View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/insme.org/insme_newsletter_issue205_febrary2022?e=2d8317f...) ** ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Issue n. 205 ------------------------------------------------------------ News from INSME INSME Celebrates its 18th Anniversary (https://www.insme.org/insme-celebrates-its-18th-anniversary/) On the 17th of February INSME celebrated its 18th anniversary, but its history began in 2000 during the first OECD SME Ministerial conference on globalisation, which approved the “Bologna Charter on SME policies”. Read more here. Official Kick Off of the RaDAR project by the European Commission (https://www.insme.org/official-kick-off-of-the-radar-project-by-the-european...) On February 15^th 2022, the EU project RaDAR - Rapid Detection and control system for Antimicrobial Resistance, financed by the EU COSME Programme, was officially launched by the European Commission. Learn more about it here. XPRESS Launches a New Matchmaking Tool for SMEs (https://www.insme.org/xpress-launches-a-new-matchmaking-tool-for-smes/) XPRESS, EU-funded project which gives support to Public Procurements, has launched a new Matchmaking Tool aimed at facilitating connections between SMEs offering RES solutions and Public Authorities. Updates and contributions from INSME Members The President of Confapi Participates to the 2022 EU Africa Business Forum (https://www.insme.org/the-president-of-confapi-participates-to-the-2022-eu-a...) Maurizio Casasco, President of Confapi and European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME, INSME Members, participated to the 2022 EU Africa Business Forum 7th edition, along with the European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen. Interview Zhivko Todorov: “The BDB has an enormous potential to help entrepreneurs.” (https://www.insme.org/interview-zhivko-todorov-the-bdb-has-an-enormous-poten...) Zhivko Todorov, CEO of the Bulgarian Development Bank, INSME Member, released an interview on the BDB’s work during the pandemic and its crisis. Read it here. Content of the month European Investment Bank backing African tech start-up fund Atlantica with EUR 12.5 million (https://www.insme.org/european-investment-bank-backing-african-tech-start-up...) Venture capital investment in innovative and technology driven companies across Africa will be enhanced by senior capital EIB backing for start-up fund Atlantica, the latest investment partner to benefit from Boost Africa. European Innovation Council’s 2022 Work Programme Released (https://www.insme.org/european-innovation-councils-2022-work-programme-relea...) The European Commission adopted the 2022 work programme of the EIC, which aims support breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations to create new markets and scale up internationally. Read about it here. 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: ** Product Development and Management Association (PDMA): Nominations are open for the 2022 Outstanding Corporate Innovator (OCI) Award (https://www.pdma.org/page/OCI-award-Nominations) For 35 years, PDMA's OCI Award has been the premier honor recognizing sustained and quantifiable innovation success. Nominate your own company or one you admire. There is no application fee. To nominate, please go to: ** https://www.pdma.org/page/OCI-award-Nominations (https://www.pdma.org/page/OCI-award-Nominations) For additional help, contact Dr. Hamsa Thota, email: ** hthota@innovationbd.com (mailto:hthota@innovationbd.com) Deadline: April 4, 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. ** Excellence Hubs Call (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) Excellence hubs are networks of place-based innovation ecosystems in widening countries involving larger communities of actors in a regional context based on the quadruple helix principle. Excellence hubs should improve access to excellence for R&I actors in widening countries and elaborate joint R&I strategies that are aligned with national, regional (notably RIS3) and/or European strategies or policy priorities. Deadline: March 15, 2022 ** Investment call: Sub-grants for micro, small & medium-sized enterprises (https://businessmed-umce.org/en/content/opportunites/investmed-call-sub-gran...) The EU-funded INVESTMED project is offering grants to support small businesses in the Southern Mediterranean. The project aims to support Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to improve their competitiveness, sustainability, capacity to innovate, and ability to internationalise, in order to foster sustainable growth and economic development in the region. Special emphasis is given to organisations with young people and/or women in managerial positions. Applications are now open for start-ups and MSMEs based in Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia, which operate in the following sectors: Green economy , Blue economy , Creative and cultural industries. Deadline: March 22, 2022 ** EU Commission Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems Call (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horiz...) The object of this call is to ease the processes related to the knowledge transfer and building capacities among the innovation actors such as universities, accelerators and incubators, networks of start-ups, so that they would be better equipped to work with the social entrepreneurs.; examples may include: activities aiming at creating and improving connections of social entrepreneurs to stakeholders in innovation ecosystems study visits and exchange of good practices, training activities, webinars, seminars, conferences, etc. Deadline: April 26, 2022 ** Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Call (https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/enterprise...) The objective of this call is to set up and ensure the upgraded functioning of Enterprise Europe Network in the period 1 January 2022 until 30 June 2025 by selecting the consortia that will make up the Network. The aim of the latter is to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs in Europe and promote entrepreneurship. Moreover, the Network will play a crucial role in helping all types of SMEs in their transition to more sustainable business models, through dedicated Sustainability Advisors and other sustainability services. Deadline: April 27, 2022 ** Elevating the scalability potential of European business Call (Horizon-EIE 2022) (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opport...) The object of this call is to support and co-designed programmes of activities, of at least two (2) years, proposed by business acceleration service providers and/or investor networks and clubs, located in less connected innovation ecosystems and innovation hubs, to facilitate the entry of funders in less connected innovation ecosystems through activities. Expected opening date: June 21, 2022 Deadline: October 4, 2022 ** European Enterprise Promotion Awards (https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/supporting-entrepreneurship/european-enterp...) The European Enterprise Promotion Awards reward those who promote entrepreneurship and small business at the national, regional and local level. Initiatives from all EU countries, as well as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Iceland and the United Kingdom can take part in the competition. Since 2006, over 4,000 projects have entered the awards and together they have supported the creation of well over 10,000 new companies. Deadline: national ** Ideas Powered for business SME Fund (https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/online-services/sme-fund?cmvsource=mlp...) Grant scheme designed to support the intellectual property (IP) rights of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU. The SME Fund is an initiative of the European Commission implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Deadline: 16 December 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 15^th March – Online Event High-Growth Technology Business Forum: ** Growth-Financing (https://www.epo.org/learning/training/details.html?eventid=14107) 16^th March – Online Event European Patent Office - ** Patent Protection for EU Funding (https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3587600208553971472) 17^th March – Online Event Anima Investment Network - ** Europe and Africa Forum (https://anima.coop/en/europe-and-africa-forum/) 24^th March 2022 – Online Event High-Growth Technology Business Forum: ** Build-to-Sell (https://www.epo.org/learning/training/details.html?eventid=14106) 5^th - 6^th April – Online Event World Intellectual Property Organisation - ** Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies (https://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/frontier_technologies/frontier_conversation.html?utm_source=WIPO+IP+Frontiers+Technology+Newsletter&utm_campaign=87fe5e5c10-DIS_FRONTIER_EN_250122&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2b70fedeed-87fe5e5c10-256931433) 7^th April – Online Event Eurada – ** 7^th Edition of the Brokage Event for Innovation Agencies (https://www.eurada.org/calendar/events/7th-edition-of-the-brokage-event-for-...) 8^th - 10^th May – Venice, Italy LESI - ** “ Restarting Business and Fuelling Innovation” (https://lesi2022.eu/) 5^th - 8^th June – Copenhagen, Denmark ISPIM – ** Innovating in a Digital World (https://www.ispim-innovation-conference.com/) 27^th - 28^th June – Florence, Italy Triple Helix Association - ** 20^th Triple Helix Conference (https://www.triplehelixconference2022.org/) 5^th - 8^th July - Hybrid, hosted in Washington, D.C. ICSB - ** The Entrepreneurial Revolution (https://icsbcongress.com/) 10^th - 12^th October – Bangkok, Thailand World Intellectual Property Organisation - ** World Intellectual Property Forum (https://www.worldipforum.com/) ** 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...) Copyright © 2022 INSME - The International Network for SMEs, All rights reserved. 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