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

To find out more about our event and the international speakers, please download the International Conference Final Agenda and the Speakers' abstracts now available on the INSME Annual Meeting website.

If you are interested to attend our event, please, make your registration online as soon as possible at: https://events.congreszon.fi/INSME2011/en/ParLogin.jsp

The REGISTRATION DEADLINE is 10^th MAY, 2011!!

Registration is mandatory to confirm any participation.

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

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

On the 23^rd May 2011 during the 7^th INSME General Assembly, open only to the INSME Association Members, the election of the new INSME Board for the mandate mid-2011/mid -2013 will take place.

We take this occasion to thank all the INSME Board Members, listed below, for their active participation and support to develop our Association:

- Mr. Paolo Anselmo
INSMEPresident, Italian Business Angels Network (IBAN) President and Member of EBAN Executive Committee

- Mr. ZHANG Weixing
INSME Vice President, Deputy Director General - Torch Center Innofund (Administration Center of Innovation Fund for Technology-Based SMEs) Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)

- Dr. Raimund Broechler
INSME Vice Presidentand Senior Delivery Manager - Intrasoft International Luxembourg

- Ms. Simona Marzetti
INSME Secretary General

- Dr. Carlos Alberto dos Santos
Director - Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Services (SEBRAE)

- Mr. Philippe Vanrie
Managing Director - European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN)

- Mr. Aleardo Furlani
Managing Director at INNOVA S.p.A.

- Mr. Iván Ornelas Díaz
Director International Affairs, Underministry for SMEs - Mexican Ministry of Economy

- Mr. Florin-Ioan Rosu
Director- Directorate for SMEs, Domestic Trade and Cooperatives - Romanian Ministry for SMEs, Trade and Business Environment

- Mr. Vedat Kunt
Managing Partner - VEGO Consulting and Information Technologies Co.

- Dr. Hamad Al Hashemi
Managing Director - Dubai Institute of Technology (DTI) - Dubai Technopark

The EBAN Institute, launched in 2010 by the EBAN - European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and other Early Stage Market Players, aims to build the capacity for all actors in the early stage investment market and to improve performance including the quality of services.

To contribute to achieve its goal, the Institute is currently organising for the first time the BASE (Business Angel Network and Seed Fund Managers) training programme for BAN and seed fund managers. The two day training will take place on 10^th -11^th May, 2011 in Warsaw, Poland in a pre-event to the EBAN 11^th Annual Congress and will cover all of the key aspects of BAN and seed fund management.

 More information about the BASE training programme at
http://eban.org/eban-institute/training-for-ban-and-sf/programme
or
www.ebancongress2011.eu

Romania Business Passport 2011 contains information in summary form and is intended for general guidance about the Romanian economic and financial framework.

 Download the Romania Business Passport.

In March 2011 the European Commission launched the Social Innovation Europe initiative with the aim to:
- connect projects and people who can share experiences and learn from each other;
- develop an easily accessible resource bank;
- develop a resource bank of up to date policies at local and national levels and provide information on funding opportunities;
- facilitate new relationships between civil society, governments, public sector institutions and relevant private sector bodies
- develop concrete recommendations in financing and in upscaling/mainstreaming of social innovation in Europe

 Find out more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/social-innovation/social-inno-event_en.htm

 Download the agenda of the launch event: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/files/agenda-social_en.pdf

In February 2011, the European Commission presented a Green Paper which proposes major changes to EU research and innovation funding to make participation easier, increase scientific and economic impact and provide better value for money.

The European Commission is seeking the views of all interested individuals and organisations on these proposed changes and on the specific questions set out in the Green Paper.

Deadline for contributions: 20^th May, 2011

 Find out more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/csfri/index_en.cfm

 Download the Green Paper:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/csfri/index_en.cfm?pg=documents

The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria vested with the mandate to promote the development and utilization of Nigeria's vast industrial raw materials.

RMRDC is an INSME Member since March 2011.

 Find out more about RMRDC at: http://www.rmrdc.gov.ng/

Call for proposal

 Aim: create a more strategic support to service innovations in order to unlock its transformative potential at sectoral and market level and to contribute to strengthening the innovativeness of the economy as part of the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

This call for proposals has two actions:

1. Action 1: European Mobile and Mobility Industries Alliance
   (1/G/ENT/CIP/11/C/N01C031)
   
2. Action 2: European Creative Industries Alliance
   (2/G/ENT/CIP/11/C/N03C011)

Applicants: EU Member States and Norway, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, Serbia and Albania.

Submission Deadline : 26^th June 2011

Please note that an information day for this call for proposals will be organised in Brussels (Belgium) on 4^th May 2011

 Find out more at the site

Call for applications

The South Moravian Innovation Centre (JIC) has launched a call for applications for innovation vouchers for promoting cooperation between companies and research institutions.

Subsidy worth up to 150,000 CZK (approx. 6,000 EUR) covering 75 % of the value of the supported project

Overall Budget: almost 300,000 EUR

Applicants: All companies from the European Economic Area

Submission Deadline: 28^th April 2011

 Read more at: http://www.inovacnivouchery.cz/en/home

Publisher: Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) of Hong Kong

Aim: support midstream/downstream research and development (R&D) projects undertaken mainly by universities, R&D Centres, industry support organisations, professional bodies and trade and industry associations.

This call is structured in a three-tier funding framework for ITSP under the ITF :

• Tier 1 provides project funding for the R&D centres to undertake projects in selected focus areas.
• Tier 2 which involves the funding of applied R&D projects which are industry-oriented and have high potential for commercialisation. (The Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Cooperation Funding Scheme (TCFS) operates as a Tier 2 funding scheme.)
• Tier 3 which involves the funding of exploratory and forward-looking projects.

Applicants: Universities, R&D Centres, Industry Support Organizations, Professional Bodies and Trade and Industry Associations primarly in Hong Kong and in Mainland but also in other countries if priory approved by the Innovation and Technology Commission - ITC (http://www.itc.gov.hk/) the administer of the Innovation and Technology Fund -ITF.

Projected Financial Expenditure : 14,875.0 HK$'000

Submission Deadline: 29th April 2011

 Read more at: http://www.itf.gov.hk/l-eng/ITSP.asp

Call for Papers

Event: The Innovation in Financial Services Summit will be held in Luxembourg, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg on 22^nd -23^rd September 2011

Organisers: Public Research Centre Henri Tudor in partnership with ISPIM - The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (INSME Member)

Themes:

• Defining and understanding innovation in the financial sector
• Effects of organizational innovation in the financial industry
• Measuring innovation in financial services
• Methods and tools for innovation in the financial services sector
• Open Innovation and collaboration in the financial sector
• Stimulating financial innovation through regulation
• Sustainability in finance
• Other topical issues in innovation in financial services

Submission Deadline: 18^th June 2011

  Find out more at: http://luxsummit.ispim.org/index.php/home/call

Western Internationalisation Network - WIN Atlantic project is a three year project (2009-2011) cofinanced by the European Union ERDF - Atlantic Area Programme.

The project provides enhanced networking opportunities to innovative start ups and SMEs located in the regions of the 12 partner organizations and supports the internationalisation of their businesses.

The project partners are from five Atlantic regions: France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

  Read more at: www.winatlantic.com

This publication is a review of the experiences and policies of the UNECE -United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (www.unece.org) Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration. It presents a collection of contributions of members of the Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies (TOS-ICP) and other experts participating in the Applied Policy Seminar "Promoting Innovation in the Services Sector", which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on March the 25^th and 26^th ,2011.

  Download the publication:
http://live.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/ceci/publications/icp3.pdf

This report, issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD (www.oecd.org), builds on an OECD inventory of eco-innovation policies in OECD countries and in China.

It draws on studies of selected environment-friendly innovations, highlighting different patterns of development across countries and it incorporates extensive international consultation on the topics of eco-innovation and green growth.

  Find out more at:
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/better-policies-to-support-eco-innovation_9789264096684-en

  For more information on OECD work on eco-innovation, visit:

• www.oecd.org/greengrowth
• www.oecd.org/environment/innovation
• www.oecd.org/sti/innovation/green

The US-EU Intellectual Property Rights Working Group developed this joint portal in 2010 as a collaborative effort to strengthen IPR protection globally through support for U.S. and European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This website encourages SMEs on both sides of the Atlantic to access a wide range of resources on intellectual property rights (IPR).

 Find out more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/initiatives/ipr/index_en.htm

UNIDO Times is the newsletter issued by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization -UNIDO (www.unido.org) launched on November 2010. This newsletter is a platform to bring cross-organizational focus and visibility to the goals and achievements of sustainable industrial development and poverty reduction through UNIDO support.

It is published regularly in English and is available on the Organization's website, as well as in print form.

 To subscribe to the print edition write to: newsletter@unido.org

 Find out more at: http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=o81305

26^th - 27^th April 2011
2011 NEPAD-OECD Ministerial Conference"Accelerating the pace of reform: Mobilising infrastructure andagricultural investment in Africa"
Organized within the framework of the NEPAD-OECD Africa Investment Initiative
Dakar, Senegal

28^th April 2011
CIP Eco-innovation European Information Day 2011
Organized by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

28^th - 29th April 2011
13^th BRT Annual Meeting "EU-Japan Business Cooperation: Growth for the Future"
Organized by the Round Table's secretariat and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Rome, Italy

2^nd May 2011
The Economics of Intellectual Property - Disembodied Knowledge Flows: Technology Services Trade and the Role of IPR Protection
Organized by WIPO (INSME Member)
Geneva, Switzerland

2^nd - 3^rd May 2011
Canada-EU Innovation Forum "Enhancing Innovation through Cooperation"
Organized by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations
Montreal, Canada

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 EuropeanPatentAcademy within the framework of ip4inno project
Vienna, Austria

5^th May 2011
1^st ASEAN-EU Business Summit "Pursuing Opportunities and Promoting Prosperity in Both Regions"
Organized by the European Union and ASEAN Secretariat
Jakarta, Indonesia

5^th - 7^th May 2011
4^th 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

10^th - 11^th May 2011
15^th EVM - European Venture Market 2011
Organized by the European Venture Market
Berlin, Germany

11^th - 13^th May 2011
European Business & Research Delegation to India "Opportunities for EU - India Cleantech cooperation in Business and Research" in the fringes of the Global Technology Partnership Forum
Co-organized by The European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
New Delhi, India

12^th - 13^th May 2011
EARTO Annual Conference 2011
Hosted by EARTO member Technology Partners Foundation
Warsaw, Poland

12^th - 13^th May 2011
AGORADA 2011"RDAs: Towards a new generation of SME support services"
Organized in cooperation with Take It Up, a project funded by the European Commission's CIP Programme within the framework of the Europe INNOVA Initiative
Brussels, Belgium

12^th - 13^th May 2011
EBAN 11^th Annual Congress and 6^th 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)
Warsaw, Poland

16^th - 17^th May 2011
4^th Annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress
Organized by the American Conference Institute
New York, United State

16^th - 20^th May 2011
6^th Latin American Congress of Clusters "Building Competitiveness through Learning Clusters in Latin America"
Organized by SEBRAE (INSME Member)
OuroPreto-Minas Gerais, Brasil

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 - 19th May 2011
9th European Business Summit "Europe in the world: leading or lagging?"
With the support of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
Brussels, Belgium

18^th - 19th 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

19th May 2011
ICT VentureGate Brokerage Event "Getting your ICT investment off the ground: Key issues and practical advice on matching innovative businesses and ICT investors"
Supported by the European Commission and organized by the Venture Gate
Budapest, Hungary

18^th -21^st May 2011
The 14^th China Chongqing International Investment and Global Sourcing Fair - CCISF 2011
Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of People's Republic of China
Chongqing City, China

19th - 21^th May 2011
XXII Annual PBICA Conference "Internationalization of the knowledge based entrepreneurship. The Role of Business Innovation Centers"
Organized by Polish Business and Innovation Centers Association
Gliwice, Poland

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 May 2011
Understanding the Impact of the Financial Crisis on the Economic Resilience of Entrepreneurship, Work and Enterprise
Co-organized by the Centre for Regional Economic and Enterprise Development (CREED) and the ICOSS Centre, University of Sheffield
Sheffield, United Kingdom

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

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

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 2011
9th FEMIP Conference "Mediterranean Infrastructure Challenges: The Potential of Public-Private Partnerships"
Hosted by The EIB- European Investment Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Morocco and the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME)
Casablanca, Morocco

30^th May 2011
Smart Specialization: the future of European regional Innovation Policies
Organized by META Group Strategy Lab
Rome, Italy

31^st May - 1^st June 2011
MED-Academy - Project Appraisal: How to promote sustainable investments in the Mediterranean?
Supported by Invest in Med Programme
Casablanca, Morocco

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

7^th- 8^th June 2011
Promoting IP
Organized by European Patent Academy within the framework of ip4inno project
The Hague, Netherlands

16^th- 17^th June 2011
FP7 Mid-Term Evaluation Conference
Organized by Europa Media Non-Profit Ltd.
Budapest, Hungary

27^th June - 8^th July 2011
5^th Barcelona Competitiveness Summer School (BCSS 2011)
Organized by the International Center for Competitiveness at IESE
Washington DC, United States