Issue N° 88 - May 2011

In this Issue:

Updates on the life of the INSME Network
News from the INSME Members
INSME's Picks in the News
Focus on...INSME Members
Tenders & Calls
About IPR in China
Interesting Initiatives
Publications
Recommended Websites
Recommended Newsletter
Events
 
INSMEnews!
Contact the editorial staff
 

Keep up to date on innovation matters worldwide with the INSME Association!

"INSMEnews" is the free monthly newsletter edited since 2004 by the INSME Association Secretariat to stay updated about the activities of the International Network for SMEs, its Members and Partners worldwide. INSME aims to promote transnational cooperation among private and public stakeholders to make innovation happen in SMEs.

"INSMEnews" is available in English, Spanish and Russian. Sponsors and Promoters to translate this newsletter into other languages are welcome among INSME Members, international Partners and Third Parties.

We welcome contributions, comments and suggestions that can enrich this newsletter and improve our ongoing work, with the aim to support innovation intermediaries, their networking and internationalisation so as to better reach SMEs.

In this issue, find out more about the INSME news and about the 7th INSME Annual Meeting in Helsinki, Finland.

Stay tuned about INSME also on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Looking forward to meeting you in May in Helsinki.



Enjoy your reading!

Ms. Simona Marzetti

INSME Association Secretary General

 

 

Sponsors:

 

Updates on the life of the INSME Network

INSME portal restyled

The INSME Secretariat is glad to announce the launch of its new restyled portal, the first since its launch in 2003

Taking into account the feedback from our customer satisfaction questionnaire and an online portal survey, this restyling, is conceived with a view to better meet our users’ and INSME Members’ needs.

Check out the new INSME Portal and let us know your opinion!

INSME welcomes new Members

The INSME Association is glad to announce that the following organizations have recently joined the network:

  • Raw Materials Research and Development Council - RMRDC, an Governmental body based in Nigeria
  • Small Business Foundation - SBF, Private Non Profit Organisation based in Albania
  • Women Watch Bangladesh- WWB, Private Non Profit Organisation based in Bangladesh
  • API Turin (Association of SMEs based in Turin and Province), a Private Non Profit Organisation based in Italy

At present the INSME Association gathers 78 Members in 32 countries in 4 continents around the World and has increased its presence in Africa and in East Europe as well.

To find out more about the our Members please visit the dedicated webpage on the INSME Portal

Meet INSME at the 7th INSME Annual Meeting

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

23rd - 26th May, 2011
Helsinki, Finland

This year around 200 participants from 35 countries are expected to attend the 2011 INSME Annual Meeting.

Prestigious speakers from the most relevant International organizations will participate at the event. To find out more about the Speakers and their contribution to the Meeting please read the abstracts available on the dedicated webpage of the INSME Annual Meeting official website.

 Download the Final Agenda

 Find out more at: www.annualmeeting2011.insme.org

Please note that the event feedbacks will be available as soon as possible on the INSME Portal and on the INSME Annual Meeting website.

Stay tuned on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!

News from the INSME Members

META Group and EURADA: Strategy Lab

META Group, in collaboration with EURADA - the European Association of Development Agencies, organised the Strategy Lab on "Smart specialization: the future of EU regional innovation policy" an international workshop to be held on the 30th May 2011 in Rome, Italy.

This first workshop aims at providing a preview of European Regional Innovation trends for the next programming period 2014-2020, by presenting the concept of Smart Specialization, its potential impact on regional development trajectories and the chief differences with the previous strategical approach (Regional Innovation Strategy).

 Read the Strategy Lab Brochure and visit the following website at:
http://www.meta-group.com/strategylab/

INSME's Picks in the News

EU: Open Public Consultation on European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

The EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology (www.eit.europa.eu) was set up in 2008 with the objective of delivering world-leading innovation via integration of the actors of the "knowledge triangle" (research, education, business).

The results of this specific public consultation on the EIT will feed into the preparatory process for the future Common Strategic Framework for Future EU Research and Innovation Funding, which is the subject of a broader consultation on a Commission Green Paper.

Consultation is open for comments until 30 June 2011.

 Find out more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=OPCEITSIA

Focus on...INSME Members

Women Watch Bangladesh- WWB

Women Watch Bangladesh -WWB, is a non profit organization which aims to support women entrepreneurship with a view to expand their global business for sustainable development. WWB tools are business training, networking, assisting with fundraising, products development, access to resources, information and knowledge.

The past few years, WWB trained thousands of women and assisted them to successfully participate trade fair and exhibitions, business networking and seminars, workshops, conferences in many Countries.

WWB is an INSME Member since April 2011.

 Find out more at: http://womenwatchbd.org/

Tenders & Calls

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation: Open Grant competition

Organiser: The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Aim: support scientific research projects to be implemented under the supervision of leading scientists at Russian institutions of higher education.

Target: Russian and foreign scientists known for their outstanding achievements in different scientific disciplines. Each applicant may participate in one research project only.

The grant application must be prepared by leading scientist in partnership with one Russian institution of higher learning. The grants will be used to fund scientific research projects in 2011-2013 with the possibility to extend these projects for up to two additional years.

Applications may be submitted in Russian and English or in English only.

Submission deadline: 16th June, 2011 (12 am Moscow time)

 Read more at: http://eng.mon.gov.ru/pro/ved/uch/

ERC: "Proof of Concept" Funding Scheme

Organiser: The European Research Council (ERC)

Aim: provides additional funding to ERC grant holders to establish proof of concept, identify a development path and an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategy for ideas arising from an ERC-funded project. The objective is to provide funds to enable ERC-funded ideas to be brought to a pre-demonstration stage where potential commercialisation opportunities have been identified.

Applicants: The Principle Investigator will need to be supported by a "Host Institution". Any type of legal entity, including universities, research organisations as well as undertakings can host the Principle Investigator (PI) and his/her team, provided they are established in a EU Member State or an associated country.

Total Indicative Budget: 10 MEuro

Deadlines: 15th June 2011 and 8th November 2011

 Read more clicking here

EC: Pilot projects for the development of "Knowledge Partnerships"

Organiser: European Commission

Aim: fund structured partnerships, bringing together businesses with higher education and training institutions to design and deliver new curricula, new courses, to develop new and innovative ways of delivering and utilizing education and knowledge, and to facilitate the flow of knowledge between higher education and companies

Applicants: higher education institutions, research institutes and training Institutions, public and private large, medium or small companies established in the Member States of the European Union.

Total budget: 1 MEuro

Application deadline: 30th June 2011

 Read more at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/calls/doc2905_en.htm

ABOUT IPR IN CHINA

IPR China SME Help Desk- monthly activities updates

Since this number we are pleased to be providing our readers with the monthly update about the activities carried out by IPR China SME Help Desk (INSME Partner).

We highlight you on the April issue the following news:

  • Re-launch of Helpdesk website
  • New E-Learning Module on Trade Secrets
  • New Helpdesk Guide: IPR Protection in China for the Creative Industries

  To read more, please, download the IPR China SME Help Desk April’s Update

Interesting Initiatives

EU: A first class act fostering the competitiveness of small businesses

The Small Business Act (SBA) was launched in 2008 to ensure that European small and medium-sized enterprises have access to finance and markets and can thrive in a regulatory environment conducive to growth.

The European Commission has recently presented a Review of the SBA, involving interesting initiatives focused on promoting entrepreneurship (reducing the start-up time for new enterprises; creating mentoring schemes for female entrepreneurs; reducing the time to get licences and permits; etc.).

Find out more information:

  on EC review of the SBA:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/files/sba_review_en.pdf

  on the 2008 Small Business Act (SBA):
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0394:FIN:en:PDF

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/

Publications

EC: Flash Eurobarometer survey "Attitudes of European entrepreneurs towards eco-innovation"

The objective of this Flash Eurobarometer survey - conducted by The Gallup Organization Hungary (www.gallup.hu/english.htm) upon the request of Directorate-General Environment - was to investigate the behavior, attitudes and expectations of entrepreneurs towards the development and uptake of eco-innovation as a response to rising prices of resources and resource scarcity.

  Download the survey:
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_315_en.pdf

EU/OECD: Economic Policy Reforms 2011 - Going for Growth

Going for Growth 2011 highlights the structural reforms needed to restore long-term growth in the wake of the crisis.

For each OECD country and, for the first time, six key emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa), five reform priorities are identified that would be most effective in delivering sustained growth over the next decade.

Price: €75

 

  Download the summary in PDF format

  To find out more click here

Recommended Websites

StartUp Britain

StartUp Britain is a new campaign by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, launched on 28th March 2011. Designed to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK, it has the full backing of the Prime Minister.

It brings together links to main sites on the web to find information about starting or about growing a business.

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

Recommended Newsletter

ITIF newsletter

Newsletter of the ITIF - Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (www.itif.org), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, founded in 2006, dedicated to conceiving and promoting new ways of thinking about technology-driven productivity, competitiveness, and globalization that the 21st century demands.

 To find out more, please, contact ITIF at mail@itif.org

Events

Highlighted events

During the 7th INSME Annual Meeting on "Competitiveness, Culture and Cross-Border Collaboration: Assisting SMEs to Grow, Innovate and Reach International Markets" one day is dedicated to two parallel training programmes on SME innovation related topics.

26th May 2011
EPROCA Training Program on "Increasing global competitiveness of SMEs: tips and tools" and INSME Training Program on "Access to research and innovation for SMEs: challenges and tools"
Helsinki, Finland

Training fee: 200 euro

  To find out more click here

  Download the EPROCA International Training Programme Agenda: click here

  Download the INSME International Training Programme Agenda: click here

15th -17th June 2011
20th EBN Annual Congress & RETIS Annual Congress
Toulon, France

The EBN - European Business & Innovation Centres Network (www.ebn.be) (INSME Member) jointly with RETIS Annual Congress is organising its 20th Annual Congress. The event will examine the emergence of well-structured "regional innovation strategies" (RIS), which are providing an integrated framework for the deployment of innovation policies at the territorial levels.
This joint event gives participants the possibility to share models on how to build dynamic and collaborative ecosystems, network, benchmark and learn from real stories of entrepreneurial success.

 Find out more at:
http://www.ebn-retistoulon2011.com/NewDisplayPage.aspx?pid=210&lg=2


23rd -24th June 2011

The 4th Edition of the Annual International Conference TEX-TEH
Bucharest, Romania

The TexTeh IV 2011 conference - organized by the National R&D Institute for Textile and Leather - I.N.C.D.T.P. (www.certex.ro) (INSME Member) - is focused on the textile research as an active factor for increasing performance and competitiveness.

 Find out more at:
http://www.certex.ro/conference_texteh4.htm

Future International meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME

24th - 27thMay 2011
Green Week Conference 2011 "Resource efficiency - Using less, living better"
Organized by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

25th 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

25th- 27th May 2011
WIC 2011 - 9th World Investment Conference "Stimulating Global Economic Growth"
Organized by Europe+ Foundation
La Baule, France

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

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

30thMay -1st June 2011       
EuroNanoForum 2011
Organized within the framework of the Presidency of the European Union and supported by the European Commission
Budapest, Hungary

30thMay 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

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

1stJune 2011 
EPIC 2011 - High Growth Innovations: Valuation and Venture
Organized by GöteborgBIO
Gothenburg, Sweden

1stJune 2011 
E!nnoVest- The First EUREKA Investors Shop Generating Innovation Deal Flow
Organized by EUREKA
Jerusalem, Israel

2nd -4thJune 2011     
SME 2011 Fair and Conference Brief
In partnership with Maple Management E.A.Ltd Small & Medium Entrepreneurial Resource Centre (SMERC)
Kenya, East

5th June 2011
WED 2011 - World Environment Day "Forests: Nature At Your Service"
Organized by UNEP-United Nations Environment Programme
Worldwide

6th - 7th June 2011   
The International Economic Forum of the Americas
Organized by  the Conférence de Montréal
Montreal, Quebec

6th- 7th June 2011
KEN Forum 2011 "Human Capital Development for Knowledge Economy: Mobilising the Innovation Potential, including Gender Balance"
Organized by the Slovenian Business and Research Association
Maribor, Slovenia

6th-10thJune 2011     
Understanding China Training Programme - Module 1
Organized within the framework of Understanding China Programme
Antwerp, Belgium

7th -9th June 2011    
Week of Innovative Regions in Europe 2011 (WIRE2011)
Organized by the European Commission and the Hungarian Presidency
Debrecen, Hungary

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

8th June 2011
Innovat&Match 2011
Organized by ASTER-SIMPLER(INSME Member) in the framework of R2B - Research To Business 2011
Bologna, Italy

10thJune 2011
Conference on the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding
Organized by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

12th-15th June 2011  
XXII ISPIM Conference "Sustainability in Innovation: Innovation Management Challenges"
Organized by ISPIM and hosted by the Technical University of Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany

13th-16th June 2011  
TechConnect World Conferece& Expo 2011
Co-organized by TechConnect
Boston, MA, United States

15th-17th June 2011  
DRUID Society Conference 2011 "INNOVATION, STRATEGY, and STRUCTURE"
Organized by the DRUID
Copenhagen, Denmark

19th-22nd June 2011  
IASP 28th World Conference on Science and technology Parks "Roadmaps for future navigation"
Organized by IASP member Scion DTU in collaboration with Symbion and the International Association of Science Parks (IASP)
Copenhagen, Denmark

20th-21st June 2011  
Nordic Conference in Development Economics 2011 (NCDE11)
Organized by The Development Economics Research Group (DERG) at the University of Copenhagen and the United Nations University World Institute of Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
Copenhagen, Denmark

23rd-24th 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

25th-26th June 2011  
AURP Bio GreenTech Parks 2011
Hosted by the University of Maryland & the University of Maryland, Baltimore
Washington D.C., United States

27th-28th June 2011  
Fifth Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies (MEIDE)
Co-organized by the Fundación Omar Dengo and the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia-MICIT
San José, Costa Rica

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

28th-30th June 2011  
The R&D Management Conference 2011
Organized by Linköping University in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology
Norrköping, Sweden

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INSME Secretariat
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