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Issue N
46
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July-August 2007
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Dear INSMEnews Readers,
let me provide you with a few main updates about the life of our international network before the usual break in August.
After 3 years of activity, the INSME Association has gained a global reach, gathering 77 member organisations in 30 countries in 5 continents. We involve innovation stakeholders and players concerned with policies, programmes and projects aimed to bring more knowledge and awareness to SME intermediaries and to SMEs for their competitiveness.
Open transnational collaboration and knowledge-sharing for mutual learning, rather than competition with other international networks, is at the basis of our approach to increase problem solving capabilities and networking opportunities for our Members, acting in different regions and thematic areas, but all focussing on innovation matters. Several public and private partnering organisations around the globe are regularly involved in our activity and further partners are welcome to join forces with us. I believe that this continued dialogue and exchange, with a public-private partnership orientation, is one of our main intangible asset, also with a view to bridging the gap between knowledge and technology exporting and importing countries.
In our attempt to better reach other geographical areas, with a view to further spread the culture of innovation among SME players, I am pleased to inform you that this newsletter will be issued also in Spanish thanks to the contribution of ABCnet, INSME Member.
Looking forward to keeping international cooperation for SME innovation on the top of our 2007 agenda, the INSME Secretariat wishes you an energetic summer break.
Ms. Simona Marzetti INSME Association Secretary General
The next issue of INSMEnews will be available in late September
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top of the page
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Life of the Network |
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INSME Annual Meeting 2007 |
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Learn more about the main innovation related issues discussed at the INSME Annual Meeting 2007, held in Rome on July 13. Read the presentations made by selected INSME Members and find out about the new INSME Board Members, mandate 2007-2009: http://www.insme.org/
Further documents related to the 3rd INSME Association General Assembly are available for INSME Members in the Members' Area of the INSME portal: http://www.insme.org/
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News from the INSME Members |
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Focus on...INSME Members |
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INSME's Picks in the News |
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Europe races ahead of US in university-industry collaboration |
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According to a recent survey on European collaboration between industry and universities, carried out by the European network ProTon Europe, it was found out that in the year 2005 Europe had a better performance than the US in terms of level of knowledge transfer (KT) activities carried out by dedicated Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTO) affiliated to European Public Research Organisations (PRO).
The survey was released in April 2007 and is co-funded under the EU's Gate2Growth initiative.
For further information, please visit: http://www.protoneurope.org/Files/2005AnnualSurveyReport/download |
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OECD Innovation Strategy |
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Plans for an OECD innovation strategy were put forward in the last Ministerial Level Council meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD Forum on Innovation, Growth and Equity, Paris, 14-15 May 2007). This new OECD Innovation Strategy would add to the existing body of OECD work on innovation, providing a cross-disciplinary package of policy elements and recommendations to boost innovation capacity and performance. This would include the identification of good policy practices and policy guidelines, as well as better metrics to identify and benchmark innovation performance. It would also provide analysis clarifying the links between innovation and entrepreneurship, economic growth, social progress and global challenges in domains such as environment and health. For further information: http://www.oecd.org/mcm2007 |
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ISOPTT: Increasing the SMEs Own Potential for Transnational Technology Transfer |
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This is a European project aimed at improving SMEs' competitiveness and their capacity to perform effective technology transfer through the achievement of the knowledge and skills in order to enhance their business and establish national and international partnerships.
For more details, visit the website in each European partner country: http://www.isoptt.eu/uk/partners.shtml
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Tenders & Calls |
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European Venture Contest 2007 |
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Since 2005, this annual contest is dedicated to European innovative ventures that have the ambition and potential to reshape their industry and conquer the international market.
The European Venture Contest:
- supports innovative companies at an early phase by bringing them into contact with the investment community;
- promote technology entrepreneurship by exhibiting role models towards a wider audience;
- facilitate contacts between top innovative regions, investors, entrepreneurs and other major stakeholders in Europe.
European companies need to register to participate. Registration is open until September 8, 2007.
For further information on how to participate, please refer to: http://www.europeanventureinstitute.eu The INSME Association is among the supporting partner organisations of this initiative. |
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Millennium Technology Prize 2008 |
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Since 2004 this prize is the world's largest technology prize and is awarded every two years for a technological innovation that is significantly improving the quality of human life today and in the future. Nominations of candidates (all fields of technology) can be made only by academies, universities, research institutions and industrial communities. Self-nominations are not accepted.
Read instructions to nominate your candidate: http://www.milleniumprize.fi/index.php?m=2&s=3&id=37
Nominations can be made until the 1st of October, 2007.
The Millennium Technology Prize is awarded by the Millennium Prize Foundation, an independent fund established by Finnish industry in partnership with the Finnish state.
http://www.milleniumprize.fi
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Research for the benefit of SMEs Call 1 (EU Commission) |
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Launched under the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), this call aims at strengthening the innovation capacity of European SMEs and their contribution to the development of new technology based products and markets by helping them outsource research, increase their research efforts, extend their networks, better exploit research results and acquire technological know how. Closing date: September 4, 2007.
Available budget: 100 meuro.
For further information: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CapacitiesDetailsCallPage&call_id=35 |
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European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services |
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The overall objective of the European Innovation Platform for Knowledge Intensive Services (KIS-Platform) is to foster technological as well as non-technological innovation in services, taking into account the dynamic interconnections between reaserch, skills, entrepreneurship, finance and clusters. In order to maximise the potential impact, it will particularly address the needs and specificities of potential high growth ventures active in KIS. The KIS-Platform is supposed to be implemented through a public-private partnership, based on a sectoral networking approach (strand 1) complemented with horizontal support services (strand 2). Read the full text of the call For further information: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/funding/files/themes_2007/calls_prop.htm
Closing date: 7 September 2007.
Global budget: 5 meuro. |
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EU online survey: Which skills do Technology Transfer professionals need? |
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The European Commission is promoting a survey aimed at investigating the need for technology transfer training programmes across Europe. The survey findings will be used to build up a framework to qualify TT-Managers on a trans-national level and with mutual recognition (Certified Trans-national TT-Manager Project, CERT-TTT-M).
To join the survey please visit: http://www.ttt-manager.eu/ttt-skills-survey/index_uk.php?l=uk |
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Recommended Websites |
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World BizBank |
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Sponsored by the Syrian Enterprise and Business Center (SEBC), World BizBank aims at creating a network of companies and organisations from all over the world, in particular in the European, Mediterranean, Middle East and Gulf Region, to exchange information services, consulting opportunities and proposals on innovation and other sectors.
This new portal includes: international tenders, exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences, business to business opportunities, international business directory, business guides and a consulting database. A weekly e-newsletter service is also available.
http://www.worldbizbank.com |
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EuroMed Info Centre |
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This portal is a 'one-stop shop' providing political, institutional, business and industrial information for anyone interested in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and in the regional and bilateral projects. It is available in English, French and Arabic.
The EuroMed Info Centre is a project financed by the MEDA Regional Information and Communication programme.
http://www.euromedinfo.eu
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Publications |
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Competitive Regional Clusters: National Policy Approaches |
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If you're looking to learn more about cluster-based innovation strategies in Europe, this new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a good start. Competitive Regional Clusters: National Policy Approaches is a compendium that examines regional cluster strategies in fourteen different OECD member countries. It includes detailed case studies for each country and concludes with several important lessons learned: - policymakers must be very explicit in determining the whys of cluster policies. What are the intended outcomes of the programs? - Cluster policies cannot operate in a vacuum. They must be closely integrated with other efforts to promote innovation and technology development. - Cluster policies are doomed to failure without active leadership from the private sector.
Access a summary of the OECD study at: http://www.oecd.org/ (information on how to obtain the full copy included)
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Key Figures 2007 on Science, Technology and Innovation. Towards a European Knowledge Area |
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This report by the European Commission on Europe's position in research and innovation includes data and statistics on science, technology and innovation up to 2005. In particular, it compares the stagnation of the R&D investments in Europe against the major competitors such as Japan, China or South Korea that have been able to increase their R&D effort, shaping a world where knowledge is more evenly distributed. More details can be found in the pre-publication version of the full document at: http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/pdf/kf_2007_prepub_en.pdf |
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Events |
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Highlighted Events |
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Future meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME |
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29-31 August 2007 The 7th International Entrepreneurship Forum - "Asian Entrepreneurship: New Asian Ventures in the Global Community of Enterprise and Innovation" Organised by the Fudan University (China) in collaboration with the University of Essex (UK) and the OECD - LEED Programme (France). Shangai, China
6-7 September 2007 Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Research and Innovation in Textiles and Clothing Organised by the European Commission's Enterprise and Industry Directorate General with the support of the Commission's Europe-Aid Co-operation Office. Cairo, Egypt
7-11 September 2007 The 8th Annual CINet Conference - "Continuous Innovation - Opportunities and Challenges" Organised by the Continuous Innovation Network (CINet), a global network set up to bring together researchers and industrialists working in the field of Continuous Innovation. Gothenburg, Sweden
13-15 September 2007 BALTIC DINAMICS 2007 - The 12th Annual Conference of the Business Incubation Associations of the Baltic States - "International Partnership for Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges" Organised by the Latvia Technological Center. Riga, Latvia
17-21 September 2007 17th National Seminar on Science Parks and Company Incubators & 15th Anprotec Workshop Co-organised by the National Society for Bodies Promoting Innovative Enterprises (ANPROTEC) and the Brazilian Support Service for Small and Medium-Sized Companies (SEBRAE). Belo Horizonte, Brazil
17-21 September 2007 TII Summer School The Programme is organised by the Technology, Innovation, Information (TII). Intercollege, Lanarca, Cyprus
20-21 September 2007 2nd Annual Conference of the EPIP Association on Intellectual Property Rights Organised by the European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP) Consortium and hosted by the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE) at Lund University. Lund, Sweden
1-2 October 2007 "Actions for the Development of Policies to Foster Small and Medium-sized Enterprises" Organised by FUNDES (Foundation for Sustainable Development in Latin America) with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, SELA (Latin American Economic System) and IBERPYME (SELA's Ibero-American Programme for Institutional Cooperation for SME Development). San Salvador, El Salvador
2-3 October 2007 Conference on Patent Statistics for Policy Decision Making Organised by OECD and EPO in collaboration with DIME Network of Excellence, and with the support of UIBM, USPTO, JPO, WIPO, the National Science Foundation (United States), Eurostat and the Venice International University. Venice, Italy
3-5 October 2007 X Inter American Forum on Microenterprise. The Road Ahead Organised by the Inter-American Development Bank. San Salvador, El Salvador
3-5 October 2007 2007 Venture Capital Forum Organised by EVCA (European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association). Stockholm, Sweden
21-24 October 2007 5th MENAinc Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Middle East and Northern Africa Organized by infoDev Incubator Initiative in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Hosted by the Bahrain Business Incubation Center (BBIC). Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
23-24 October 2007 Turning Knowledge into Practice: Getting More out of Public Investment in Innovation This Conference is organised under the PRO INNO Europe Initiative of the European Commission. Berlin, Germany
6-7 November 2007 2007 International Conference on SME Innovation on "Turning Technology into Business Value for SMEs" Organised by APEC SME Innovation Center. Seoul, Korea
7-9 November 2007 30th Annual ISBE Conference - "International Entrepreneurship. Stimulating Smarter Successful Small Businesses Worldwide" Organised by the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE). Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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