ArchivePage 16 of 17

Pages: Prev 1 2 3 ...9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Next

Implementation of EU laws

Published
by
Milo Kosterec
  on  December 17, 2004
  in  Current events
. 0 Comments

The European Commission will launch disciplinary proceedings against Slovakia over inadequate implementation of EU laws in the electronic communications field, EC spokesman Martin Selmayr told the TASR news agency December 6. The Commission has found several shortcomings in the implementation of electronic communication laws in Slovakia, despite the fact that the country adopted the legislation into its national legal framework one year before joining the European Union. Similar proceedings will also be launched against other new European Union members, the European Commissioner for Information Society, Vivian Reding, confirmed. These include the Czech Republic and Estonia, which have not yet even adopted the regulatory framework, as well as Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia, which are encountering similar problems as Slovakia.

Source: The Slovak Spectator 

Yet another “survey” shows growth in SME web use…

Published
by
Ian Jindal
  on  December 16, 2004
  in  eCommerce
. 0 Comments

I’m not sure why people bother “reporting” “surveys” of - gasp - 150 people, but - in a shock finding from which we’re all reeling - it appears that SMEs in the UK expect to increase their online revenues by 25%.

Here’s Netimperative’s uncritical take on the press release - oops, I mean ‘research’.

The shock conclusion is that 100,000 SMEs may not have websites. Shouldn’t we look at this in more detail? There are good reasons for SMEs to have a web presence - whether in a directory, their own site, or otherwise. Continue reading ‘Yet another “survey” shows growth in SME web use…’

What are technology platforms? Questions and answers by The European Commission

Published
by
Julie Koeltz
  on  December 15, 2004
  in  Innovation policy
. 0 Comments

Technology platforms have been an innovation in EU research policy. They bring together all interested parties in a particular sector, or areas. These areas are chosen for their strategic importance or their potential contribution to the European Union’s goals of knowledge-based growth, competitiveness and employment. Continue reading ‘What are technology platforms? Questions and answers by The European Commission’

Integrated projects and the networks of excellence: two instruments of the Sixth Framework programme targeting SMEs

Published
by
Julie Koeltz
  on  December 14, 2004
  in  EU funding programmes
. 0 Comments

In order to implement the FP6’s priority research schemes, two new instruments have been put in place: Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence. The new instruments have been designed to be applicable throughout the priority themes and to all participants and are both targeting SMEs. Continue reading ‘Integrated projects and the networks of excellence: two instruments of the Sixth Framework programme targeting SMEs’

It’s official: Central Europe is better off in the EU

Published
by
Steven Carlson
  on  December 13, 2004
  in  Current events
. 0 Comments

“A new comparison between the countries in East and Central Europe shows just how well economic reforms work. The data show that those that abandoned central planning the fastest are the best off today. In many of the more successful countries, the prospect of EU membership has been a decisive factor for enacting the reforms.”

The author goes on to compare a recent EBRD report, that shows quick reformers are faring better economically, with a UN report that shows citizens of these countries are living better lives according to a Human Development Index.

Connecting ICT companies to venture capital

Published
by
Vlastimil Vesely
  on  December 7, 2004
  in  Venture capital
. 0 Comments

The 12th edition of the European Tech Investment Forum and the accompanying Venture Academy were organised by Europe Unlimited in the Hague in mid November. Meanwhile the European Commission published a report summarizing findings and recommendations from 430 European ICT companies seeking venture capital funding in the past 5 years.

The data presented is based on a number surveys that were performed immediately after each of the 10 events. The impact report includes the complete list of 430 companies from 29 countries and recommendations from investors, consultants and successful entrepreneurs.

It can be downloaded from our Virtual Innovation Park. Disclosure: Our company VIP park was involved in organizing five editions (2002-2004) and in coordinating the project activities in the Eastern and Central Europe.

Why the Indians are coming

Published
by
Steven Carlson
  on  December 6, 2004
  in  Current events
. 0 Comments

In this post I noted that yet another Indian company is setting up operations in Hungary and asked why this is happening. Indian wages are cheaper, geography shouldn’t matter in IT outsourcing, and I can’t imagine India is running out of programmers.

This article offers some of those answers, and it’s written from an Indian perspective. The answer is that Europeans are not used to long-distance outsourcing, and so the Indians are coming to them. The see Central Europe as a gateway into Western Europe.

Businesses vote to pay more tax for services: local issues

Published
by
Ian Jindal
  on  December 6, 2004
  in  eGovernment
. 0 Comments

The issues of “thinking and acting locally” have taken a back seat in the UK Government’s drive for regional democracy and representation in England. While London and a handful of other cities have opted for directly-elected Mayors, there’s been little appetite elsewhere for measures that are widely-perceived to constitute increased bureaucracy rather than increased service and accountability.

It’s interesting and refreshing then to see businesses voting at a local level to increase the taxes they pay ( a 1% increase on their business rates - a method by which local authorities levy an ‘open for business’ tax upon businesses in their area) - in return for increased services. Continue reading ‘Businesses vote to pay more tax for services: local issues’

Opening of the Fourth IST call

Published
by
Julie Koeltz
  on  December 2, 2004
  in  EU funding programmes
. 0 Comments

The fourth Information Society call within the 6th framework programme has been published on 25 November 2004 and opened since the 1st of December 2004. The total allocation to this call is 1.12 billion euros.

The IST Call 4 funds five types of projects:

- Integrated projects (IPs),
- Specific Targeted Research Projects (STREPs),
- Networks of Excellence (NoEs),
- Coordination Actions (CAs),
- Specific Support Actions (SSAs). Continue reading ‘Opening of the Fourth IST call’

Who are the most innovative countries of the European Union?

Published
by
Julie Koeltz
  on  December 1, 2004
  in  Innovation policy
. 0 Comments

The fourth edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), published on 24 November 2004, confirmed previous years’ results: Sweden and Finland are the most innovative countries of the European Union and Estonia and Slovenia are leaders of the ten new Member States.

Through 20 indicators, measuring human resources, the creation of new knowledge, the transmission and application of knowledge, and innovation finance, the ESI, established by the European Commission as part of the Lisbon strategy, compares innovation performance within the EU Member States. A composite indicator provides an overview of national performances.

The scoreboard also looks at four aspects of non-technical innovation:

o Non-technical change,
o Implementation of changed organisational structures,
o Implementation of advanced management techniques,
o Implementation of significant changes to aesthetic appearance.

Main observations

Sweden and Finland maintain their leadership positions. Germany and Denmark are performing well above the EU average, with Denmark moving ahead quickly. Netherlands, Ireland and France are slowing down and most of the new EU Member States seem to be catching up.

Luxembourg performs best in three out of the four categories relating to the non-technical aspects of innovation. Germany comes second in all four. Several countries considered as average or poor performers on the overall scoreboard, such as Luxembourg, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Estonia and Slovenia, perform much better according to the indicators for non-technical change.

This reflects, according to EIS, a “substantial changes to organisation and management, as part of a modernisation process, that may provide the necessary foundation for both an increase in per capita GDP and the capacity to innovate”.

EIS indicates that the gap between the EU and the US and Japan remains constant. The gap between the EU and the US is explained by three indicators: patents, percentage of the working population with tertiary education and research expenditure.

Perspectives

The EIS working paper will be used to identify the main innovation policy changes, needed in order to reach the Lisbon objectives. In this respect, the Commission intends establish a policy dialogue with the Member States to establishing a common framework of innovation policy objectives.

For further information, please visit:
TrendChart

Pages: Prev 1 2 3 ...9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Next