The INSME Association is pleased to acknowledge the successful outcome of its second International Training Course on Management of Innovation and Technology Transfer, which took place in Buenos Aires (Argentina), on July 5 to 8, 2005. 65 professionals from public and private innovation and business support intermediaries and networks took part in the course, coming from 10 countries: Argentina, Armenia, Bolivia, Chile, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Swaziland, Uruguay and Venezuela.

In expressing our satisfaction for this initiative, we would like to thank again CFI-Federal Investment Council (Argentinean public body), the co-hosting organisation, and all the partner institutions and the international prominent speakers involved in this programme that contributed to its success.

For further information on this course, visit:
 http://www.insme.org/

A photo gallery of the event is available at:
 http://www.insme.org/

Speakers presentations (in English and Spanish) are available for free for all INSME Association Members in the INSME portal Members Area by logging in at:
 http://www.insme.org/

For information on INSME Training Courses, proposals and suggestions for improvements, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
 secretariat@insme.it

INSME-API Training Programme on Supporting the Creation and Development of Innovative Enterprises  Date: 13-15 December 2005 Place: Abou Nawas Hotel, Tunis Language: French only

The INSME Secretariat is pleased to announce that no tuition fee is foreseen in this programme for participants from INSME Association Full Member bodies. For any other participant a 400 euro tuition fee is foreseen (a reduced fee of 250 euro is available for Tunisian Trainees and participants from non-OECD countries).

We remind those of you that are interested in participating that travel costs and hotel accommodation are to be covered by each participant in the training programme (for both INSME Members or non-Members) and that INSME cannot provide grants or sponsorships in this regard.

Find out more about the topics developed during the course: 
 Programme de Formation (FR)

Register to attend the INSME-API Training Programme (deadline: December 3, 2005): 
 Formulaire d'inscription (FR)

Learn about the trainers and their experience:
 http://www.insme.org/

Read about the co-hosting organisation, API - Tunisian Agency for the Promotion of Industry:

API website:
 http://www.tunisianindustry.nat.tn/

API Presentation:
 http://www.insme.org/documents/API_presentation.pdf

For further information and any clarification, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
Mr. Mariano G. Cordone 
 secretariat@insme.it 
Phone: +39 06 80972.472
Fax: +39 06 80972.443

UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) is launching an initiative to set up a network of centres of excellence on science and technology in developing countries, as announced at a meeting of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) at the end of May. The Italian Government has expressed his willingness to initially fund this project with a US$ 500,000 grant.

Existing centres of excellence that already possess adequate infrastructure and critical mass in their scientific and technological R&D work will be selected for inclusion in the network. There are currently over 100 science and technology institutions.

The idea is to turn the centres of excellence into regional hubs that can conduct joint research in areas of importance to developing countries, reversing the negative impact of "brain drain" by producing researchers able to tackle their countries� challenges. The network should also enhance the capacity of developing countries to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For further information, contact the UNCTAD Press Office:
 unctadpress@unctad.org 
 www.unctad.org/press 
Phone: +41 22 917 5828

Thanks to INSME's networking capacity at international level, IPI-Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion and the Australian Industry Group (both INSME Members) are developing a collaboration to promote entrepreneurial partnerships in the textile and garments sector. In this view, a mission to the main Italian textiles districts is planned next Autumn.

This tour, scheduled for the last week in November 2005, will provide an opportunity for Australian and Italian textile manufacturers to collaborate, with a view to enhancing global competitiveness in this industry.

The preliminary mission programme is as follows:

• 22 November: Prato, to visit Tecnotessile
• 23 November: Varese, to visit Centrocot, Centre for Cotton Textiles and Clothing
• 24 November: Milan/Biella, Company business matching exercise
• 25 November: Biella, to visit Citt� Studi and CNR Institute for Wool Research
• 26-29 November: Members of the mission could chose to attend the International Wool Textile Organisation Wool Forum to be held in Biella, Italy, between 26 and 29 November, or otherwise use this time for further individual business requirements

Click here for details of the organisations involved and the proposed tour.

For information, please contact IPI:
Ms. Carla Fritz
fritz@ipi.it
Phone: +39 06 80972.497
Fax: +39 06 80972.443

Mr. Mario Cardullo is Counsellor for Technology and Entrepreneurship within the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce. He has a wealth of experience in entrepreneurism and venture capital: he has established and successfully financed 3 technological enterprises and been a venture capitalist himself.

In this interview, given on the occasion of the INSME International Conference in Barcelona (13-15 April 2005) where he was one of the speakers, he brings a very clear understanding of the success of the US economic system in the last decade, with respect to other systems of comparable development, and provides a few fundamentals of the US venture capital industry.

His views are an unusual blend of idealism and values on the one hand and realism and numbers on the other. That's why you will certainly find it interesting!

Enjoy INSME's interview with Mr. Cardullo:
  http://www.insme.org/

Read former interviews:
  http://www.insme.org/

INSME and Enterprizer Technologies (ETL), both affiliates of ISPIM-International Society for Professional Innovation Management (INSME Member), are pleased to inform you about a series of intelligent consulting tools that support SME development.

These tools are driven by Enterprizer, a powerful software platform for multi-parameter analysis. Collaborating with expert partners such as ISPIM, ETL has created a suite of tools including:

• allianceEnterprizer for developing and managing strategic alliances;
• innovationEnterprizer for driving and managing sustainable innovation;
• strategyEnterprizer for developing and implementing a strategic business plan.

In addition to these three tools, ETL develops custom tools that support specialised areas of SME support.

These tools are primarily aimed at SME consultants and business advisers in intermediary organisations such as enterprise development agencies and chambers of commerce and are used when consulting, training or advising SMEs.

For a discussion on how intelligent tools could be of benefit to your organisation or if you have a creative approach to using them that you feel could be of interest, please contact Ms. Carla Fritz at the INSME Secretariat on: 
 secretariat@insme.it.

For more information:

• visit Enterprizer Technologies: www.enterprizer.com
• download Enterprizer Toolkit Presentation
• visit ISPIM website: www.ispim.org 

The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) invites contributors to submit papers for its XXVII Annual Conference on "Networks for Innovation", to be held in Athens (Greece) on 11-14 June 2006.

Papers are invited on the following key themes:

• Academic-industry networks for innovation
• Learning and the entrepreneurial mindset
• Managing knowledge Tools and teams for distributed innovation
• SMEs: opportunities & threats
• Diversity management: women in innovation, working across cultures
• Public policy to stimulate networks

Description of the themes to be developed and details on how to apply can be found on the ISPIM Conference website at:
 http://www.ispim.org/ispim2006.html

Deadline to present paper abstracts: 27 January 2006

Among the themes covered in his edition are:

• the need to ease SME access to financing, technology, innovation and international markets;
• the need to reduce regulatory and administrative burdens affecting entrepreneurial activity;
• the increasing attention given by governments to entrepreneurship education and training;
• the growing importance of women's entrepreneurship.

OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook - 2005 Edition is available for purchase at the OECD Online Bookshop.

For further information, contact Ms. Marian Murphy from the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs & Local Development, SME & Entrepreneurship Division:
 marian.murphy@oecd.org

Science and Technology Park Co-operation in EU-Future Region

Tec-Park.Net is a strategic transnational networking project, involving science & technology parks, business incubators and innovation centres, aiming at promoting and raising the competitiveness and attractiveness of the so-called EU Future Region.

This includes the Austrian L�nder of Carinthia, Styria and Burgenland; Slovenia; Croatia; the Hungarian West-Pannon Region as well as the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia Italian Regions.

A cooperation combining economic, scientific and technology resources and infrastructure has been established between these partners regions, focusing on promoting innovative small and medium sized companies and clusters and on stimulating new businesses. The exchange of knowledge, competent partners and specialized infrastructure will facilitate integration of the regional economies on a higher level and will generate high value for the entire territory.

Learn more about the Tec-Park.Net at:
  http://www.tec-park.net/

Tec Park Net is a project co-financed by the European Commission under the PIC INTERREG IIIB CADSES.

Fostering European biotech players to share risks, costs and skills related to innovation 

The aim of the EUROTRANS-BIO project, co-funded by the European Commission in the ERA-NET scheme, is to commit ministries and government agencies from European Union's Member States in the design and the implementation of a truly integrated trans-national programme in the area of biotechnology.

With its 5 work packages (Systematic exchange of information and best practices, Strategic activities, Implementation of joint activities, Implementation of transnational Calls for Proposals and Management and dissemination of information), the EUROTRANS-BIO initiative will allow interested European member states to work together in order to support trans-national R&D private-private and private-public co-operations between SMEs and academic labs by coordinating their national or regional public funding programmes. The ambitious goal is to create a completely integrated funding programme within the next 4 years.

At present 6 countries are involved: Austria, Spain, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands.

For more information visit the EUROTRANS-BIO website:
  http://eurotransbio.net/

A European initiative to foster technology transfer and cooperative interactions between SMEs and research institutions through the creation of a online platform for knowledge interchange.

EuroTecBroker provides SMEs and research institutions with a matching service between  technological marketable options and demand for tailor-made solutions speeding-up the innovation process.

This service is specially designed to satisfy innovative and personalised needs with the attempt to facilitate the communication and successful matching between suppliers and potential customers of technologies. Euro TecBroker gives access to a wide database and to a European network of either public institutions and private associations, supporting clients during  the whole matching process.

For an overview of the services offered, visit: 
 http://www.eurotecbroker.com/front_content.php?idcat=44&lang=3

Book your agenda now not to miss the following events:

01-03 November 2005
ISBE 28th National Conference
Illuminating Entrepreneurship - The Theory and Practice of Enterprise Creation and Development
Organised by the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE).
Blackpool, United Kingdom

21-23 November 2005
World SME Expo
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC), this event is a platform for SME service providers to showcase their services and business solutions. It is also an international SME marketplace for networking, business matching, and exchange of ideas and inspiration. INSME is among the supporting organisations of the World SME Expo.

23-24 November 2005
WIPO-Italy International Symposium on Intellectual Property and the Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Textile and Clothing Industry
Real Sito Belvedere di San Leucio, Caserta (near Naples), Italy

Jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Italian Ministry of Productive Activities-UIBM (Italian Patent & Trademark Office) and the Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion (IPI).

Participation is for free.

Read WIPO Press Release:
  "Italy and WIPO to host conference on fashion and intellectual property"

Please take note that the SME Expo and Conference to be held in Dubai in 2006 has been postponed from January to September 2006:

09-11 September 2006
SME Expo & Conference
Dubai International Exhibition Centre, United Arab Emirates

The Dubai 2006 SME Expo is organised by INTEX Dubai (International Exposition) in association with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, WASME (World Association for Small and Medium Entreprises), INSME and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE and GCC.

03-06 August 2005 
ISC 2005 - International Science Congress: "Science for Humanity"
The event, organised by MSA (Malaysian Scientific Association), will review the level of science and technology development in Asia in the last fifty years.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

24-26 August 2005 
Baltic Dynamics'05 and Nordic Science Parks Conference 2005 "Science/Technology Parks and business incubators fostering the enterprise internationalisation and partnerships"
Co-organised by TEHNOPOL (Tallinn Technology Park) and TEKEL (Finnish Science Park Association), the event combines the Baltic Dynamics Conference and the Nordic Science Park Conference.
Tallinn, Estonia 

29 August-02 September 2005 
TNT 2005 "Trends in Nanotechnology"
International forum on nanotechnology new advances worldwide.
Oviedo, Spain 

28-31 August 2005 
Small Business Development Conference
The annual Australian Business Incubation and Innovation Conference on business incubation obstacles and potentials.
Hobart, Australia

05-07 September 2005 
XV National Seminar of Technology Parks and Business Incubators
Co-organised by the National Society for Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (ANPROTEC) and the Brazilian Support Service for Small and Medium-Sized Companies (SEBRAE).
Curitiba, Brazil

11-13 September 2005 
Second Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology Society Forum "Science and Technology in Society: Lights and Shadows"
Researchers, policy makers, business leaders and media leaders from all over the world will discuss science and technology issues in the 21st century.
Kyoto, Japan

18-21 September 2005 
XXII IASP World Conference on Science and Technology Parks "Global Innovation - The Role of Science and Technology Parks"
Organised by IASP (International Association of Science Parks).
Beijing, China

21-23 September 2005 
InnovAsia 2005
The first Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Innovation Management, organised by the Thailand's National Innovation Agency (NIA), in cooperation with UNESCO.
Bangkok, Thailand

22-23 September 2005 
Conference on The Social Economy in Central, East and South-East Europe: Emerging Trends of Social Innovation and Local Development
Organised by the OECD LEED Centre, the conference will explore the opportunities and challenges that social economy actors face.
Trento, Italy

28-30 September 2005
Financing European Innovation
A "European Finance Convention" event on financial resources, new funding opportunities and creative investments, as the driving forces of innovation and research.
Oulu, Finland