View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/insme.org/insme_newsletter_issue203_december2021?e=2d8317...) ** ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Issue n. 203 ------------------------------------------------------------ News from INSME The 17th INSME Annual Meeting shed a light on the role of SMEs in the Recovery (https://www.insme.org/takeaways-from-the-17th-insme-annual-meeting/) On the 9th and 10th of the December, INSME held its Annual Meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was an excellent opportunity to learn and exchange ideas on how to better support SMEs in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis. Find out more! Insights from the 7th Policy Lab “The Research Tax Credit, an effective tool to boost R&D and innovation” (https://www.insme.org/insights-from-the-7th-policy-lab-the-research-tax-cred...) During the 7th Policy Lab, organised within the framework of THE NEXT SOCIETY project, INSME discussed Morocco's next fiscal incentive to encourage research and development. A new Partnership between INSME and Algeria Venture (https://www.insme.org/a-new-partnership-between-insme-and-algeria-venture/) INSME signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with Algeria Venture, the first state-owned start-up accelerator in Algeria. We look forward to new activities together in the months ahead! INSME involved in the new EU Project “RaDAR” (https://www.insme.org/insme-involved-in-the-new-eu-project-radar/) INSME is happy to announce that the RaDAR Project, financed in the framework of the COSME Call 2020 for the co-financing public procurement of innovation consortia, will kick off in January 2022. Read more about it! INSME contributes to the study on “Crisis Costs for European SMEs – How COVID-19 changed the playing field for European SMEs” (https://www.insme.org/insme-contributes-to-the-study-on-crisis-costs-for-eur...) The study, delivered by the research firms Wise Angle and Shine2Europe, will provide a systematic classification of COVID related transformative impacts on SMEs. Learn about it! Updates and contributions from INSME Members INTRASOFT leads consortium to key European Customs & Taxation IT (https://www.insme.org/intrasoft-leads-consortium-to-key-european-customs-tax...) INTRASOFT International, INSME Member, has signed the new “SOFTDEV” contract to provide consultancy, development, and maintenance services for the EU Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union. Meta Group’s “IP Booster Programme” Comes to a Close (https://www.insme.org/meta-groups-ip-booster-programme-comes-to-a-close/) Meta Group’s IP Booster programme has helped to ensure better technology transfer and gives research organisations an applied understanding of intellectual property issues. TOJOY Aims to Accelerate 100 Unicorn Start-ups (https://www.insme.org/tojoy-aims-to-accelerate-100-unicorn-start-ups/) TOJOY, INSME Member, has launched a major incubation program to incubate 100 unicorns and offer market expansion, promotion, management consulting and digitalization services for start-ups to help them grow rapidly. Learn more! Content of the month OECD paper “SME Digitalisation to Build Back Better” (https://www.insme.org/oecd-paper-sme-digitalisation-to-build-back-better/) The OECD released the paper “SME Digitalisation to Build Back Better”, on how SMEs responded to the COVID-19 crisis and adapted to the new environment, and how different players in their ecosystems are contributing to their digital transition. Read about it here! World Trade Organisation launches Trade4MSMEs platform (https://www.insme.org/wto-launches-trade4msmes-platform/) The WTO's Informal Working Group on MSMEs launched the Trade4MSMEs platform, helping small companies find trade-related information that improves their ability to trade internationally. Find out more! 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: ** Call for Expertise by THE NEXT SOCIETY in cooperation with ANIMA INVESTMENT NETWORK (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-next-society-a74068145_i-library-activity...) THE NEXT SOCIETY in partnership with Confédération des Entreprises Citoyennes de Tunisie (CONECT) is preparing to launch a new expert mission in favour of crédit d'impôrt research (CIR) in Tunisia. The expert selected for this mission will be responsible for carrying out a study prior to the implementation of the Research Tax Credit (CIR) in Tunisia and for promoting it to the public authorities. Deadline: January 5, 2022 ** InvestMed Call: Sub-Grants for Micro, Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises (http://www.businessmed-umce.org/en/content/opportunites/investmed-call-sub-g...) The EU-funded INVESTMED project is offering grants to support MSMSEs in the Southern Mediterranean to improve their competitiveness, sustainability, capacity to innovate, and ability to internationalise, to foster sustainable growth and economic development in the region. Deadline: January 16, 2022 ** Open Call European Innovation Council: EIC x CaixaBank: Innovation Procurement in Agrotech (https://eic.eismea.eu/community/articles/open-call-eic-x-caixabank-innovatio...) As part of a pilot project, this Innovation Procurement initiative offers EIC-funded companies the chance to help Spanish rural areas develop by using innovative solutions and sustainable technologies in agriculture and reach final customers in Spain. Deadline: January 21, 2022 ** EISMEA - COVID-19 Recovery Through Sustainable Tourism Growth and SME Support (SMP-COSME-2021-TOURSME) (https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/covid-19-r...) The objective of the action is to monitor the sustainability performance of SMEs in the tourism sector, whilst boosting their awareness, development and capacity in the area of sustainable innovations and to support tourism SMEs in developing their skills and capacities in sustainable tourism; to provide capacity building, value chain insights and technical assistance to SMEs; to foster innovative solutions for sustainable tourism; and to build effective mechanisms for best practice exchange and dissemination of transferable tools and knowledge between the SMEs, also at a European level. Deadline: February 16, 2022 ** EISMEA - Intellectual Property Licensing Intermediaries (SMP-COSME-2021-IPLI) (https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/intellectu...) The objective of this call for proposals is to promote the uptake of IP licensing intermediary services, especially those using modern digital tools (e.g. artificial intelligence). Those services should facilitate the licensing out of technologies or business cases owned by European start-ups and SMEs. Deadline: February 22, 2022 ** WIPO launched a new Global Awards program (https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2021/article_0012.html) SMEs are the first category of the WIPO Global Awards which recognize exceptional enterprises and individuals using intellectual property to make a positive impact both at home and beyond their own borders. Any SME from any of WIPO’s 193 Member States may self-nominate. Deadline: March 14, 2022 Upcoming events 27^th January – Online event EURADA - ** How to become an experimental Development agency (https://site.evenium.net/eurada-igl-training-programme/registration) 8^th - 11^th February – Brussels, Belgium European Commission - ** “EU Industry Days” (https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/business-and-industry/eu-industry-days_en) 9^th February – Online event EBAN - ** Connect2Capital 2022 (https://www.eban.org/event/connect2capital-2022/) 16^th February – Online event European Patent Office – ** “Tech Day 2022: Technologies of Transformation” (https://www.epo.org/news-events/news/2021/20211217.html) 17^th February – Online event Anima Investment Network – “** Digital Innovation in Africa and International Outreach (https://anima.coop/en/anima-webinar-digital-innovation-in-africa-and-interna...) " 17^th February – Dubai, U.A.E. BigFive Digital Network - ** “Building the Region’s local and SME technology task” (https://bigfivedigital.org/mena-17-feb-2022-dubai-uae) 21^st - 26^th February – Online event World Digital Weeks - ** “African Digital Week 2022 - Virtual Events & Expo” (https://www.linkedin.com/events/6792678777420873728/) 23^rd February – Online event CanDo - ** CanDo Innovation Summit (https://www.candoinnovation.scot/) 21^st - 24^th March 2021 – Online event Economist Impact - ** “Asia Trade Week – Looking Ahead” (https://events.economist.com/asia-trade-week/?RefID=atw-twitter&utm_source=social-org&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=AsiaTradeWeek2022&utm_content=atw-twitter) 26^th April – Online event Legasis Services – ** World Intellectual Property Day (https://www.linkedin.com/events/6869946129920929792/) 8^th - 10^th May – Venice, Italy Licensing Executives Society Italy - ** “ Restarting Business and Fuelling Innovation” (https://lesi2022.eu/) ** 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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