We are still selecting promising biotechnology teams for free participation in the international coaching programme Bio Venture East. The goal is to enable biotech companies and research teams from the new members states a free participation in interactive workshops focused on business plan development and finding foreign partners and investors.
The third Venture Academy (after Warszaw and Budapest) will be held in Brno on the 2nd of November and you will have a chance to meet there experienced biotech entrepreneurs, consultants and investors. Next events are planned in Sofia (Bulgaria) and Zagreb (Croatia) early next year and nominations for biotech start-ups active in your country are certainly welcome.
Continue reading ‘Biotech sector in the Czech Republic, Brno, Nov 2′
One of our goals at nowEurope is to profile innovative new companies and technologies in Central Europe. Hydro-Go is a small Hungarian company with a very big potential.
In an age of high energy prices and shrinking oil reserves, hydrogen holds out the promise of a cheap, clean and limitless supply of energy. Hydrogen is all around us in the form of water. The only hitch is how to extract that fuel in a cost effective manner.
Hydro-Go has developed a solution that extracts a higher amount of hydrogen than any other known solution, and the company is looking for a partner to take this technology to the market.
The invention is an advanced hydrolysis system, which is different from any other known hydrolysis systems. The compact size hydrolyzing reactor is built from conventional materials and uses off-the-shelf components and technology to separate oxygen and hydrogen from distilled water. It uses different excitation techniques (ultrasound, microwave, plasma) gradually exciting the molecules of water in several phases.
The estimated energy balance is positive - from 200% to as high as 400%. The reaction is sustainable and reproducible and while there are theories, the company admits they don’t know exactly how or why this works. Scientific examinations are currently being carried out by Hungarian and international institutions.
The company is seeking patent protection for this technology and is interested in talking to partners who can help take this to market. I will be happy to put interested parties in contact with the company principles. Email me at steve AT noweurope DOT com
Success of Skype, a peer-to-peer telephony network, which was sold recently to eBay for roughtly 3,2 billion USD, marks clearly the potential of Estonian developers in creating world class products. In 2002, starting with mere 10 employees, the company has meanwhile grown to more than 100 employees internationally, three thirds of them located in Estonia. Pradoxically, there are few people who know that almost entire technical development of the company is lead from Tallinn.
For a small country, with limited market size and resources, participation in collaborative development projects is one feasible way of gaining critical mass. This has been true for Skype as well ? the vision comes from Scandinavia, sales are done from London, and technology development in Estonia. For these purposes, interest towards partnering on EU scales is remarkably high amongst our companies. EU funded programmes consitute quite a good possiblity for entering international networks, serving as a source for additional funding as well as a source for complementing partners and future customers.
Archimedes Foundation, an organisation nominated as official National Contant Point for Framework Programme 6 and a number of other EU programmes such as eTen, eContent+, EUREKA, COST etc, serves to assist local companies and RTD centres in networking with foreign partners. Apart of that, consultations on proposal preparation are provided and international partner searches pursued. Archimedes Foundation acts also as an Innovation Relay Centre, supporting SMEs with technology transfer. More information on the organisation can be found at www.irc.ee.
Thus, once partners from Estonia are needed, you are most welcome to contact our people from Archimedes Foundation, who will kindly help you in identifying proper and credible partner for your project. In case you are interested in Estonia in general or specifically in ICT sector developments, more information can be found at www.esis.ee.
Slovakia belongs to the less developed countries among EU and OECD member states in usage of Internet. Today the CTK - Czech Press Agency, has presented latest OECD statistical data on Internet usage for business in all OECD member states. In Slovakia, near to 30% of enterprises (exactly 28.7%) with 10+ employees do not use Internet for business - it is the lowest position in OECD ranking. For your information, our NETIES research, which was made last year among TOP 185 highest ranked SMEs, concluded with figure 29.19% (54 of 185 slovak SMEs do not use Internet). It was presented by NETIES team also in April 2005 during eGovernment workshop in Prague.
Continue reading ‘Latest OECD Research supports NETIES Statistics in Slovakia’
It is generally acknowledged that the 6th FPRD requirements and procedures are barely compatible with SMEs features, resources and constraints. Considering that rules cannot be changed, SMEs have to find their own way to overcome those barriers.
There are no magic tricks to guarantee the success of a project but there are some elements which can help to avoid failures or unpleasant experiences. Those coming hereafter may sound basic, but they already proved to be useful.
Continue reading ‘How can SMEs overcome the barriers of the 6th FPRD?’
Given, in some countries, difficulties faced by SMEs to their participation in European projects, the question whether European mechanisms are adapted or not to SMEs is more and more frequent.
One answer consists of saying that FP regulations are too complicated or that EC procedures are too lengthy and bureaucratic. Besides, SMEs often had bad experiences from previous projects given EC requirements. On SMEs’ activities’ side, it is often said that companies are too active in areas, which are not covered by FP projects or that companies do not have the capacity to prepare project proposals.
Another type of answer can be given, based on companies’ competitiveness and on a better understanding of FP projects’ objectives.
Continue reading ‘Are current European mechanisms adapted to SMEs?’
Statice Santé , a French SME specialised in micro-technical transformation and biomaterials has taken part in two different FP projects for the development of a bio-artificial pancreas for diabetes therapy thanks to its high technical expertise and its networks with research organsiations.
The first project named BARP was a Craft project within the 4th Framework programme. The second project, BARP +, in the continuation of BARP was launched within the 6th framework programme (Priority Nan technologies and Nan sciences ) and is still active. BARP + is a Specific Targeted Research Project and is coordinated by the European Center for research on diabete. It includes 14 partners.
The project aims at developing artificial pancreas for human application and integrates various types of skills from clinical research to advanced technologies (including nano-technologies).
Beyond an undisputable scientific and research excellence, success of this project essentially lies in complementarities of skills, cooperation and alliances, which have been built between partners. This project was made possible thanks to the links established between research organisation and the industry. Statice? highly technical skills in the use and moulding of silicone and Biodegradable and composite materials for medical use and research was a central factors for its participation. Besides, international dimension of the French SME and European “culture” facilitated the partenship.
It is important to say that BARP project was put together with the support of a French consulting company, Essor Europe specialised in R&D, and demonstration or technology transfer projects. Essor Europe got involved in the selection and the preparation of the project as well as in the management of the project, acting as a general secretariat (technical and and strategic management). Participants in BARP+ built on their previous experience of BARP.
The total cost of the project amounts to 3.62 million euros and the European funding allocated to this project to 2.5 million euros.
Given, in some countries, difficulties faced by SMEs to their participation in European projects, the question whether European mechanisms are adapted or not to SMEs is more and more frequent.
One answer consists of saying that FP regulations are too complicated or that EC procedures are too lengthy and bureaucratic. Besides, SMEs often had bad experiences from previous projects given EC requirements. On SMEs’ activities’ side, it is often said that companies are too active in areas, which are not covered by FP projects or that companies do not have the capacity to prepare project proposals.
Continue reading ‘Are current European mechanisms adapted to SMEs?’
If you ask French specialists in Innovation issues whether results of SMEs’ participation in FP programmes are satisfactory, the answer is clearly no.
Why is that so?
Despite an active participation of French SMEs in FP programmes (at the second rank in the EU 25 after Germany), they get only 9% of FP programmes? funding that benefits to France. This figure must be compared to a general objective set at a 15% rate and 14% for German SMEs.
Continue reading ‘Insight into French SMEs’ participation in European FP Programmes’
If you ask French specialists in Innovation issues whether results of SMEs’ participation in FP programmes are satisfactory, the answer is clearly no. Why is that so?
Despite an active participation of French SMEs in FP programmes (at the second rank in the EU 25 after Germany), they get only 9% of FP programmes’ funding that benefits to France. This figure must be compared to a general objective set at a 15% rate and 14% for German SMEs.
Continue reading ‘Insight into French SME participation in European FP Programmes’
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