20-23 April, 2009
Dubai, UAE

DIT SMEs Forum
holding
V INSME Annual Meeting on


Building a Knowledge based eco-system for SMEs: Finance, Innovation, Technology and Networking

About 250 representatives from public and private organisations operating in the field of SMEs, innovation and technology transfer from 40 countries (25 non-OECD economies and 15 OECD Countries) gathered at the DIT SMEs Forum holding V INSME Annual Meeting held in Dubai (UAE) from April 20 to 23, 2009.

 Download the presentations of the 33 speakers made during the International Conference.

The presentations made during the V INSME General Assembly are currently available for INSME Members on the Intranet Area of the INSME Portal.

During the V INSME General Assembly the new INSME governing bodies were appointed for the mandate mid 2009-2011, some of the former Board Members were re-confirmed.
 Download the new INSME Board Members List.

 Have a look at the photo gallery section.

 Read more about the event at the dedicated website.
 

On 21st March 2009, in Rome, the INSME Secretary General, Ms. Marzetti, met with Ms. Eun-Kyung Kim, Deputy Director of Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy - MKE, and Ms. Ji Hyun Lim, Specialist of the Korea Technology Transfer Center - KTTC, in order to encourage cooperation, promotion of future partnerships and joint projects between INSME Association, its Members and the Korean organizations that are at present actively collaborating on a training with INSME Members INNOVA and Intrasoft International.
INSME Board Members Aleardo Furlani and Raimund Broechler introduced INSME to the Korean parties.

We warmly welcome the following organizations who joined the INSME Network in 2009:

- Khalifa Fund to Support and Develop Small & Medium Enterprises, based in the UAE
- Mohammed Bin Rashid Est. for Young Business Leaders, based in the UAE   
- ECSA - European Center for Space Application, based in Italy
- Umbria Innovazione, based in Italy
 
The INSME Association currently includes 78 Members based in 31 countries (18 OECD and 13 non-OECD) in 5 continents: 20 Governmental bodies, 16 International Organisations, 11 International NGOs and representatives of 31 networks and intermediaries acting in the field of innovation and technology transfer to SMEs.

Read our INSME Annual Report 2008.

View the full list of INSME Members.

To join our network please visit the dedicated section on INSME portal at:
 http://www.insme.org/

For further information, please contact the INSME Secretariat:
 secretariat@insme.it

ANIMA Investment Network presented, during the Med Invest 2009 Forum, the first results of its 2008 Survey of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Med Countries that shows how Med countries react to the ongoing global financial crisis.

For further information on ANIMA Survey please download:
 Investment map of the Mediterranean
 List of Med investment projects 2007-09

On 20th April 2009, on the occasion of the DIT SMEs Forum holding the V INSME Annual Meeting, the WBAA - World Business Angels Association was officially launched in Dubai, UAE.

The founder charter members come from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, China, Chile, India, and Belgium/EBAN.

Mr. John May (USA) and Mr. Anthony Clarke (UK) are the co-chairs of the network.

 Download Mr. Anthony Clarke's presentation at the INSME Annual Meeting opening ceremony on April 21.

 More information can be found on www.wbaa.biz.

The Round Table on the Impact of the Global Crisis on SME and Entrepreneurship Financing and Policy Responses  was held on 26-27 March 2009 in Turin, Italy and organised under the auspices of the OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE) at the invitation of Intesa Sanpaolo. The event dealt with the Government's policy options and the financing support measures to be undertaken in order to help SMEs to face the current economic and financial crisis.

To learn more about the OECD Turin Round Table recommendations and conclusions, please download
 Presentations and written speeches
 Turin Round Table Issues Paper
 Chair's Summary of the Round Table

For more information on the OECD Strategic Response to the Financial and Economic Crisis, please visit the website
 www.oecd.org/cfe/sme/globalcrisis

The Khalifa Fund to Support and Develop Small & Medium Enterprises is a Governmental  body based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which aims at supporting and assisting Abu Dhabi's economy to become entrepreneurial, knowledge-intensive and globally competitive.

Khalifa Fund purpose is to diversify and increase income sources in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, to establish a solid economic platform and to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit amongst UAE nationals.

Khalifa Fund became a Member of the INSME Association in April 2009 and was a partner of the V INSME Annual Meeting in Dubai.

Learn more about Khalifa Fund at the site:
 http://www.khalifafund.gov.ae/html/

Call for Proposals

Issuer: European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
   
Theme: With this call EIT will select and designate two or three KICs with the aim to grown and capitalize the innovation capacity and capability of European and non European stakeholders through collaborative international partnerships. This first call has three priority areas:

� climate change mitigation and adaptation;
� sustainable energy;
� future information and communication society.

Deadline: 27 August 2009.

 To learn more about the EIT-KIC- 2009 Call for Proposals please download the full call text.

 For further information please visit the following website http://eit.europa.eu/kics-call.html

Call for Proposals

Issuer: European Commission - DG Enterprise and Industry

Theme: This call aims to help new EU entrepreneurs enrich their experiences, learning and networking by spending periods in enterprises managed  by experienced entrepreneurs in other EU Member States. The overall objective is to enhance the entrepreneurship, internationalization and competitiveness of potential start-up entrepreneurs and newly established micro and small enterprises in the EU.

The total budget available is 4,3 MEuro.

Deadline for submission: 29th May 2009.

Read more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=2941&tpa_id=174

Call for Papers

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

Theme: The Conference, gathering researchers, educators, practitioners and those working in small business support and policy organisations, aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice through exploring the leading perspectives in entrepreneurship and discussing how they can be applied in practice.

Deadline to submit a Refereed abstract: 31st  May 2009.
Deadline for Working & Practitioner Papers and Case Studies: 30th June 2009.

 For further details on Conference topics, please click here.

 Read more about the 32nd ISBE Annual Conference website.

The EUC2C - Collaborate to Compete project is funded under the European Commission's lifelong learning 'Leonardo da Vinci programme' and, through its website, provides online and e-learning tools to enable SMEs to identify networking opportunities and areas for business collaboration across Europe.

The European Business & Innovation Centre Network - EBN (INSME Member) is a partner of this project.

 For more information on EUC2C project, please visit:
http://www.euc2c.com/

This report, published by the Science and Technology Division of the Multilateral Investment Found - MIF, Inter American Development Bank - IADB Group, is the first part of a study about entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It analyses six case studies of HGSMEs (High Growth SMEs) in Brazil, Chile and Mexico with the aim to identify the role of innovation, intellectual assets and entrepreneurial drive in the growth process of HGSMEs in these countries.

 Download Innovation, intellectual capital and high growth among smaller companies.

This paper, presented at the 10th Mediterranean Research Meeting (25-28 March 2009 in Florence and Montecatini Terme, Italy) and based on ANIMA Investment Network and Invest in Med experience, aims to identify the most effective instruments to improve the development of  SMEs in the Southern Mediterranean countries.

 Download for free What economic future for the Southern Mediterranean rim? The prime role of SMEs and their financing.

Euro Med Info Center is a project funded by the European Commission - EuropeAid Cooperation Office and comes under the Regional Information and Communication Programme. Through its website, it aims to create closer relationships between the EU and its Mediterranean Partner countries by increasing knowledge and raising awareness and understanding of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.

 For further information, please visit the EuroMed Info Center website.

The Investing in European Research website provides updated information on EU proposals and initiatives, on funding schemes, on National and regional policies and their coordination as well as on monitoring and analysis concerning investment in research. In particular, it aims at contributing in achieving an investment rate around 3% of European GDP in research.

 For more detailed information, please download the EC Communication More Research and Innovation - Investing for Growth and Employment: A Common Approach

 For further information please visit the site at:
http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/index_en.htm

This newsletter, issued by the EuroMed Innovation and Technology Programme - Medibtikar (MEDiterranean and Ibtikar, Arabic for Innovation), provides regular and useful information on the updates related to innovation and technology transfer in the MEDA Region and in Europe in relation to the Programme activities.

Medibtikar is managed by a consortium led by Intrasoft International (INSME Member) and is prolonged till December 2009.

 Download the latest issue of the Medibtikar Newsletter

 To learn more about Medibtikar (2006-2009), please click here

4-5 May 2009
BioInItaly 2009
Organised by the Italian Association for the Development of Biotechnology (Assobiotec) and INNOV-Hub
Milan, Italy

4-7 May 2009
International KMA Conference on Knowledge to Reposition Africa in the Global Economy
Jointly organized by the Senegalese Government (SG), The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), The African Regional Center forTechnology (ARCT), The National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal (ANSTS), The African Development Bank (ADB)
Dakar, Senegal

6-14 May 2009
First European SME Week - Launch event
Organised by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

7-8 May 2009
"Research connection 2009" - Networking our way to a research future
Organised by the European Commission
Prague, Czech Republic

7 May 2009
Innovation and Prosperity in the Baltic Sea Region - New Tools for Transnational Collaboration
Hosted by The Nordic Council of Ministers and BSR InnoNet
Copenhagen, Denmark

8-9 May 2009
Tex Tech II
Organised by I.N.C.D.T.P. the Research - Development National Institute for Textile and Leather
Bucharest, Romania

10-12 May 2009
3rd Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies - MEIDE
Organised by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), in collaboration with UNU-MERIT
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

12-13 May 2009
2009 ICIC DAEDEOK - International Conference on Innovation Cluster in Daedeok
Organised by DAEDEOK INNOPOLIS in collaboration with IASP - International Association of Science Parks
Daejeon, Korea

13-14 May 2009
Small Business Act for Europe: Entrepreneurship without Barriers
1st European SME Week Closing Conference and European Enterprise Awards
Prague, Czech Republic

14-15 May 2009
EUROCHAMBRES' Congress 2009 Doing Business without Barriers
Organised by EUROCHAMBRES
Prague, Czech Republic

14-15 May 2009
New workshop: Ten Great Ideas for Marketing Innovations
Organized by Technology Innovation International (TII)
Milan, Italy

18-20 May 2009
Conference TRIN 2009 "Invention, Innovation, Investments"
Organized by Innosfera
Minsk, Belarus

20-21 May 2009
International Conference Ways and Means of Attracting External Finance for New Innovative Enterprises
Organized by the UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Astan, Kazakhastan

21-22 May 2009
Berytech Entrepreneurs Forum
Organized with the support of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF)
Beirut, Lebanon

01 May 2009
5th National Sheikh Bahai Technopreneurship Festival
Co-hosted by the Isfahan Science & Technology Town (ISTT)
Isfahan, Iran

1 June 2009
IASP Pre-conference Seminar: "Fundamentals of Science Park Management"
Organized by International Association of Science Park (IASP)
Raleigh, United States

1-4 June 2009
XXVI IASP World Conference on Science and Technology Parks "Future Knowledge Ecosystems"
Organised by IASP - International Association of Science Parks
Raleigh, United States

3-5 June 2009
La Baule 2009 - 7th World Investment Conference "Investing in Global Cities: Opportunities in Adversity"
Organised by EUROPE+ Foundation
La Baule, France

3-5 June 2009
6th World Chambers Congress
Organised by World Chambers Federation - WCF, International Chamber of Commerce - ICC and Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers - FMM
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8-9 June 2009
APEC Symposium on SME Strategies to Manage the Impacts of the Global Financial Crisis
Organised by APEC SME Innovation Center and Small and Medium Enterprise Administration - Ministry of Economic Affairs (Chinese Taipei)
Taipei, China

8-10 June 2009
2009 Latin America - Caribbean Regional Microcredit Summit
Organized by RESULTS Educational Fund within the framework of Microcredit Summit Campaign
Cartagena, Colombia

8-10 June 2009
The Athens Business Forum "Bridging the Mediterranean"
Organised by SEV - The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and supported by Invest in Med Programme
Athens, Greece

11 June 2009
Regions as catalysts of open innovation
Organized by European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN)
Brussels, Belgium

21-24 June 2009
XX ISPIM Conference - The Future of Innovation
Organised by the International Society for Professional Innovation Managememnt (ISPIM) and supported by DANUBE - European Programmes for Training, Research and Technology and Ratio Strategy & Innovation Consulting
Vienna, Austria

17-19 June 2009
Triple Helix VII - 7th Biennial International Conference on University, Industry and Government Linkages
Organised by the University of Strathclyde - Glasgow
Glasgow, United Kingdom

17-19 June 2009
World Innovation Summit
Organized by Hit Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain

21-24 June 2009
ICSB World Conference 2009
Organised by the International Council for Small Business - ICBS
Seoul, Korea Rep.of

23-24 June 2009
10th OECD Forum "The Crisis and Beyond - For a stronger, cleaner, fairer economy"
Organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD
Paris, France

7-8 July 2009
Seminario "Tecnolog�a y PYMES: Innovación y Sostenibilidad"
Organised by SELA-IBERPYME Programs
Caracas, Venezuela