Sustainable Growth in Cities and Regions"
Organized by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium