View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/insme.org/insme_newsletter_issue209_june2022-1288612?e=2d...) ** ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Issue n. 209 ------------------------------------------------------------ News from INSME INSME at the OECD Local Development Forum (https://www.insme.org/insme-at-the-oecd-local-development-forum/)

From the 15th till the 17th of June, INSME President Sergio Arzeni was guest of honor at the "OECD Local Development Forum: Better Strategies for Stronger Communities“ held in Cork, Ireland, with the participation of several stakeholders and ministers from various countries.

ANIMA Launches New Regional Initiative during The Next Society Final Event (https://www.insme.org/anima-launches-new-regional-initiative-during-the-next...) On June 22nd, ANIMA Investment Network launched a follow up project: the Euromed Clusters Forward initiative, with the aim of fostering the achieved innovation and promote competitiveness as well as cooperation. UK KTN joins INSME Academy to Discuss the Opportunities of Manufacturing Digitalisation for SMEs (https://www.insme.org/uk-ktn-joins-insme-academy-to-discuss-the-opportunitie...) On June 13th, representatives from the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), presented to the INSME Academy “An Overview of the Impact of Digitalisation on the UK Manufacturing Sector”. Save the Date: 18th INSME Annual Meeting The next INSME Annual Meeting will take place on the 1st and 2nd December in Baku, Azerbaijan, co-organised with INSME member KOBIA, the Agency for Development of SMEs in Azerbaijan. Email us at secretariat@insme.org (mailto:secretariat@insme.org) for more information! Updates and contributions from INSME Members BDB’s Conference on "Three Seas: Equity Investment in Infrastructure and Innovation" (https://www.insme.org/bdbs-conference-on-three-seas-equity-investment-in-inf...) The Bulgarian Development Bank, with the Three Seas Investment Fund (3SIIF) and the Amber Infrastructure, organized on the 13th of June a conference centered around the "Equity Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation”. BVMW and NASSCOM Sign Memorandum of Understanding (https://www.insme.org/bvmw-and-nasscom-sign-memorandum-of-understanding/) On the 1st of June, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BVMW and NASSCOM was signined with the aim to improve cooperation and to promote the development of bilateral trade and business relations between Indian and German SMEs. Content of the month UN MSME DAY 2022: Launch Event for OECD Recommendation on SME and Entrepreneurship Policy (https://www.insme.org/un-msme-day-2022-launch-event-for-the-oecd-recommendat...) INSME President Sergio Arzeni participated as a panelist in the special launch event of the new OECD Recommendations for SMEs that took place on June 27th for UN Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day. “Ideators: Their Words & Voices”, the Latest Book on Ideas and Entrepreneurship (https://www.insme.org/ideators-their-words-voices-the-latest-book-on-ideas-a...) “Ideators: Their Words and Voices”, the latest book by Piero Formica, shows the concept of ideation and its applications in an accessible format, focusing on the process of idea creation, while also presenting a series of protagonists. The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 (https://www.insme.org/the-global-startup-ecosystem-report-2022/) The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) on June 14th published the 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), with over 280 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems, rankings of the leading 140 ecosystems, and over 3 million startups analyzed. 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 (mailto:secretariat@insme.org) ============================================================ Calls and opportunities This section is supported by: ** Survey on SME Internationalization in OIC Countries (https://anket.tedu.edu.tr/index.php/779982?lang=en) This survey is a part of the project entitled "Increasing Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in OIC Member Countries”, executed by TEDUTRC, contracted by The Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The replies to the survey questions will enable the research team to classify the current status of the OIC Member States with regard to internationalization of SMEs. Your input is essential for this research, and we will appreciate your contribution. Deadline: July 1, 2022 ** Global SMEs Financial Awards 2022 (https://www.smefinanceforum.org/awards-2022) ** (https://www.smefinanceforum.org/awards-2022) The Global SME Finance Awards 2022 recognize financial institutions and fintech companies for their outstanding achievements in delivering exceptional products and services to their SME clients. Endorsed by the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, the Global SME Finance Awards is an opportunity that will provide not just one, but three different categories for institutions, policy makers, and firms alike from over 80 countries to showcase and share their good practices and knowledge in order to learn from them. Deadline: July 15, 2022 ** Call for Expression of Interest - Clusters meet Regions (https://clustercollaboration.eu/content/call-expression-interest-clusters-me...) The European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) is launching a Call of Expression of Interest to select the national/regional authorities and clusters to run each of these important events. At the ‘Clusters meet Regions’ events, national and regional clusters and policymakers come together to share experiences, secure new partnerships, learn how to strengthen industrial ecosystems, address disruptions in supply chains, examine the green and digital transition, build resilience, and to discuss national and regional economic development and interact with other regions facing similar. Deadline: July 29, 2022 ** Social innovations for a Fair Green and Digital Transition (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) This call by the European Commission aims to develop and test integrated and inclusive social innovation approaches – in schools, training centres, in the social economy, at work, in local communities, or other relevant environments - to foster green and digital transitions, by: pursuing and implementing new green/digital products/services or technologies; fostering social acceptance and/or behavioural changes for more sustainable business models (including in the social economy, consumption patterns and/or modes of transport); developing sustainability pathways and transformation tools for social economy actors, etc. Deadline: August 2, 2022 ** Applications for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2022 call (https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/eu-prize-women-innovators-2022-now-open-applic...) The EU Prize for Women Innovators is funded under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. The European Innovation Council (EIC), who officially launched the call, will award three prizes of €100,000 each to the most inspiring women innovators across the EU and Associated Countries, including Ukraine. To mark the European Year of Youth, the EIC will be awarding a further three prizes of €50 000 each to promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of 35. The prize is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, and the winners will be chosen by an independent and expert jury. Deadline: August 18, 2022 ** Stimulating Innovation Procurement (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) The aim of this topic by Horizon Europe is to boost the innovation procurement in Europe by engaging public and private buyers in the purchase of innovative solutions. The project shall contribute to establishing long-term national/regional innovation procurement, engaging the public to invest in SMEs, start-ups, and research institutions, improving SMEs’ skills and capacity to identify buyers’ needs, adopting co-creation models to stimulate SMEs’ response to buyer’s needs and challenges, etc. Deadline: September 27, 2022 ** Implementing co-funded action plans for interconnection of innovation ecosystems (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) The aim of this call by the Horizon Europe Work Programme is to foster the creation of efficient, open, inclusive and interconnected European innovation ecosystems, with the target groups being: National and/or regional innovation authorities, private actors, SMEs, start-ups, public-owned enterprises, academia, RTOs, technology transfer centres, investors, foundations, clusters, associations and the civil society. The topic will support strategic-oriented long-term programmes of activities, enabling public and private actors to implement joint activities towards innovation deployment, while tackling challenges at EU, national, regional and local level. Deadline: September 27, 2022 ** Elevating the Scalability potential of European Businesses (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) This call by the European Commission aims at strengthening and expanding cooperation between innovation players to better support the next generation of innovative companies whose solutions will lead the shift towards a more competitive EU and a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient world. Besides stronger innovation performance, increased competitive sustainability and more rapid transitions to a green and digital society, ecosystem integration can provide companies with access to new markets and customers and contribute to disruptive strategies. By being actively engaged in their local, national and European networks, companies can increase their overall growth potential. Deadline: October 4, 2022 ** Launch of the Scale up 100 call (https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/european-innovation-council-launches-scale-100...) The European Innovation Council (EIC) has launched the “EIC Scale-Up 100” call (coordination and support action), with the goal to identify, promote, and support the growth of 100 promising deep tech companies that show the potential to become ‘unicorns’ (with a value of over €1 billion). The winning entity or consortia will receive European Commission’s funding to help companies develop their corporate and leadership strategies, reach strategic investors and partners, expand internationally and obtain access to other scale-up support programmes. Deadline: October 5, 2022 ** New EUR 20 million fund for Ukrainian tech start-ups (https://clustercollaboration.eu/content/new-eur-20-million-fund-ukrainian-te...) The European Commission, through the European Innovation Council, has set up a €20 million support fund for Ukrainian innovation stakeholders to ensure their access to the EU market. This new initiative is targeted at over 200 Ukrainian tech start-ups and offers €60.000 in funding to each project, aside from non-financial measures like advisory and matchmaking services. It will be released with a call for proposals for networks of start-up associations, clusters, and other business organisations willing to support Ukrainian innovation stakeholders. Deadline: December 31, 2022 If you're interested in pursuing one of these opportunities together, drop us an email at ** secretariat@insme.org (mailto:secretariat@insme.org) Upcoming events 5th July – Online Event European Innovation Council (EIC) - ** EIC Pathfinder Challenges Applicants' Day (https://eic.ec.europa.eu/events/eic-pathfinder-challenges-applicants-day-202...) 5th – 7th July – Athens, Greece Economist Impact - ** 26th Annual Economist Government Roundtable (https://events.economist.com/events-conferences/26th-annual-economist-govern...) 5th – 8th July - Hybrid, hosted in Washington, D.C. International Council for Small Businesses (ICSB)- ** The Entrepreneurial Revolution (https://icsbcongress.com/) 6th – 7th July – Online Event World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) GREEN - ** Innovation meets Sustainable Fashion - IP Management Workshop and Showcase (https://www3.wipo.int/wipogreen/en/news/2022/news_0018.html) 7th July – Online Event European Patent Office (EPO) - ** Support for SMEs and Private Applicants at the EPO (https://www.epo.org/learning/training/details.html?eventid=16011) 7th July – Online Event ANIMA Investment Network - ** Developing Businesses that contribute to Sustainable Development in Africa (https://anima.coop/en/webinar-developing-enterprises-that-contribute-to-sust...) 14th – 17th September – Vienna, Austria European Association of Guarantee Institutions (AECM) - ** AECM Annual Event (https://aecm.eu/events/aecm-annual-event-vienna-2022/) 22nd September – Online Event ANIMA Investment Network - ** Which Agricultural Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Food Autonomy in Africa? (https://anima.coop/en/webinaire-which-agricultural-entrepreneurs-for-sustain...) 26th – 30th September – Hybrid, hosted in Brussels, Belgium European Commission – ** European Sustainable Energy Week (https://eusew.eu/) 27th – 30th September – Seville, Spain International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation - ** 39th IASP World Conference (https://iaspworldconference.com/) 28th – 29th September – Online Event European Commission - ** European Research and Innovation Days 2022 (https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/europea...) 9th – 11th October – Durban, South Africa TCI Network - ** 25th TCI Global Conference (https://www.tci-network.org/events/25th-tci-global-conference-durban-south-a...) 10th – 12th October – Bangkok, Thailand World Intellectual property Forum - ** World Intellectual Property Forum 2022 (https://www.worldipforum.com/) 19th – 21st October – Brno, Czech Republic European Commission - ** International Conference on Research Infrastructure (ICRI) 2022 (https://www.icri2022.cz/post/these-are-the-icri-2022-key-topics) 27th – 28th October – Ottawa, Canada The World Bank - ** The Eighth Public Investors Conference (https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2022/02/01/the-eighth-public-investors-c...) 5th – 8th November – Hybrid, hosted in Alexandria, Egypt Techne Summit – ** Techne Summit Alexandria 2022 (https://alex.technesummit.com/2022) ** Website (http://www.insme.org) ** Twitter (https://twitter.com/INSME_) ** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/INSME-The-International-Network-for-Small-and-Mediu...) ** LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/insme---the-international-network-for-small...) 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