SME Innovation: Boosting Development and Growth in Times of Change


10^th-13^th May, 2010
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Venue: Hotel Sofitel, Copacabana

Registration is still open.

On-line registration form available:
 INSME Association Member registration form (for INSME Members only)
 General registration form (for other participants)

Participation in the Conference is free of charge for 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).

 Download the Agenda of the International Conference which includes six dedicated thematic panels on:
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- 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 10th (morning session) with the involvement of INSME Members and partners. Book now to join in!

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

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

The presentations made at the Applied Policy Seminar on Promoting Innovation in the Services Sector, which took place during the Third Session of the Teams of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies (25^th-26^th March 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland), organised by the UNECE - United Nation Economic Commission for Europe, are now available at the following link:
http://www.unece.org/ceci/ppt_presentations/2010/ic/sem_icp.html

 To learn more about this event, please, click here.

 Find out about next UNECE events.

Invest in Med, the programme implemented by the MedAlliance consortium, led by ANIMA Investment Network, has recently launched Link in Med a new online directory opened to enterprises as well as to SME supporting organisations based in Mediterranean and Gulf Countries. It allows to post partnership offers and demands, to get direct contact with other economic players from specific business sectors and with business facilitators from the Mediterranean basin.

 To register online for free, please, click here.

 For further information, please visit the following website: http://www.invest-in-med.eu/en/annuaire-link-inMed-34.html

With a view to strengthen the international linkages and to share mutual benefits, the INSME Association has established a new partnership with the Global Association of Corporate Universities and Academies (G-ACUA). G-ACUA is an international professional management association, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, providing an independent reference point for learning best practices and knowledge on Corporate University, Enterprise Academy and SME Cluster development platforms.

 Find out more about G-ACUA.

View the full list of INSME Partners:
 http://www.insme.org/

 To propose a partnership, please, contact us at:  secretariat@insme.it

The European Commission- DG Internal Market & Services has launched the PATQUAL survey on the quality of the European patent system.
The direct involvement of European companies, Universities and Research Organizations in the assessment of the strengths and the criticalities of the European patent system represents a fundamental pillar for an appropriate and balanced evaluation of  the future impacts of a set of reforms. This contribution is fundamental in order to bring about a high quality patent system after the establishment of the European Union Patent and of the European Union Patent Court.

Extended deadline to participate in the consultation: May 15^th 2010.

 For further information, please, download the Survey factsheet and/or contact the following address:
 info.patqual@ipfinance-institute.com

De Tullio & Partners is an Intellectual Property Law Firm based in Rome, Italy, providing a wide range of consultancy services in the Intellectual Property area (trademarks, patents, design, copyrights, new technologies and digital rights) as well as in entertainment law. It also offers support, in Italy and abroad, for the organisation of thematic seminars and conferences, training courses and workshops in this area.

De Tullio & Partners is an INSME Member since 2006.
       
 More details will be soon available on the De Tullio & Partners website at the following link: http://www.detulliopartners.com/

 For further information read the De Tullio & Partners firm profile and/or contact: info@detulliopartners.com

Call for Papers

The Dubai Institute of Technology (DIT) in collaboration with WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations) has launched a call for papers for the upcoming DIT 4^th Strategic Forum holding the 20^th WAITRO Biennial Congress & General Assembly on Leadership for Innovation to be held on 11^th-14^th October 2010, in Dubai, UAE.

Deadline for abstract submission: 30^th April 2010.

 For more information, please contact:
Ms Samira Manar at DIT:
E-mail: samira.manar@ezw.ae
Phone: +9714 8814888
Fax: +9714 8871626

Call for Applications

EUREKA's Eurostars Programme, the first European funding and support programme dedicated to R&D performing SMEs, has launched the 5^th Eurostars cut-off.

 To view the participating countries visit the dedicated section of the Eurostars website.

Application submission deadline: 30^th September 2010

 For further information please contact the EUREKA NCPs (National Contact Points) and/or visit the following website: http://www.eurostars-eureka.eu/

 Read more about Eurostars in our interview with the EUREKA Secretariat.

Call for Proposals

Theme: Call for eco-innovation projects to be funded under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) of the European Commission.

Call identifier: CIP-EIP-ECO-INNOVATION-2010

Aim:  This call supports Eco-innovative projects in different sectors which aim at the prevention or reduction of environmental impacts or which contribute to the optimal use of resources. This initiative is addressed mainly to organisations - participation of SMEs is encouraged - that have developed an environmental product, service, management practice or process which has a proven track record, yet is not fully marketed due to residual risks.

Participants: All applicants must be legal persons, whether private or public, established in the 27 EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Albania, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Israel, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey, as well as other non-EU countries provided they have the appropriate agreement in force.

Application submission deadline: 9^th September 2010

Budget: The indicative total amount available for this call is about EUR 35 million.

 Download the Application pack

Learn more at:
 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/call_en.htm

Call for Proposals

Theme: Call for proposals 2010 for actions under the programme Intelligent Energy - Europe

Call identifier: CIP-IEE-2010

Aim: Fostering energy efficiency and the rational use of energy resources, promoting sustainable and competitively priced energy for Europe and new and renewable energy sources, supporting energy diversification.

Participants: Any public or private organisation from the EU, Iceland, Norway, Croatia and Liechtenstein can apply.

Application submission deadline: 24^th June 2010

Budget: The indicative total amount available for this call is about EUR 56 million.

 Download the Call documents.

Read more at:
 http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/call_for_proposals/index_en.htm

European SMEs are strongly advised to proactively register .cn or .com.cn domain names containing the own brand names and trademarks in China. From late 2010 a non-Latin script domain names will be launched in order to make Internet more accessible to all.
Along with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, China applied for a country code top level domain name using its own script: .'''' meaning .china.

 Find out more

The European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) in India is a programme co-funded by the European Union and implemented by EUROCHAMBRES, in collaboration with 16 European partners representing business organisations, academic and research institutes.
EBTC assists the Business, Science & Research Community - in Europe and India - to work together in order to generate new business opportunities in clean technology.

To contribute in achieving its objective, EBTC is organising a Biotech Flagship Mission which will take place on 30^th May-4^th June 2010 in Bangalore, India to be focussed on biotechnologies linked to climate change and sustainable development.

Attendance of Biotech Flagship Mission is free of charge but subject to application.

Application deadline: 30^th April 2010

 Download the event documentation

The Small Business Act (SBA) database gathers successful activities, notably good practices, carried out by public authorities from 27 European countries in order to improve the business environment of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The database comprises good practices from different sources, including the future EU 2020 Strategy, the European Enterprise Awards (EEA) and some specific expert groups of national representatives like, for example, the Enterprise Policy Group (EPG).

 To find out more about this initiative promoted by DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, please, visit the following website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/best-practices/database/SBA/index.cfm?fuseaction=welcome.detail

The Smart Guide to Innovation-Based Incubators (IBI), prepared by the EBN - European Business & Innovation Center Network, aims to provide an overview on the Innovation-Based Incubators (IBI) focussing in particular on how to set up successful IBIs and on specific case studies in Germany, Belgium, France, UK, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Italy and Israel.

 Download The Smart Guide to Innovation-Based Incubators (IBI) and 20 Case studies: 10 Innovation Based Incubators + 10 Innovative Start-Ups

The report The Impact of the Global Crisis on SME and Entrepreneurship Financing and Policy Responses, published by the OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, within the framework of the OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE), includes recommendations to national government on how to tackle the long-standing deficiencies in the SME financial environment, as well as to prepare SMEs and entrepreneurs for a phase of innovation-led growth.

It presents the findings of the survey and the outcome of the discussion made at the OECD Turin Round Table on the "Impact of the Global Crisis on SME and Entrepreneurship Financing and Policy Responses" (26^th-27^th March 2009 in Turin, Italy).

 Download the report

Following the European Investment Bank Papers- volume 1 on Stimulating R&D, innovation and growth, this second issue on Financing innovative firms, aims to present another aspect of the under-investment problem, namely the possibility that firms are unable to invest as much in R&D and innovation as they want because of financing constraints.

 Read the Paper.

 Find out more about EIB Papers.

Enterprise Europe Network is the largest transnational technology transfer network worldwide. We invite you to visit its newly designed website where new functions have been added to the technology market section, the offer of services, the success story database, the section presenting the Network's Sector Groups and a new video section.

 To learn more and find out about, in particular, its international members outside Europe, please, visit the new Enterprise Europe Network website.

The EuroTransBio (ETB) initiative, namely the EUROpean program for TRANS-national R&D&I cooperation of BIOtech SMEs, is an ERANET scheme supported under the EU 7th Framework Programme till 2012.

 To find out more we invite you to download the latest brochure and visit the ETB new website at the new URL: www.eurotransbio.eu

The INNOGrips Newsletter is a bimonthly publication funded by the European Commission- DG Enterprise and Industry, under the PRO-INNO Europe programme, which disseminate information on innovation policy-making, business innovation and academic discussions.

 To read the latest issue of the INNOGrips Newsletter, please, click here.

 To subscribe to the printed or the electronic version of the Inno-Grips Newsletter, please, fill in the form available at: http://grips.proinno-europe.eu/newsletter/

 Find out more about the INNOGrips project at: http://www.proinno-europe.eu/page/inno-grips

26^th April 2010
8^th Annual European Financial Services Conference
A New Deal Between Finance & Society. Restoring Confidence and Responding to Public Concerns.
Brussels, Belgium

26^th April 2010
2^nd High level conference on Industrial Competitiveness "The role of policy and markets in difficult times: What have we learnt, where do we go?"
Organised by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

26^th April 2010
World IP Day "Innovation - Linking the World"
Organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation - WIPO (INSME Member)
Geneva, Switzerland

27^th- 28^th April 2010
European Challenges for Innovation
Jointly organised by the European Commission and the EU Spanish Presidency
Bilbao, Spain

28^th-29^th April 2010
European Patent Forum 2010 and European Inventor Award 2010
Organised by the European Patent Office in co-operation with the Spanish EU Presidency, the European Commission and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office
Madrid, Spain

28^th-30^th April 2010
TII 2010 Annual Conference "Innovation 3.0: Challenges, Needs and Skills of the New Innovation Era"
Organised by TII- Technology Innovation International
D�sseldorf, Germany

30^th April - 1^st May 2010
BioParks 2010: No Boundaries to Innovation
Organised by AURP -Association of University Research Parks
Chicago, United States

6^th May 2010
SME Finance Forum "How to exit the recession and achieve smart growth"
Organised by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

6^th-7^th May 2010
Agorada 2010
Organised by the European Association of Development Agencies - EURADA (INSME Member)
Brussels, Belgium

10^th May 2010
8^th FEMIP Conference to tackle Mediterranean energy challenge
Organised by the European Investment Bank -EIB
Valencia, Spain

10^th-12^th May 2010
New Ways to Competitiveness "From European Cooperation to Local Actions"
Organised by the Tartu Science Park
Tartu, Estonia

10^th- 13^th May 2010
6^th INSME Annual Meeting on "SME Innovation: Boosting Development and Growth in Times of Change"
Organised by the INSME Association in collaboration with SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

11^th-12^th May 2010
European Technology Platforms Conference "Working together on societal challenges"
Organised by the European Commission
Brussels, Belgium

13^th May 2010
Conference: Building Innovation Bridges between Silicon Valley and Europe
Organised by GABA, European Commission and Stanford University's School of Engineering
Palo Alto, CA, United States

16^th-19^th May 2010
NBIA's International Conference on Business Incubation
Organised by the National Business Incubation Association - NBIA
Orlando, Florida, USA

17^th-19^th May 2010
Innovation Workshop for MSMEs
Organised by the IBERPYME Program / Latin American Economic System (SELA), Sustainable Development Programme of Central America (GTZ-DESCA), Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI)
La Antigua, Guatemala

18^th May 2010
VI EU-LAC Summit "Towards a new phase of the bi-regional association: innovation and technology for sustainable development and social inclusion"
Supported by the European Commission
Madrid, Spain

19^th May 2010
ESA Investment Forum 2010
Organised by ESA's Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) in collaboration with Europe Unlimited
Stuttgart, Germany

20^th May 2010
Partnering Event CORNET / EraSME at Vienna Polymer Days
Organised within the framework of the CORNET and EraSME Projects
Vienna, Austria

21^st-22^nd May 2010
4^th CEED Regional Conference
Organised by the CEED-Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development
Tirana, Albania

23^rd-26^th May 2010
27^th IASP 2010 World Conference on Science and Technology Parks "Global Green Growth(G3): Challenges & Opportunities for Science and Technology Parks"
Organised by Dadeok Innopolis
Daejeon, Republic of Korea

24^th-26^th May 2010
SME Expo & Conference
Organised by INTEX Dubai and Al Fajer Information & Services
Dubai, UAE

25^th-27^th May 2010
The 1^st EU-Russia Innovation Forum
Organized by Lappeenranta University of Technology, City of St. Petersburg, City of Lappeenranta and European-Russian InnoPartnership
Lappeenranta, Finland

25^th May-1^st June 2010
European SME Week 2010
Supported by the European Commission
Europewide

26^th May 2010
European Institute of Innovation and Technology - EIT: Going Live
Hosted by the Representation of the State of Baden-W�rttemberg to the EU
Brussels, Belgium

27^th-28^th May 2010
ASTP 10^th Annual Conference and 10^th Anniversary Celebration
Organised by the ASTP- Association of European Science & Technology Transfer Professionals
Paris, France

27^th-28^th May 2010
The 13^th CHITEC
Hosted by the Office of the Organizing Committee of China Beijing International High-tech Expo
Beijing, China

27^th-29^th May 2010
ICEIRD 2010 "Entrepreneurship beyond crisis - channelling changes to advantage"
Organised by the University of Novi Sad, the Faculty of Technical Sciences- Department for Industrial Engineering and Management University of Novi Sad, UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies and CISCO Entrepreneur Institute- Training Center Serbia
Novi Sad, Serbia

31^st May- 1^st June 2010
SBA Conference "Getting SMEs on the road to recovery - the Small Business Act for Europe & European Enterprise Awards 2010: exchange of good practices"
Organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the EU Spanish Presidency
Madrid, Spain

2^nd June 2010
SME Forum 2010 Growing SMEs: Its time to invest
Organised by the BiD Network
The Hague, The Netherlands

7^th-8^th June 2010
Russia - Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers
Organised by the Interregional Public Organization -Moscow Entrepreneurs Association and Foundation for Contributing to Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Science and Technical Spheres of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Russia Federation

9^th-10^th June 2010
Innotown 2010
Organised by Innotown
Alesund, Norway

15^th-16^th June 2010
NANOfutures
Organised by the European Commission, the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, the Government of Principality of Asturias, the NANOfutures association and PRODINTEC
Gijón, Spain

30^th June-1^st July 2010
European Business Summit 2010 "Putting Europe back on track"
Organised by BUSINESSEUROPE and the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (VBO-FEB)
Brussels, Belgium

30^th June- 2^nd July 2010
19^th EBN Annual Congress 2010 Smart entrepreneurship: challenging the recession
Organised by the European Business & Innovation Centre Network (INSME Member)
Burgos, Spain

5^th July-2^nd August
4^th Summer Academy on Innovation and Uncertainty
Jointly hosted by the DFG Research Training Group (GSBC-EIC) and the International Max Planck Research School
Jena, Germany

15^th-17^th September 2010
Baltic Dynamics 2010 "Knowledge flow in innovation system: from idea to action"
Organised by the Baltic Association of Science/Technology Parks and Innovation Centres- BASTIC and the Latvian Technological Center
Riga, Latvia