Issue n. 226
News from INSME
Celebrating INSME's 20th Anniversary 

On February 17th 2024, INSME celebrated its 20th anniversary! Two decades of dedication to fostering innovation and propelling SMEs to new heights. Since 2004, INSME has evolved into a dynamic network that shares the common goal of driving innovation for SMEs. 

OECD EECOLE Roundtables Proceedings Now Published

EECOLE (Entrepreneurship Education, Collaboration and Engagement) held its second roundtable in Toronto in the final months of 2023. This global program was launched by OECD with a goal of investigating cuttingedge techniques and skill trends.

AccelerAction events in the Metaverse!

INSME is proud to invite you to a new initiative by AccelerAction EU, an ambitious Horizon Project that wishes to create a network of accelerators and incubators across Europe, bridging the gap between the innovation indicators in the various EU regions.
Updates and contributions from INSME Members

EUIPO Introduces a Geographical Indications service to its Operations Department

Following the adoption of regulation 2023/2411 on GI protection, the EUIPO has introduced a service  focusing on Geographical Indications (GIs) and other Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

VIII Foro Pymes in Montevideo

The VIII Pymes Forum, taking place in Montevideo, Uruguay from April 15-17, 2024, is a groundbreaking initiative. This event fosters dialogue and collaboration between Italy and Latin America on crucial issues related to SMEs and achieving sustainable territorial development.
 

WIPO GREEN Annual Report 2023 Released

WIPO GREEN's 2023 report has been published. The report showcases its decade as a leader in green tech exchange. Boasts nearly 130,000 innovations, making it the UN's largest platform for such solutions. Through initiatives they've supported deployment of green technologies
Content of the month

Promoting International Investment by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UNCTAD)
 
The UN released a report that examines the importance of SMEs in achieving sustainable growth. INSME has contributed to this resource during the UNCTAD World Investment Forum of 2023 in Abu Dhabi.
We are happy to receive your updates: share with us your projects, activities, and events: we will include them in the next INSME Newsletter and spread the information among our readers! Email us at secretariat@insme.org 
Calls and opportunities
This section is supported by:

 

Capacity building on Intellectual Property (IP) management to support open science
Projects are expected to take into account the existing IP service delivery landscape and the existing training and capacity building efforts and materials offered by European Commission service contracts (i.e., IP Helpdesk, IP Scan, IP Booster) and the work of EUIPO on copyright and trademarks and EPO´s work on patents. 

Deadline: 12 March 2024
 

EUIPO DESIGNEUROPA AWARDS

The DesignEuropa Awards celebrate the importance of designs in the European Union and include the following categories: industry, entrepreneurs/small businesses, lifetime achievement award and, from this year, a dedicated award for young designers up to 29 years old. The awards ceremony will take place on 24-25 September in Riga,  Latvia.
Nominations for the awards can be submitted until March 15, 2024:

Strengthen Cybersecurity capacities of European SMEs in line with CRA requirements and obligations

In synergy with other actions launched under this WP which will be developing compliance tools for the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the action should distribute cascade financing grants to European SMEs, with a focus on micro and small enterprises, though remaining open to other stakeholders, to support achieving compliance with requirements and obligations stemming from the CRA.

Deadline: 26 March 2024

WIPO Global Awards 2024 seeks Small Businesses and Startups successfully using IP

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) opened its 2024 Global Awards competition, inviting applications from small businesses and startups that use intellectual property (IP) to drive enterprise growth as well as positive societal impact. Applications end in March in 2024.

Deadline: 31 March 2024

EU AI Innovation Accelerator preparatory action

The overall objective of this topic is to accelerate innovation and trustworthy AI by providing a range of services and tools to providers of AI systems, in particular to SMEs, to prepare for and facilitate compliance with the upcoming AI Act.

Deadline: 29 May 2024

Accelerating uptake through open proposals for advanced SME innovation

Despite the innovation capacity of EU SMEs, these often experience difficulties in finding their way to the public markets. This topic aims to offer a collaborative environment for small and medium innovators to tailor their innovations to the specific needs of civil security end-users.

Deadline: 20 November 2024
 
If you're interested in pursuing one of these opportunities together, drop us an email at secretariat@insme.org 
Upcoming events

4-7 March 2024 - Washington D.C., USA
Global Digital Summit
 
13th March 2024 - Brussels, Belgium
Access to Finance for SMEs: Assessment and Perspectives
 
15th March 2024 – Online
​​High-growth Technology Business conference 2024 - Global Perspectives​
 
18-19 March 2024- Mons, Belgium  
10th European Summit of Regions and Cities
 
18-21 March 2024 – Brussels, Belgium
European Innovation Council R&I Week & Summit
 
2-5 April 2024 – Brussels, Belgium 
Connecting Europe Days

15-17 April 2024 – Montevideo, Uruguay
Foro Pymes Italia – America Latina
 
22-26 April 2024 – Hannover, Germany
DG Grow - EU at Hannover Messe
 
23-24 April 2024 - online
EPO - Search Matters 2024

26 April 2024 - Worldwide
World IP Day

7-8 May 2024 - Brussels, Belgium
European Cluster Conference 2024

7-9 May 2024 – Abu Dhabi, UAE 
Annual Investment Meeting 

9-10 May 2024 – Malta 
EU-Startups Summit 
 
12-14 June 2024 - Nantes, France
EBN Congress
 
9-17 July 2024 - Geneva, Switzerland
Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO: Sixty-Fifth Series of Meetings

24-27 September 2024 - Nairobi, Kenya
The 41st IASP World Conference on Science Parks and Areas of Innovation
 

 
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