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The US Department of Homeland Security has published information that a live test of e-Passports, that contain contactless chips with biographic and biometric information and the readers that are capable of reading these e-Passports, began January 15, 2006 at Terminal G at San Francisco International Airport. This test is a collaborative effort between the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore that will run through April 15, 2006. Participants include citizens of Australia and New Zealand who have been issued the new e-Passports, Singapore Airlines crew and officials holding trial e-Passports and U.S. diplomatic and official e-Passport holders. The e-Passport contains the holder’s biographic information and a biometric identifier, in this case a digital photograph, embedded in a contactless chip set in the passport.

I just read interesting news about development of productivity during 2005 – the ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe delivered a spectacular acceleration in labour productivity growth in 2005 according to The Conference Board’s annual analysis of global productivity trends, Performance 2006: Productivity, Employment and Income in the World’s Economies. On average, the EU’s new member states EU-10 increased labour productivity growth rate from 4.1% in 2004 to 6.2% in 2005. Most of the EU-10 showed an improvement in productivity growth but Poland (from 4.1 to 7.7%), Hungary (from 3.7 to 6.3%) and Slovakia (from 3.9 to 5.5%) registered the most marked increases. Remarkably, Poland’s productivity level is now higher than South Korea’s.
Continue reading ‘The highest productivity increase in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia’

Slovakia is low down on the list of EU-25 states in the area of innovations, said European Commission in latest Eurostat report. Of the European Union states Slovakia ranks 22nd. Along with Estonia, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Poland, and Turkey, Slovakia ranked well down. On other side – the Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany scored the best in terms of innovations, according to Eurostat data.

Slovakia was ranked as 24th in investments for R&D (decreased from 0,52% GDP in 1998 to 0,23% GDP in 2004) and as 25th (last position in EU-25) in innovations by enterprises. Better results were indicated in increasing trend in high-tech employment (automotive sector). In short- and middle- time periods European Commission recommends for Slovakia orientation on development of innovations potential by diffusions. This process should be supported by tercial and life-long education – which plays important roles in training of employees for higher usage of innovative technologies.

Ten Slovak SMEs have been included to last Central Europe Technology Fast 50. During last 6 years it is prepared by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu . All mention Slovak companies are technology companies with high qualified human resources and which can fully profited on existing business potential in their region. During last 3-5 years, some of them increased own annual profit several times year-by-year. The most significant challenge for the future is for them to ensure further high technology development and creation of adequate company?s infrastructure aiming support its further economic growth.

Continue reading ‘Ten Slovak SMEs among the CE Technology Fast 50′

Ten Slovak SMEs have been included to last Central Europe Technology Fast 50. During last 6 years it is prepared by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu . All mention Slovak companies are technology companies with high qualified human resources and which can fully profited on existing business potential in their region. During last 3-5 years, some of them increased own annual profit several times year-by-year. The most significant challenge for the future is for them to ensure further high technology development and creation of adequate company?s infrastructure aiming support its further economic growth.

Continue reading ‘Ten Slovak SMEs among the Central Europe Technology Fast 50′

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’

HYDEKO KV is Slovak SME specialized in the geological, geochemical, hydrogeological and hydrochemical investigations including evaluation of geological factors of the environment. In the field of hydrogeology, HYDEKO – KV holds expertise in construction of hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical maps, complex evaluation of hydrogeological regions, and investigations of regional and local resources of water supply. In the field of geochemistry, HYDEKO – KV is experienced in regional and thematic geochemical mapping and in monitoring of organic matter and contaminants. Company has actively participated as partner in several international projects – one of the most interesting project was EU project GEOWATERS (http://www.geowaters.com/) – Integrated geophysical techniques for surveying and quantifying potentially polluted sediments in European waterways. This project was financed by the 5.FWP. The Slovak key person for this project was Director of the HYDEKO KV – Dr.Kamil Vrana.

Continue reading ‘Slovak SME participation in the project GEOWATERS’

Biotechnology in Slovakia is developing in following four areas – food industry, environment, agriculture and pharmacy. Except agriculture all mention areas are primary oriented on academic or university research only. The year 2005 is symbolised in Slovakia as important milestone for future development of Slovak R&D institutions – new legislation on support in R&D started to be implemented yet. Unfortunately, during transition period many financial support for previous “old” projects are limited.

During NETIES project activities we identified in Slovakia several research teams with big potential for their further growth. Under several discussions with representatives of the Chemistry Faculty at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava and the Pharmacy Faculty of the Commenius University in Bratislava, the NETIES team in Slovakia prepared travel arrengements and support for personal participation of two representatives of mention research teams in the Budapest Biotechnology Venture Academy, which was held yesterday in Budapest.

At the end March 2005, European Commission criticized Slovakia and nine other EU member states for failing to implement European legislation regulating the telecommunications market. Slovakia has two months to comply before the case is forwarded to the European Court of Justice. Slovak current telecommunications law is outside the EU norms designed to protect against privacy infringements, such as electronic advertisements (spam). It also warns that Slovakia’s market environment is not accessible enough to alternative network operators.

Slovakia belongs among less EU developed countries in telecommunications. At present, here is no implementation of alternative fixed telephony services (interconnected with the Slovak Telecom network), VoIP services through public fixed network are blocked by legal obstacles (since May 2000), carrier selection and carrier pre-selection services are not provided and local loop unbundling regime is not implemented in real. In previous three years, there were two activities of few members of parliament to submit legislation ensuring improvement of regulatory regime, but after first adoption by parliament it was given back to the parliament by veto of president – finally amendments were twice not approved after president veto (2002 and 2003).

Current telecommunication market is characterised by rapid decrease of customers in fixed network (current 23% of penetration represents status in 1996), duopoly regime in mobile networks (80% penetration) and by latest positions in EU in internet use, ADSL implementation (penetration 1%) and in use of eGovernment services (23rd position in EU-25).

Capgemini has published its 5th Report on the Development of eGovernment Services in the EU-25 and Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

During 2004, the sophistication of online eGovernment services in the EU-25 reached 65%, in the EU-15, 72% (an annual increase of 5%, compared to 7% for the previous year). In the new EU member states the result was just 53%. Full availability of eGovernment services in the EU-25 reached 40%, in the EU-15, 46% and in the new member states just 29%.

From a total of 28 countries monitored in this study, Slovakia was ranked at 26 – the last two positions belong to Poland and Latvia.