Issue N 8 - January 2004
In this Issue:
Life of the Network
Newcomers in the INSME Community
Promotion opportunities for INSME Members
INSME Think Tank Meeting: a survey for developments
The ICT Thematic Working Group (TWG)
News from the INSME Members
Statement by Mr. Enrique Mart�nez (INTI - Argentina)
INSME Activities
INSME-WASME Training programme on Management of Innovation and Technology Transfer for SMEs
Clustering between Fashion Net and Shoes5000 projects
ASK INSME service to be launched
Discussion Group: sharing opinions
Tenders & Calls
Study on e-learning policy indicators (European Commission)
Monitoring and analysis of science and technology foresight activities (European Commission)
Publications
Handbook in Business Angel Networks. The Nordic Case (Stockholm School of Entrepreneuship and IKED)
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Countries in Transition (UNECE)
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2003 Global Report
How to Strengthen the Regional Innovation Profile - A Pragmatic Approach (STRINNOP)
Events
Upcoming workshops, seminars, meetings
 

 
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WELCOME TO ISSUE N°8 OF THE INSME NEWSLETTER!

Dear INSMEnews Readers,
preparation for the set-up of the INSME Association is coming to an end and in a few weeks our multi stakeholder Network (the INSME Steering Group) will give birth to a non profit Association, open to international membership.

We remind all Steering Group Members and interested public and private organisations wanting to apply for membership that the INSME Association is open to the following categories, provided that they deal with innovation, technology transfer and SME related issues:
  • Ministries and Governmental agencies and bodies;
  • International Organisations and international Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs);
  • Individual intermediaries and their networks at sub-national, national, regional or international level.

Founding Members of the INSME Association will be Italy, Romania, Spain and Switzerland, while the Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion (IPI) will host the Association's Secretariat in its headquarters in Rome, Italy. Membership in the Association will be for a fee, on an annual basis, according to the Members' status (Full Member, Associate Member or Observer).

After the creation of the INSME Association, the INSME Steering Group will be transformed into an Advisory Group with a consultative role.

We encourage anybody interested in becoming a Member to contact the INSME Secretariat for further information and details about the Association. The application form to apply for membership will be available on the INSME portal as a download soon after the execution of the deed of incorporation of the Association in February.

The INSME Association's 2004 Action Plan will be discussed during the forthcoming INSME meeting in Malmö (Sweden) on February 25-27. A detailed agenda of the INSME Meeting is available to download, as well a hotel booking form to confirm your participation in the meeting.

Don't miss this event! It is an opportunity to take part in this crucial phase in the life of our Network!
We look forward to your feedback and to welcoming you into the INSME Association.

Simona Marzetti
Head of the INSME Secretariat

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Life of the Network
   Newcomers in the INSME Community

This month we welcome in the INSME Network:

The INSME Steering Group now includes 80 Members: 42 Governments (22 OECD and 20 non-OECD), 18 International Organisations and NGOs, and 20 networks and intermediaries acting in the field of innovation and technology transfer to SMEs.

The updated mailing list of the INSME Steering Group with new Members is available on the INSME portal within the Members Area:
 http://www.insme.org/
 Have you forgotten your username and password for the Members Area? Please write to us at secretariat@insme.it

 View the full list of the INSME Members
 See the eligibility criteria to join INSME
 Apply for membership in the INSME Steering Group

 

   Promotion opportunities for INSME Members

"Quarterly magazine of  Technical - Scientific Information"Thanks to an agreement between INSME and the Italian magazine Innovare, INSME Members will now have the chance to publish information for free on this magazine, in order to promote their activities among Italian SMEs.

Innovare is a quarterly magazine, that is also available online as a free download at www.api.varese.it/innovare, and is edited by CONFAPI, the Italian Confederation for Small Enterprises (member of IPI). Its mission is to inform Italian SMEs about innovation management, as well as technical and scientific issues, research and emerging technologies. It is distributed to more than 10,000 SMEs and organisations including intermediaries, research institutes and universities in Italy. Innovare is published in Italian, with abstracts in English.

For further information, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Dr. Pier Francesco Cerritelli
 cerritelli@ipi.it
Phone: +39 06 80972342
Fax: +39 06 80972443

 

   INSME Think Tank Meeting: a survey for developments

A 56 page report regarding potential INSME projects and services is now available to INSME Members.  This report encapsulates the results of the Think Tank meeting, which took place in Rome on December 11-12, 2003, and the subsequent follow-up discussion that went on in the Think Tank room (accessible online on the INSME portal, logging in the Discussion Group section).

The report presents a set of project ideas and hints regarding what INSME could accomplish. It covers a broad range of issues, from promotion to content feed, from academic research to training. 24 clusters of ideas are recorded and 3 ideas that seem more suitable as future INSME pilot projects or services have been selected for further development and discussion with the INSME Members.

In this view, a survey has been launched within the INSME Steering Group to see if INSME Members are interested in any of these ideas and moreover if they would like to further develop these proposals into real projects or partnership. The deadline for comments to the INSME Secretariat is February 21.

In the next INSME Meeting, to be held in Malmö (Sweden) on February 25-27, 2004, parallel networking sessions in smaller groups may be organised so that proposals about project ideas, partners, funding opportunities and so on can be shared.

In addition, a collection of methodologies for creative thinking that target product/service development is envisaged to be introduced in the INSME portal. These methodologies may serve as a base for a future handbook on methodologies on creative thinking for product and service innovation to be edited by the INSME Secretariat.  Should you have any information or methods that you would like to share with us or if you know experts that provide this type of service and may be willing to cooperate in this effort, please let us know.

The full Think Tank Report is downloadable online from the Members Area:
 http://www.insme.org/
 Have you forgotten your username and password for the Members Area? Please write to us at secretariat@insme.it
 
For further information please contact the INSME Secretariat:

Ms. Silvia Grandi
 grandi@ipi.it
Phone: +39 06 80972.215
Fax: +39 06 80972. 443

 

   The ICT Thematic Working Group (TWG)

The INSME Secretariat has launched the second Thematic Working Group which addresses the issue Information and Communication Technologies in the new global electronic market and is chaired by Mr. Andreu Llambrich, collaborator for REDIT, the Valencian Network of Technology Centres and Member of the INSME Steering Group.

This Thematic Working Group is made up of dedicated INSME Members. So far, in this starting phase, participants in the ICT TWG are representatives of the following organisations and bodies:

The ICT TWG's objective is to gather INSME Members so as to share experiences on specific horizontal issues, in this case ICT. The main issues covered by the group are: security; networked businesses; technology-enhanced learning; open development platforms for software and services; etc.

The group is formed on an ad hoc basis, and is coordinated by the INSME Secretariat. The Working Group can pave the way for launching joint pilot projects among INSME Members. 

The discussion has started in the electronic market domain and related knowledge areas (National & Regional Programmes, Mobile Systems & Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Mobile Services, Networking, Clusters, Industrial Applications, eBusiness frameworks, Interfacing to IT Standardisation, Modelling and Integration, Interoperatibility, and Legal Procedures) and the specific points to be addressed are: Collaborative Platforms, Registry & Repository, legal Challenges, Obstacles to Progress, Open Source, Data modelling and Data Exchange.

This e-discussion is taking place in a dedicated "room" of the Discussion Group Area of the INSME portal:
 http://www.insme.org/          

For further information or to join this TWG, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Mr. Andreu Llambrich
 andreu.llambrich@adei.es

 

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News from the INSME Members
   Statement by Mr. Enrique Mart�nez (INTI - Argentina)

"Mr. Enrique Mart�nez, President of the National Institute of Industrial Technology"A contribution from a Member of the INSME Steering Group: Mr. Enrique Mart�nez, President of the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), Argentina, on INTI's collaborative role with INSME.

Dear fellow associates,
To be an INSME Member sharing experiences and knowledge on technology transfer and innovation within a broad international environment, is a really meaningful fact for a public organisation such as the National Institute for Industrial Technology of Argentina (INTI).

The importance of this lies in the existing need, on the one hand, to re-build linkages among global, national and local actors in the light of social development - a crucial matter to be considered by Argentina and by many other countries in the world at present - and on the other, for an appropriate and effective technology transfer and innovation process towards the private sector, spreading its benefits within the society as a whole in an equitable way.

The active participation of our organisations in networks and activity coordination schemes with non-state actors becomes increasingly important due to the fact that the globalisation process has focused economic success on the dynamics within global value chains, and the search for an equitable distribution of gains and losses has been placed outside that framework.

According to the above mentioned facts, we strongly believe on the capabilities of INTI's public functions to act within this complex and multi-level scenario as:

  • A technical pattern for applying quality and product identity regulations in industry and trade: this is the traditional role that INTI has been complying with, ensuring that the products subjected to analysis and tests are in accordance with standards and specifications required by the domestic and international markets.

  • A tool to integrate the local community to the productive system: since the globalisation process implies a set of winners and losers at global, but at all other levels, Argentina may be seen as a clear example of the need to establish a new social contract, in which social development is closely linked to knowledge, innovation and technology, the vehicles to meet social demands through association, local development initiatives and training of the different private actors, from the smallest to the largest.

  • Technical assistance to improve industrial competitiveness: in this sense, design, foresight and project formulation are crucial activities that should be developed in order to promote the participation, in better terms, of local actors in global value chains and by adding value to existing activities. This could be complemented by value chain improvements such as suppliers and customer developments.

Thus, we expect to spread our successful experiences, to adapt 'best practices' from other national organisations as properly as possible to our local productive environment, and to establish positive partnerships through the development of projects, particularly those focused on small and medium sized enterprises, as well as by strengthening design capabilities, and promoting financial and training opportunities for all.

Undoubtedly, our challenge is to adapt new solutions for common everyday problems and to help our private sector to gain markets and to integrate people into the labour market and the business world.

Mr. Enrique Mart�nez
President of the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI)

 

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INSME Activities
   INSME-WASME Training programme on Management of Innovation and Technology Transfer for SMEs
"INSME-International Network for SMEs"WASME - World Association for Small and Medium EnterprisesINSME, in partnership with WASME (World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises), Member of the INSME, is designing a training course on Management of Innovation and Technology Transfer for SMEs to be held in New Dehli, India, next Fall.

The aim of this initiative will be fostering Asian intermediary organisations' capacity to effectively manage the technology transfer process by improving their theoretical and practical knowledge of related issues like the assessment of technology needs, technology search, IPR management and financing tools for innovative companies.

The presentation and official launch of the training course will take place on the occasion of the upcoming INSME meeting on 25-27 February 2004 in Malmö, Sweden.

More information will soon be available online.

 

   Clustering between Fashion Net and Shoes5000 projects

Clustering is a highly appreciated practice by the European Commission, because of its positive effects and the synergies that can result from it.

In particular, it means the common implementation of key actions, by defining common non-technical areas where projects from completely different sectors can benefit from each other's experience.

As a result of contacts between IPI and INESCOP, coordinators of the Fashion Net project and Shoes5000 (Promotion of footwear and components industry participation in the sixth framework programme) respectively, a clustering collaboration between the two projects has been agreed on. This partnership is expected to bring about added value for several initiatives to be implemented within the two projects.

Both Fashion Net and Shoes5000 are projects within the Sixth EU Research and Technological Development Framework Programme (FP6, 2002-2006) and both aim at fostering innovation and technology transfer. Being footwear part of the fashion system, the clustering between the two projects offers several opportunities for implementation. These would include:

  • Sharing information between the two SME systems through the use of information system platforms
  • Exchange of information between the two projects on methodologies and best practices;
  • Adding information collected on potential intermediaries, experts, SMEs interested in RTD projects, trends, best practices, etc., to the two databases;
  • Cross-dissemination of each other's initiatives;
  • Integrating Fashion Net information in Shoes5000's multimedia communication material (video).

For further information, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Ms. Silvia Grandi ( Fashion Net Project Coordinator)
 grandi@ipi.it
Phone: +39 06 80972215
Fax: +39 06 80972443

 

   ASK INSME service to be launched

The INSME Secretariat is pleased to announce that the pilot implementation of the Ask INSME Service will start on February 1st, 2004.

Ask INSME is an on-line service conceived to provide professional and timely answers to specific questions posted by INSME Members on Innovation Management and Technology Transfer (for instance, questions on how to find information, partners, or best practices).

Questions can be submitted from now on to a dedicated e-mail address:
 askinsme@insme.itor online at:
  http://www.insme.org/

The management of the service will be based on an informal virtual network made up of organisations and individual experts taking part in this pilot project, each providing his/her own specific expertise, moderated by the Ask INSME Project Leader, Dr. Pier Francesco Cerritelli.

To be included in the network of expert partners involved, please submit a detailed CV to the INSME Secretariat:
Dr. Pier Francesco Cerritelli
 cerritelli@ipi.it

The service is free of charge for all (INSME Members and non Members) in the launching phase (until June 2004).
Later on, it will be free only for INSME Association Members.

More information on the "Ask INSME" Service can be found at:
 http://www.insme.org/

 

   Discussion Group: sharing opinions

We invite Members to post their inputs and contributions in the INSME Members room now available in the Discussion Group section of the INSME portal!

This room is especially reserved for INSME Members so they can exchange ideas and opinions about INSME and its evolution as well as on other topics they deem interesting for the Network.

Other rooms are available in the Discussion Group Area, namely those dedicated to the Thematic Working Groups on Innovation Finance and ICT. For these rooms all INSME Members have permission read the information posted.

To access the Discussion Group Area please go to:
 http://www.insme.org/ (log in area)
 Have you forgotten your username and password? Please write to us at secretariat@insme.it

 

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Tenders & Calls
   Study on e-learning policy indicators (European Commission)

European Commission - Call for tenders to carry out a study on e-learning policy indicators

The European Commission's Information Society DG has published a call for tenders to carry out a study on e-learning policy indicators.
The objective of this study is to obtain estimates for the e-learning indicator: 'number of pupils per computer with Internet connection (broadband/non broadband)' [Definition: only computers used for teaching purposes to be included]. The study should also include a measurement of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) usage in schools, the incorporation of ICT in the curricula and the development of new learning methods.

Contract document and additional documents are obtainable until 06.02.2004.

The deadline for submitting tenders documents is 13.12.2004.

Further information at:
 http://www.insme.org/

 

   Monitoring and analysis of science and technology foresight activities (European Commission)

European Commission: Monitoring and analysis of science and technology foresight activities

This call for tenders comprises the following 4 lots:

Lot 1: scenarios of future science and technology developments in emerging economies 2015.
The objective is to assist European Union policymaking in the field of RTD (Research and Technology Development) by providing plausible scenarios for the future RTD  developments in new emerging economies, with the year 2015 as time horizon. Attention should be given to the developments of linkages and co-operation processes between these economies and the EU. The scenario work shall indicate impacts for Europe, and allow conclusions concerning the EU RTD policy.

Lot 2: scenarios of future science and technology developments in developing countries 2015
The main objective is to give advice to European Union in the field of RTD policies in relation to developing countries. For this purpose, plausible but contrasting scenarios shall be provided that focus on scientific and technological developments, and on prospective developments in certain countries of the developing world, with the year 2015 as time horizon. The study shall also analyse the consequences of the different scenarios for Europe and draw conclusions concerning the EU RTD policy.

Lot 3: professions with a science and technology dimension in Europe 2015: implications for education and training policies
The aim is to identify RTD and education policy challenges posed by the knowledge economy and society. To this end, the study shall develop scenarios of future job profiles in business sectors that will be based on high research inputs and assess its prospects in a Europe of the year 2015.

Lot 4: improving the science/policy relationship with the help of foresight: a European perspective
The objective is to contribute to a better informed policy-making process in the field of research and innovation policies applied to sustainable development. The study shall illustrate the constructive role of Foresight in policy making.

The deadline for submitting tender documents is 24.03.2004.

 Further information at:
http://www.insme.org/

 

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Publications
   Handbook in Business Angel Networks. The Nordic Case (Stockholm School of Entrepreneuship and IKED)

This handbook, produced by the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship with assistance from IKED (Member of the INSME Network), provides solid knowledge about the Business Angel Networks (BAN) environments, structures, economics and activities in the Nordic economies, and is a helpful tool for both new and experienced BAN managers worldwide, as well as for the large number of people working in national and regional innovation systems including entrepreneurs, incubators and policymakers.

The initiative to produce the Handbook was taken by the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship and has been supported by the Nordic Industrial Fund, Confederation of Swedish Enterprises , Industrial Development Fund (SND), the Science and Technology University of Norway (NTNU) and the Danish Business Angel Networks (DBAN).

For more information about the handbook, please contact Ms. Glenda Napier:
 glenda.napier@iked.org
Phone: +39 02 43440223
Fax: +39 02 43440222

Download the report:
 Handbook in Business Angel Networks. The Nordic Case

 

   Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Countries in Transition (UNECE)

This publication presents the characteristics of the SME sector in 27 European countries in transition (CITs) and emerging market economies, highlighting developments in SME support infrastructures, business incubation, financing for SMEs and legislative measures. It also provides a SWOT analysis of the SME sector in individual countries.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Countries in Transition is part of the Programme for the Development of SMEs in CITs launched in 1995 by UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) to promote policy and regulatory reforms in order to create an enabling environment for the development of entrepreneurship and creation of SMEs.

Download the report:
 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Countries in Transition

Visit UNECE website:
 http://www.unece.org/

 

   Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2003 Global Report

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is the largest single study of entrepreneurial activity in the world.
Published by London Business School and Babson College, with major support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the GEM report annually compares and contrasts levels of entrepreneurship across 41 countries.

According to the findings of this fifth edition, 300 million nascent entrepreneurs are attempting to establish 192 million new firms across the world. With Chile, Korea, New Zealand, Uganda and Venezuela emerging as among the most entrepreneurial countries in the world, the 2003 GEM report also finds that more than 80% of entrepreneurs throughout the 41 countries studied expect to create new jobs within the next five years.

The 2003 GEM also considers whether businesses provide new innovations or just replicate existing goods or services. The staggering result is that there are five times as many individuals in the world working to start new firms as there are owners of existing companies pursuing entrepreneurial strategies: the overwhelming majority (95%) of existing firms continue to replicate existing activity and are not very entrepreneurial.

Download the report:
 GEM 2003 Global Report

Further information on the GEM 2003 Global Report can be found at:
 http://www.gemconsortium.org/

 

   How to Strengthen the Regional Innovation Profile - A Pragmatic Approach (STRINNOP)

This guidebook presents the step-by-step approach developed by the European thematic network STRINNOP to strengthen the European regions innovation profile. This includes:

  • identification of regional competencies and innovation potentials
  • creation of regional knowledge
  • stimulation of firm's innovation activities
  • implementation of firms' innovation activities
  • focus on regional strength : clustering and networking
  • internationalisation: entering foreign markets
  • marketing of the regional innovation profile
  • coordination of the regional innovation supporting infrastructure
  • monitoring and evaluation of the regional innovation activities
  • financing of the regional innovation activities and supporting infrastructure.

STRINNOP Network is funded by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise as part of the Innovation Programme and is part of the IRE Network.

Download the report:
 How to Strengthen the Regional Innovation Profile

Further information on the STRINNOP Network can be found at:
  http://www.strinnop.net/cwa/start.jsp

 

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Events
   Upcoming workshops, seminars, meetings

Here are some interesting upcoming events focused on innovation and technology transfer, SMEs or other issues relevant to the INSME:

  1. Clustering as a Driver of Innovation at Regional Level
    Innovation Relay Centres (IRC) and Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) Workshop
    Pescara, Italy
    29.01.2004

  2. Biotech Innovation Forum "From Knowledge to Value"
    Organised by ADEBAG (Association pour le Development des Biotechnologies dans l'Agglomération Glenobroise)
    Grenoble, France
    30.01.2004

  3. Negotiating FP6 Research Contracts
    Seminar on the EU Sixth Framework Programme - Advice and Assistance
    Hamburg, Germany
    30.01.2004

  4. The Technology Transfer Workshop
    Organised by the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
    Grenoble, France
    02.02.2004

  5. Special Conference on Effective Collaborative R&D and Technology Transfer in Europe
    Co-organised by EIRMA (European Industrial Research Management Association), EUA (European University Association), PROTON Europe (Public Research Organisation Network)
    Brussels, Belgium
    05-06.02.2004

  6. Proposal Writing for FP6
    Seminar on the EU Sixth Framework Programme - Advice and Assistance
    Cambridge, UK
    10.02.2004

  7. International SME Days
    First in a Series
    Izmir, Turkey
    12-13.02.2004

  8. Regional Foresight: a tool to enhance regional development in a knowledge-based economy
    1st ERIK Workshop on Regional Foresight
    Larissa, Greece
    12-13.02.2004

  9. The Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research (IECER)
    University of Regensburg, Germany
    18-20.02.2004

  10. INSME Meeting
    Organised in collaboration with the International Organisation for Knowledge Economy and Development (IKED)
    Malmö-Helsingborg, Sweden
    25-27.02.2004

 

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INSME Secretariat
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Italy
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E-mail: webmaster@insme.it

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