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September 2019, Issue n. 178
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Updates on the life of the INSME Network
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INSME is hiring!
INSME is looking for a new project officer to join the Secretariat based in Rome, Italy.
The ideal candidate has i) a strong interest in SMEs, innovation and technology transfer issues; ii) experience in EU project management, iii) proficiency in English and Italian. Interested candidates are warmly invited to send their C.V. and cover letter to secretariat@insme.org by the 10th of October.
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The BE.ST. project wraps up in Trieste with the pitching of 6 Serbian business ideas
Almost everything is set for the final best practices lab that will mark the conclusion of the BE.ST [BEst practices exchange to STimulate Serbian SMEs growth] project, an initiative implemented by INSME in collaboration with Cluster House and co-financed the Central European Initiative – CEI under the Knowledge Exchange Programme.
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New innovation best practice: the Sharakah Business Performance Monitoring Tool
INSME’s collection of innovation best practices has been enriched with a new successful case study: the Business Performance Monitoring Tool implemented by Sharakah - The Fund for Development of Youth Projects (S.A.O.C.), INSME Member from Oman. Since 2014 Shakarah developed a tool to assess SMEs performances, identify their strengths and weaknesses and provide them with solutions helping to overcome obstacles and enhance competitiveness. Over the last five years more than 150 companies benefitted from this service and according to an analysis of the results of the initiative the majority of SMEs involved enhanced their business performances and in addition entrepreneurs particularly appreciated the assistance received which was perceived as a fundamental support to gain competencies on how to have a clear business idea and develop it in a proper way.
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The Saint John’s University in New York welcomed INSME Secretary General as visiting professor
INSME Secretary General is just back from New York where he was welcomed as visiting Professor at the Saint John’s University by Katia Passerini Dean of the ‘Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies’ and the Associate Dean Luca Iandoli.
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News and contributions from the INSME Members
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EURADA is looking for innovative best practices in regional development
Since 2005 EURADA – the European Association of Development Agencies (INSME Member from Belgium) promotes an award to celebrate and recognize innovative best practices in regional development. The award is open to both EURADA members and non-members and applicants are expected to submit an application by answering to a short questionnaire in no more than 750 words.
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Reinvent your IP strategy with IP Booster
Public research organizations (PROs) looking to realize value from their research results have the occasion to receive free guidance to adopt the most appropriate intellectual property strategy. This is possible through IP Booster, a free service financed by the European Commission and implemented by META Group (holding INSME vice-presidency) and ClearViewIP.
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UNCTAD releases the Digital Economy Report
Digital economy is evolving at a very rapid speed and it is driven by the ability to collect, use and analyse huge amounts of digital data. The Global Internet Protocol (IP) traffic grew from about 100 gigabyte (GB) per day in 1992 to more than 45,000 GB per second in 2017 and it is expected to reach 150,700 GB per second in 2020. Beside data there is another key driver of the digital economy which is the platformization: several digital platforms emerged in the past decade and their power is reflected in the fact that seven of the world’s top eight companies by market capitalization use platform-base business models.
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Call for expression of interest to join the European Institute of Innovation and Technology – EIT Governing Body
The European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT) has launched a call for expression of interest to appoint up to eight new members to its Governing Board.
Ideal candidates have at least five years’ experience in at least one of the following areas: research and innovation, business, education; in addition they are required to have an excellent knowledge of English.
Board Members will carry out several activities among which:
- The adoption of EIT’s draft Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA), single programming document, budget, annual accounts and balance sheet, and annual activity report, on the basis of a proposal from the Director of the EIT.
- The definition of appropriate fees for the Board members and the Executive Committee, which are benchmarked against similar remuneration in the Member States.
- The promotion of the EIT globally to raise its attractiveness and make it a world-class body for excellence in higher education, research, and innovation.
Interested applicants are invited to submit applications in line with the terms of the call available at this page by the 7th of October 2019.
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Clusters go international – call for proposals
Cluster and business network collaboration across borders is crucial to support the establishment of European Strategic Cluster Partnerships to lead international cluster cooperation in fields of strategic interest towards third countries beyond Europe. In this framework the European Commission has launched a new edition of the “Clusters Go International” call for proposals that will lead to the establishment of 40 co-funded “European Strategic Cluster Partnerships-Going International”. The call targets actions for two phases:
- Preparatory phase, to support the establishment of European Strategic Cluster Partnership – Going International (ESCP-4i) open to a wide range of European industrial sectors and value chains.
- Implementation phase divided in two strands that will support the first implementation, testing and further development of European Strategic Cluster Partnerships - Going International (ESCP-4i) in different sectors.
The total budget available for the co-financing of projects is estimated at € 8.300.000, out of which € 7.400.000 for Strand 1 and Strand 2.a and € 900.000 for Strand 2.b, with a maximum grant per project of € 200.000 for Strand 1 and 450.000 for Strand 2.a and Strand 2.b.
The deadline for application is the 30th of October 2019.
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Call for applications - ENRICH In the USA Smart City-focused Tour
ENRICH is organizing a tour to the USA dedicated to European Union and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries smart city stakeholders who will access the Smart City Landing Hub, one of the USA “living labs” for IoT and other smart technologies. The Hub is an ideal entry point for the many EU-based smart city innovations to make immediate customer traction in the US. The Tour will take place from the 11th to the 15th of November 2019.
Interested stakeholders, including startups and SMEs developing innovation and products; large corporation executives; economic development organizations; multipliers; industry and trade representatives; local or regional government representatives; university administrators are invited to submit their application by the 8th of October 2019.
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Peer learning of innovation agencies
Within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme the European Commission promotes “Peer learning of innovation agencies”, a Coordination and Support Action that will provide incentives to national and regional innovation agencies for engaging in peer learning on all topics related to a better innovation support to SMEs. The action will not merely support exchange of good practices, it aims at investigating and developing new topics and approaches in innovation support to SMEs in order to develop new skills and put them into practice.
Only entities entrusted by national or regional governments to develop or implement innovation support programmes for SMEs are eligible to apply. The minimum number of partners per project is three.
Grants for this action will be in the form of a fixed lump sum of € 15,000/50,000.
The action has multiple deadlines, the next one is the 16th of October 2019.
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Who is winning the AI race: China, the EU or the United States?
This report published last August compares China, the European Union and the United States in terms of their relative standing in the Artificial Intelligence economy by analyzing six different categories: talent, research, development, adoption, data, and hardware.
The United States are the best performer in four of the six categories examined by the report, namely talent, research, development, and hardware; China leads in adoption and data, while the European Union leads in none.
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The rise of digital money – Fintech notes by the International Monetary Fund
“The rise of digital money” marks the launch of a new International Monetary Fund series, Fintech Notes. The publication offers a conceptual framework to categorize new digital monies, analyses risks and implications and presents some policy implications that could be taken into consideration by Central Banks.
The adoption of digital money could bring – according to the authors – to three different scenarios.
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High-growth technology business conference 2019
4 - 5 November | Dublin, Ireland
The European Patent Office – EPO is organizing the High-growth technology business conference 2019 in Dublin, Ireland on the 4th and 5th of November 2019. Under the topic “Boosting your strategy with Intellectual Property” the event aims to:
- provide a platform for high-growth technology enterprises and associates in their innovation ecosystem to learn from the advanced IP commercialisation methods of high-level protagonists and peers;
- increase opportunities for technology commercialisation by means of practical open-innovation strategies facilitated by IP.
The conference addresses technology business decision-makers, IP professionals, high-growth technology enterprise managers and associates at large enterprises, research institutions, and investors.
INSME Members can attend the event by benefitting from dedicated discounted rates: € 50 for conference only (the regular fee is € 100), € 75 for the Conference combined with half-day training (the regular fee is € 125) and € 100 for the Conference combined with full-day training (the regular fee is € 150). We warmly invite all interested INSME Members to contact the INSME Secretariat at secretariat@insme.org to obtain the promotional code to take benefit from the discounted fee.
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The International Business Angels Congress
7 - 8 of November | Ghent, Belgium
On the 7th and 8th of November the city of Ghent, Belgium will welcome more than 300 investors, entrepreneurs and decision makers who will gather on the occasion of the International Business Angels Congress organized by Business Angel Europe – BAE (INSME Member from Belgium). The event will be a platform to discuss market trends and crucial elements to strengthen the European Market.
In addition, thanks to the special partnership with BAN Vlaanderen, Be Angels and the City of Ghent, the event is firmly embedded in the local ecosystem, giving attendees the opportunity to meet face to face with more than 35 most promising startups from Belgium.
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Future International meetings, workshops, seminars selected by INSME
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October
Global SME Finance Forum 2019: The Convergence of the Real and Financial Sectors in SME
Organized by the SME Finance Forum
7 - 9 of October | The Netherlands
TCI 22nd Global Conference “Strategic Clusters for Sustainable Growth. New Trends and Practices”
Organised by TCI Network
8 - 10 of October | Antwerp, Belgium
B2B Matchmaking Event @ BUSINESS MEETS FUTURE - International Meeting of Young Entrepreneurs
Organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Pordenone-Udine, Enterprise Europe Network, the Committee for Young Entrepreneurs of Pordenone-Udine
18 – 19 of October | Udine, Italy
November
World IP Forum “IP as a Powerhouse for Innovation and Economic Growth”
Organized by World IP Forum (WIPF)
6 – 8 of November | Taipei, Taiwan
3rd France-Italy Forum on Family Businesses
Organised by the Institute for Economic Relations between France and Italy
15 of November | Rome, Italy
2019 ADBI Annual Conference: Financial Inclusion, Financial Education, and Fintech
Organised by the Asian Development Bank
28 - 29 of November | Tokyo, Japan
December
The 18th IEF Conference “Entrepreneurship as a Social Movement: Art, Technology, Design and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Transformation”
Organised by the International Entrepreneurship Forum
16 – 18 of December | Goa, India
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