26-27 June 2008

Innovation and Technology Transfer Services for SMEs: the Role of Intermediary Organisations"

Seoul, Korea

 
This upcoming international seminar is addressed to business support intermediaries and innovative SMEs. It is open to participants from the APEC economies and INSME Members. Participation is for free. The working language will be English with interpretation into Korean.

 Download the workshop agenda

Please visit the APEC SMEIC website for registration. The registration phase will be closed on June 5.

 Find out about former INSME Trainings around the globe.

Propose a new training in collaboration with INSME:
 secretariat@insme.it

Do not miss the upcoming 3-day Annual Conference of the INSME Association, gathering 77 Members from 26 Countries!

2-4 July, 2008

"ENCOURAGING SME INNOVATION AND GROWTH:
INCREASING CAPITAL ACCESS"

Guangzhou (Canton), P.R. China

http://www.insme.org

 Draft agenda (3-4 July)

No participation fee is foreseen for INSME Members, invited speakers, representatives from Chinese private and public bodies and International Governmental Organisations.

To participate, please register and apply for a visa in due time:

 Registration for INSME Association Members
(participation is for free) 
 Registration for Non Members (participation is for a fee)

 More about the IV Annual Meeting of the INSME Association

 Find out about former INSME Annual Meetings

For enquiries, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
 insme2008@insme.it
Tel.: +39 06 80972484/466
Fax: +39 06 80972443

ANIMA Investment Network (INSME Member) leads the "Invest in Med" project, within an international consortium, which was awarded the last 18 April.

"Invest in Med" is a �12 million project, co-financed by the European Commission, aiming at encouraging European investments in the Mediterranean region, as well as developing solid links between Med companies and their European counterparts.

The project - which will run for 36 months, involving the 27 EU Member States and the 9 Southern ENPI partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Tunisia) - aims to foster the volume and quality of Euro-Mediterranean trade and foreign direct investments, as well as to contribute to a sustainable economic development of the area.

The 1st Conference of the Invest in Med project will take place in Marseille, France, on 1-2 July 2008.

For further information, please contact ANIMA:
 info@anima.coop

 Download the press release

 Download the project presentation

The OECD International Workshop on "High Growth SMES, Innovation and Intellectual Assets: Strategic Issues and Policies" took place on May 8, at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, USA.


The event, organised by the OECD Working Party on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce, saw the participation of twenty experts worldwide who presented their recommendations on how policymakers can encourage entrepreneurship and the fast growth of innovative small firms.

Download the OECD Kansas City Workshop Message:
 "High-Growth SMEs and Innovation fuel the Entrepreneurial Engine"

The Workshop is part of the ongoing OECD study on "High Growth SMEs, Innovation, Intellectual Assets and Value Creation" and will contribute to the definition of the OECD Innovation Strategy.

For further information on the OECD workshop, please visit:
 http://www.oecd.org/document/8/0,3343,en_2649_34197_40554248_1_1_1_1,00.html

The V Summit of Heads of State and Government "LAC-EU Per� 2008" was held in Lima last 16 of May. 

The Lima Declaration "Addressing our People's priorities together" includes both social and economic issues, such as energy, climate change and sustainable development, including the promotion of research projects and the fostering of policies in support of innovation and competitiveness in these fields.
 Download the Lima Declaration

All the speakers' presentations made during the summit are now available on the event website at:
 http://www.vcumbrealcue.org/website/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

The next LAC-EU Summit will be held in Spain in 2010.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is an International Organisation, based in Geneva, aiming at fostering economic growth and cooperation among its fifty-six Member States. It aims to promote their sustainable development through policy dialogue, exchanges and dissemination and application of best practices. UNECE has joined the INSME Association in April 2008.

Learn about UNECE's Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration (CECI) Information Exchange Platform dealing with the following thematic areas:

Innovation and Competitiveness Policies;
Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development
Financing for Innovative Development
Intellectual Property Rights;
Public Private Partnerships.

 Find out more about UNECE and its events.

 Subscribe to the newsletter UNECE Weekly

Issuer: West Lake International Conference on Small & Medium Business (WLICSMB)

Title: Small & Medium Business Internationalization

The Conference aims at providing an international forum for professionals, researchers and practitioners around the world. It represents an opportunity to share ideas, R&D results, collaboration and development opportunities in Small & Medium Business, to exhibit advanced technology and new products and to promote dialogue and mutual understanding to attain better business opportunities for SMB.

The paper abstracts should be related to the following topics: Innovation and Survival & Developing Environment for SMB to the Role & Functions of SMB; Financing & Investment of SMB; Government Support Policies for SMB; High-tech SMB and Venture Capital; SMB International Cooperation; Intellectual Property Rights.

Deadline: 30 September, 2008.

Details on specific submission requirements and processes are available at:
 http://www.wlicsmb.org/html/internal/engj/20070416/10.shtml

Issuer: The Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE)

Theme: International Entrepreneurship - Promoting excellence in education, research and practice

The Conference, connecting policy makers, practitioners, educators and researchers, Support Agencies & Financiers engaged in incubation, creation, development and growth, aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice in entrepreneurship and SME development and to highlight the practical and policy implications of recent research and experience.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31st May, 2008.

See the Call for Papers page for full details:
 http://www.isbe2008.org/callforpapers.php

CIP-Eco-Innovation (Competitiveness and Innovation Programme) is part of the EU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) which seeks to support innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU.

CIP Eco-Innovation will support projects concerned with the first application or market replication of eco-innovative techniques, products, processes or practices, which have already been demonstrated, but due to remaining risks need incentives to penetrate the market. The projects should also aim at reducing environmental impacts or improving environmental performance of enterprises, in particular SMEs.

All applicants must be legal persons, whether private or public, established in the territory of the 27 European Union Member States.

Deadline: 11 September, 2008.

Total financial resources available for the 2008 call: approx. € 28 million.

Expected number of funded projects: approx. 40.

More info at:
 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/ecoinnovation/library_en.htm

Since November 2005, the European Enterprise Awards recognises and rewards outstanding initiatives that support entrepreneurship at the regional level.

The European Enterprise Awards launched by the European Commission,  identify and recognise the most successful promoters of enterprise and entrepreneurship around Europe, showcase best entrepreneurship policies and practices, raise awareness of the added value of entrepreneurship, and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs.

A high profile jury will select the final winners, to be announced at a ceremony in May 2009.

More info at:
 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/smes/awards/index_en.htm
 http://www.european-enterprise-awards.org

For further information, please get in touch with your national contact.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) have opened nominations for the 2008 World Business and Development Awards in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which range from reducing poverty to promoting education and gender equality. The Awards consist in promoting business initiatives to alleviate poverty and further sustainable development, raising awareness of the MDGs in the world business community, promoting best practices and striking new partnerships.

The deadline for nominations for the World Business and Development Awards is 30 May, 2008.

For more information about the awards, including eligibility criteria and nomination forms, please visit:
 www.iccwbo.org/awards
 
 

Published by EURADA, the European Association of Development Agencies (INSME Member), this updated guidebook provides information on different types of funding sources for SMEs, criteria for accessing funding sources and stages at which each source could be accessed. That is why it is a very useful tool for SMEs to understand that "all money is not the same": all forms of finance do not have the same aims, and similarly the motivations and criteria of different investors vary according to the type of product presented and the related risk level.

This EURADA guidebook also makes a good reading for public bodies' representatives in charge of developing and implementing programmes aimed at better providing access to finance to SMEs.

For further information, please contact the author:
Mr. Christian Saublens
info@eurada.org
Phone: +32 2 2184313

 Download for free the full guidebook (revised updated edition)

The Asian Development Outlook (ADO) is an economic report published, annually, by the Asian Development Bank. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic and development issues for the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific. The ADO 2008 focuses, in particularly, on the solid growth of the developing Asian economies in 2008 despite a coincident slowdown in major industrial economies.

 Download the Asian Development Outlook 2008

 

This report, recently edited by EUROSTAT, analyses the accomplishment, by different EU countries, of the strategic goals set out in the European Lisbon Strategy. In particular, the publication draws a comprehensive picture of the Science, Technology and Innovation activities in the European Union, widely recognising that knowledge and innovation are the key determinants for jobs and economic growth.

 Download the publication for free

"Techmonitor" is managed by the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology and Value Added Technology Information Service (VATIS), since 1993.

The website is intended to provide on-line information on the latest technological developments, market news and events in the following five areas: Biotechnology, Food Processing, Non-conventional Energy, Ozone Layer Protection and Waste Management.

Visit the website:
 http://www.techmonitor.net/techmon/home.htm

The IPR China Helpdesk is a new Web site on intellectual property rights (IPR) launched by DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission for providing free information, first-line advice and training support to European SMEs chambers, business associations and wider stakeholders groups to protect and enforce their IPR in China.

The official launch and networking event of the China IPR SME Helpdesk took place on Friday, 23 May 2008.

For further information on the project please contact:
 rsvp@china-IPRhelpdesk.eu

or visit the website at:
 http://www.china-iprhelpdesk.eu/
 

"WAITRONews" is a Newsletter issued by the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO) based in Malaysia. It provides information regarding news, announcement and events related to WAITRO and its Members in the Research and Technology field.

You can download it for free at:
 http://www.waitro.org/modules/news/

 Learn more about WAITRO at:
 http://www.waitro.org/about/index.php

3 June, 2008
IX Convention IBAN "Italian Angel Investing Market: new actors and new tools"
Organised by IBAN.
Milan, Italy

3-4 June, 2008
OECD Forum 2008 - Climate Change, Growth, Stability
Organised by the OECD.
Paris, France

3-5 June, 2008
6th MENAinc Workshop "Entrepreneurship Development and Promotion of Innovation in MENA Countries through Cooperation between Business Incubators"
Organised by Middle East & North Africa incubator network (MENAinc) in collaboration with infoDev.
Damascus, Syria 

15 June, 2008
ASEM Conference - Asia Europe and the Future of Regional Economic Integration
Co-organised by Korean Ministry of Finance and Economy, Slovenia Ministry of Finance and the European Commission.
Jeju Island, Korea

15-18 June, 2008
The XIX ISPIM Conference  Open Innovation: Creating Products and Services through Collaboration
Organised by ISPIM and supported by ESCEM School of Business and Management.
Tours (Loire Valley), France 

18-19 June, 2008
International Conference on Reducing Barriers to Entrepreneurship and Encouraging Enterprise Development: Policy Options
Organised by UNECE.
Geneva, Switzerland

20-21 June, 2008
ICSB World Conference Pre-Conference Forum on Growing Inclusive Markets
Organised by International Council for Small Business (ICSB).
Halifax, Canada

23-27 June, 2008
The UNIDO Pharos Training Workshop: "Management of Change in Industrial Enterprise with UNIDO Pharos Software Suite"
Organised by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and GOLEM IMS GMBH (INSME Member).
Vienna, Austria

25 June, 2008
KIS4SAT�Public Workshop
Organised by EBN.
Budapest, Hungary

26-27 June, 2008
EASY Investment Forum
Organised in cooperation with the GLE Growth Capital and the NESTA Making Innovation Flourish.
London, UK

27 June, 2008
EU Finance Day for SMEs
Organised by the European Commission - Enterprise and Industry & Economic and Financial Affairs.
Warsaw, Poland

1-2 July, 2008
Invest in Med Project Kick off Event
Organised by ANIMA Investment Network.
Marseille, France

2-4 July, 2008

Co-organised by the INSME Association and the Administration Center of Innovation Fund for Technology-based SMEs (Torch High Technology Industry Development Center, Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology).
Guangzhou (Canton), P.R. China

3-4 July, 2008
The Company, Engine of the Mediterranean
Organised MEDEF / UMCE with participation of ANIMA.
Marseille, France

2-3 August, 2008
2nd ABAC SME Summit
Organised by APEC Business Advisory Council in cooperation with Alibaba.
Hangzhou, China 

14-17 September, 2008
XXV IASP World Conference 2008 - The role of Science Parks in accelerating knowledge economy growth - contrasts between emerging and more developed economies
Johannesburg, South Africa

15-16 September, 2008
WIPO-ICC Intellectual Property Training Workshop for Chambers of Commerce And Other Business Support Organizations
Organised by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
Geneva, Switzerland

8-10 October, 2008
Inter-American Development Bank Annual event 11th Microenterprise Forum
Organised by the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund.
Asuncion, Paraguay

28-30 October, 2008
5th Congress of Scientific Research Outlook in the Arab World -Scientific Innovation and Sustained Development
Organised by Arab Science & Technology Foundation (ASTF) in collaboration and support of Academy of Hassan II of Science and Technology-Morocco and the Ministry of National and Higher Education-Morocco.
Fez, Morocco

4-6 November, 2008
35th International Small Business Congress - "An Entrepreneurial Odyssey - from local heroes to global champions"
Organised by the International Small Business Congress (ISBC) in collaboration with the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE).
Belfast, Northern Ireland