SME Innovation: Boosting Development and Growth in Times of Change


10-13 May, 2010
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Venue: Hotel Sofitel, Copacabana

The 6^th INSME Annual Meeting 2010, co-organised by the INSME Association in collaboration with the Brazilian Agency SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service), will host this year the international conference on "SME Innovation: Boosting Development and Growth in Times of Change".

The International Conference will gather outstanding experts and academics from all over the world discussing on major issues related to SME innovation in six dedicated panels on :

- Innovation and Entreprenuership
- National Innovation Frameworks : a comparative Analysis
- Innovation Financing
- Sustainable Innovation and Innovation for Sustainability
- Open Innovation
- Innovation Networks

This year institutional roundtables on specific topics will also take place on May 10 with the involvement of INSME Members and partners.

No participation fee is foreseen for INSME Members, participants from Latin American, Caribbean and Central American Countries and International Governmental Organisations.

For any other participant, the registration fee is:
- 250 Euro for delegates coming from OECD countries
- 150 Euro for delegates coming from non OECD countries

(50% off for the second registered delegate from the same organisation).

Participation in the event is upon registration by filling the following forms:
 INSME Association Member registration form (for INSME Members)
 General registration form (for other participants)

 To stay updated on the 6th INSME Annual Meeting, visit the dedicate website available at:
 www.annualmeeting2010.insme.org

or contact the INSME Secretariat at:
 insmerio2010@insme.it

The INSME Secretariat is launching a Call for candidatures for co-organising and co-hosting the 7^th  INSME Annual Meeting 2011. Proposals must be submitted to the INSME Secretariat by e-mail or fax (+39 06 809 72443) by the 10^th of April 2010. The INSME Board will assess the proposals and a decision will be taken by May 10^th, on the occasion of the 6th INSME General Assembly, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Co-hosts shall assist the INSME Secretariat in organising a three or four-day event to be held indicatively between March 30^th and no later than July 15^th, 2011.

The call is open to INSME Members and Non Members. For any clarification, please contact the Secretariat.

 View the guidelines and the template/form.

We warmly welcome the following organisations that have recently joined the INSME Network with the status of Observer Member:

- European Investment Fund (EIF), based in Luxembourg, Intergovernmental International Organisations
- Italian Business Angels Network (IBAN), based in Italy

The INSME Association now includes 76 Members from 30 countries (15 OECD and 15 non-OECD) in 5 continents: 17 Governmental Bodies, 18 International Organisations, 11 International NGOs, and 30 networks and intermediaries acting in the field of innovation and technology transfer to SMEs.
The updated mailing list and the 2010 Members Compendium of the INSME Association Members is available on the INSME portal within the Members Area:
 http://www.insme.org/

Have you forgotten your username and password to access the Members Area? Please contact us at:
 secretariat@insme.it

 View the full list of the INSME Members.
 See the eligibility criteria to join INSME and the 2010 INSME fees.

 Apply for membership in the INSME Association.

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF), launched the Arab Materials Science and Nanotechnology Network - AMSN, a new virtual network which aims to create opportunities for collaborative research and to simulate linkages in the Arab world in order to build up an integrated research network of excellence.

To find out more, we invite you to visit the AMSN website at:
 http://amsn-network.astf.net

Taking into account the crucial role played by the SME sector in the economic development  of the Emirate of Dubai the Mohammed Bin Rashid Est. for SME Development, has developed a definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

This definition will provide a common language to draft SME policies and a basis to measure the sector's contribution to the economy of Dubai.

To read more, please, download the  Reference Manual - The Definition of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of Dubai and the  press release.

In December 2009, the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology - CIIT, the Pakistani Center of Excellence of the COMSATS, established the Centre for Excellence in Research (CER) in its premises. The Center promotes research activities and exchange of ideas as well as collaboration between regional industry and academics in the field of Finance and Accounting, Economics, Management, Marketing, and Information Technology.

To find out more, please, visit the following website:
 http://www.ciit-isb.edu.pk/Research/Cer.aspx

The presentations made during the European Business & Innovation Center Network - EBN 25th Anniversary and the EU Project Seminar, which took place on 27-28 January 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, are now available on the following links:

� EBN 25th Anniversary Academic sessions + ESINET & UNDP Awards (27 Jan. 2010)
� EBN EU project Seminar (27-28 Jan. 2010)

The events gathered in total 200 participants overall among EU institutions' officials, BIC Managers, EBN partners, EBN members, regional and national representatives and many stakeholders of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.

 Read more at the EBN website.

On 20th January 2010, the European Patent Office - EPO launched a survey which will be carried out in the EPO member states and the USA. The survey will focus on patent information and its use in order to identify ways of improving the accessibility and understanding of patent information, to evaluate the impact of the new opportunities explored by the European Patent Network and the evolution of patent information into patent intelligence.

Find out more at the following link:
 http://www.epo.org/topics/news/2009/20100120.html

The European Commission, following the public consultation on the EU 2020 strategy, launched on 24^th November 2009 and closed on 15^th January 2010, issued a document to provide preliminary indications as to the main trends emerged from the consultation.

A more detailed analysis of the contributions will be soon released.

 Read the first overview of responses.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the European Union's Specialised financial body for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) supporting EU Objectives. It is owned by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Community, through the European Commission. In particular, EIF has a crucial role to play throughout the value chain of enterprise creation, from the earliest stages of intellectual property development to mid and later-stage SMEs.
By taking SME risk, EIF promotes the implementation of European Community policies, notably in the field of entrepreneurship, technology, innovation and regional development.

EIF is now Observer within the INSME Association.

Read more at:
 http://www.eif.org/

Find out about EUREKA's Eurostars Programme, the first European funding and support programme specifically dedicated to research intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

EUREKA is a central Europe-wide Network founded in 1985 with the aim to promote the international networking of industrial R&D and research, technological progress and innovation in SMEs, large industry, universities and research institutes.

 Read the INSME Interview with Mr. Luuk Borg, Director of the Brussels-based EUREKA Secretariat.

Read other INSME Interviews at:
 http://www.insme.org/

If you are interested in an interview with INSME, please contact:
 secretariat@insme.it

 Call for Proposals

Title: INNET Trans-national Call for proposals for Technology Clusters and SMEs -2nd INNET Innovation Express Pilot Call

Aim: To foster trans-national cooperation between European Technology Clusters, for the benefit of their SMEs, in accordance with the specific regional/national funding programmes of the INNET partners and with their organisations' rules.

Innovation Express is the joint call for proposals supported by the national/regional innovation agencies and authorities within the INNET project.

Countries participating in the project are: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and UK. Applicants are invited to contact their regional/ national contact points for eligibility check and assistance.

Deadline for proposal submission: 31^st March 2010

 For further information on the call, on your INNET contact points and on activities supported, please download INNET Innovation Express Flyer.

Call for tenders

Title: e-Learning Platform for SME support networks and small and medium-sized enterprises facilitating SMEs' successful participation in the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

Objective: the e-Learning platform will be a service designed to coach Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through FP7 opportunities by providing them in-depth information on SME support network partners (Enterprise Europe network, national contact points), on FP7 projects and on contract management.

OJ Reference: 2010/S 27-037715
Submission deadline: 29^th March 2010.

 To find out more, please, visit the following website:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/dgs/tenders/rtd-tender_en.cfm?tender_ref=s27-037715

Call for proposals

Objective: The strategic objective of the MANUNET call for proposals is to foster the competitiveness of Europe's Manufacturing Industry by supporting the funding of manufacturing research projects performed by enterprises (preferably SMEs) and their strategic partnerships and high risk R&D projects related to manufacturing industry. The funding objectives of the call are transnational application oriented and high risk R&D projects related to Manufacturing.

Eligibility criteria: consortia consisting of at least 2 independent SMEs belonging to 2 different participating regions from different European Countries can apply for the MANUNET funding.

Participating countries/regions: Asturias (Spain); Austria; Basque Country (Spain); Catalonia (Spain); Estonia; France; Israel; Lower Austria (Austria); Navarra (Spain); Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Piedmont (Italy); Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Switzerland; Turkey; Tuscany (Italy); Wallonia (Belgium); Western Greece (Greece).

Deadline for full proposals submission: 24^th March 2010

Stay tuned with MANUNET website for updates:
 http://www.manunet.net/index.php

The European ceramics industry is diverse in terms of products, technology, and end-use. In recent years, this industry has witnessed an influx of comparable low-cost ceramics products, sometimes copies of designs developed in the EU.

 Read more.

The Mediterranean Innovation and Research Co-ordination Action - MIRA project has been conceived as part of the INCO-Net coordination platform for selected target areas, an activity of the INCO Program within the Capacities program of FP7.
MIRA project will support actions in order to monitor, develop, promote and contribute to enhance the EU-MPC (Mediterranean Partner Countries) scientific cooperation and foster the participation of the MPC in the 7^th Framework Programme.
 
Find out more at;
 http://www.miraproject.eu/

The 2009 Regional Innovation Scoreboard, published by the Joint Research Center's Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (JRC - IPSC), assesses innovation performances across 201 regions in the EU and Norway showing their heterogeneity in term of performance and strength within their regions.
The report marks a significant step forward in measuring regional innovation performance although it also shows that more progress is needed on the availability and quality of innovation data at regional level.

 Download the 2009 Regional Innovation Scoreboard and the related Methodology report.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor issued, on January 2009, the 11^th edition of its annual report based on more than 180,000 interviews conducted in 54 countries classified in three categories: factor-driven, efficiency-driven and innovation-driven.

The 2009 GEM data show the negative impact of the global economic downturn in terms of expectations towards good opportunities to start a business in many parts of the
world.

 Download the 2009 GEM Report (.zip)

The Global Financial Markets is a department of the IFC - International Finance Corporation, member of the World Bank Group. The Department provides a wide range of investment and advisory services to financial institutions in developing member countries aiming to identify financial sector needs and opportunities.

 Find out more about Global Financial Market Department website.

PRO INNO Europe launched on 11 February 2010 its new web portal rearranged to better reflect the new structure and focus of the initiative. It has been enriched with new functionalities and features such as blogs and event calendar.

For futher information please visit the PRO INNO Europe Website at:
 www.proinno-europe.eu

Sustainable Investor Newsletter is the free bimonthly publication issued by the IFC - International Finance Corporation which provides information on news and trends in emerging market finance and development, along with updates on IFC's activities.

 To subscribe, please, email to IFC_Sustaininvest@ifc.org.

 Read more about Sustainable Investor Newsletter here.

2-6 March 2010 
Future Match 2010 at CeBIT
Organised by the Enterprise Europe Network
Hannover, Germany

2-3 March 2010
Innovact- European forum for Young Innovative Enterprises
Supported by the European Commission and EBN - the European Business & Innovation Centre Network
Reims, France

3-4 March 2010
Corporate R&D - An engine for growth, a challenge for European policy
Organised by JRC's Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) and the Spanish Centre for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI)
Seville, Spain

8-10 March 2010
BIO-Europe Spring2010
Organised by EBD Group
Barcelona, Spain

8-11 March 2010
19th International Conference on Management of Technology
Organized by IAMOT - International Association for Managment of Technology
Cairo, Egypt

10-13 March 2010
8th Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research - IECER
Organised by Prof. Dr. Michael Dowling - University of Regensburg and by Prof. Dr. J�rgen Schmude - University of Munich
Regensburg, Germany

10-13 March 2010
IASP European Division Workshop "Science and Technology Parks in a mature economy"
Organised by Tecmaia
Moreia da Maia, Portugal

11 March 2010
Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Technical Textiles and Innovation
Organised by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

15 March 2010
7th FEMIP Conference Research, development and innovation: keys for a sustainable development in the mediterranean
Jointly organised by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Republic of Tunisia
Tunis, Tunisia

15-17 March 2010
Week of Innovative Regions in Europe - WIRE 2010
Organised by the Spanish Presidency, the Ministry of Science and Innovation in collaboration with the European Commission
Granada, Spain

17-18 March 2010
Breakthrough Innovation 2010
In collaboration with ISPIM
Barcelona, Spain

18-19 March 2010
Conference "An EU Roadmap for a Sustainable Economic and Social Recovery"
Organised by the European Economic and Social Committee - EESC
Brussels, Belgium

22-26 March 2010
The EU Sustainable Energy Week
The time is ripe to shape our energy future
Brussels, Belgium

23-24 March 2010
Promoting Innovation through Public Procurement:Best practice & networking
Organised by the European Commission
Barcelona, Spain

30-31 March 2010
IASP European Division Workshop "Better cooperation among Science Parks - higher value for companies"
Organised by the TEHNOPOL- Tallinn Technology Park
Tallinn, Estonia

12-14 April 2010
Training for the Innovation Experts:"Best Practices of the Finnish Innovation System"
Organised by InnoPraxis Training Center
Helsinki, Finland

13-14 April 2010
IV Conference on the FP7 "The European Framework Programmes: From Economic Recovery to Sustainability"
Organised in the framework of the Seventh Framework Programme
Valencia, Spain

14-16 April 2010
6th International Congress on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources for South East Europe
Organised by Via Expo
Sofia, Bulgaria

15-14 April 2010
Eco-Innovation & Regional Developmet
Organised by IMADE - Madrid Regional Development Agency and EURADA
Madrid, Spain