All regions in the Slovak Republic have received a support form the European Commission under the Framework Programme for development of Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS). The projects are implemented by the Self-Governing regions in co-operation with the universities, regional development agencies and experienced consultant in order to develop the innovation strategy according to the EC methodology and to include the innovation issue in the regional development plans.
EC co-ordinates the development of RIS projects under the IRE network (http://www.innovating-regions.org). Since 1994, more than 120 European regions have received support for carrying out Regional Innovation Strategy projects from the European Commission. These projects aim to support regions in developing regional innovation strategies that enhance regional innovation and competitiveness through optimising innovation policies and infrastructure.
Continue reading ‘Regional innovation strategies in Slovakia’
In January 2006 the European Commission launched a project aiming at transferring the EU government-to-business e-services to the public administration bodies in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
TRANSFER-EAST is a Specific Support Actions aiming at favouring the transfer of learning, facilitating the exchange of e-government good practices and their transfer when appropriate and contributing to enhance the quality of e-government initiatives across Europe. TRANSFER-EAST will also address critical issues that might hamper the transfer of good experiences such as the legal aspects of the process of re-using successful developments among the different administrations, the ownership of the systems and their relationship with the public tendering procedures which the public administrations have to follow, and the various aspects of the public-private partnership undertaking notably tax services (corporate tax services, VAT declaration, social contribution for employees services), statistical services (registration of a new company, submission of statistical data) and other services (custom declarations, environmental permits, participation in public invitation to tender, etc.).
Continue reading ‘G2B best practices for the CEEC public administration’
Sooner or later, any organisation which wishes to become more innovative will implement some kind of suggestion scheme or idea management system that allows employees to submit ideas and provides some method for evaluating ideas. This is a good thing. After all, PWC has found that almost half (45%) of lucrative ideas—whether breakthrough products or services, new uses for old ones, or ways to cut costs—come from employees. The other half come from customers, suppliers, and competitors. Some companies buy software tools to facilitate their idea management programme. Others build their own. Most companies, however, take the wrong approach.
Continue reading ‘What’s wrong with suggestion schemes?’
Reverting to the various approaches for succeeding in FP projects presented or underlined in the last weeks, let me draw your attention on two criteria: scientific excellence and project relevance.
The case study proposed below shows how seven SMEs have succeeded in taking and responding to their contemporary societal and industrial challenges through an ambitious cooperative project (FLEX-EMAN).
This project’s context is characterised by the following statement: the electronics manufacturing sector has seen significant changes over the past two years. Besides, the extensive development of IT and electronics markets have resulted in the creation of multinational manufacturing service providers, the migration of volume operations to low-cost locations outside the EU and in the evolution of manufacturing technology only suited to high volume production.
Continue reading ‘New prospects for electronics manufacturing SMEs in the EU-15′
In addition to the research framework programme, the European Commission outlined it intended to boost Europe’s competitiveness and innovation through a new programme - CIP, to run from 2007 until 2013 with a budget of 4.2126 billion euro. There are some ideas how to improve its running and connections with national programmes.
The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme is the Commission’s response to calls for greater coherence and synergy between the Community programmes and instruments relevant to the Lisbon strategy, with the principle aim to support innovation in SMEs, take up of ICT in industry and more efficient use of energy.
Continue reading ‘Networking in CIP’
Successful participation to the European Community programmes demands quite a bit of self-promotion.
Evaluators tend to judge European dimension of consortia by the number of countries participating to the project. Co-ordinators are, therefore, often obliged to put on board partners that they do not know from before.
How to find them?
Continue reading ‘Find Your Partner’
“Just think what Europe could be. Think of the innate strengths of our enlarged Union. Think of its untapped potential to create prosperity and offer opportunity and justice for all its citizens. Europe can be a beacon of economic, social and environmental progress to the rest of the world.”
No this is not Konrad Adenauer’s or Robert Schumann’s vision for Europe some 50 years ago, but President Barroso’s one, in February 2005, communicating on how Members States could better work together for growth and jobs and how the EU could take a new start for the Lisbon Strategy.
Based on policy recommendations for the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy, all Members States had been asked in 2005 to put together Action Plans for National Lisbon Strategy in the framework of a new partnership for Growth and Jobs.
One year after, which conclusions can be made?
Continue reading ‘Any progress towards the Lisbon strategy?’
Scope for venture capital in financing SMEs has been, since the late nineties, subject of many discussions and debates. With regard to the flourishing literature and political support towards venture capital, this has appeared as a way to substantially improve SMEs’ access to finance. However, recent assessments have enlightened its decline.
Investment made possible through venture capital (VC) is commonly recognised as an important path to economic growth and innovation. The report Employment Contribution of Private equity and Venture Capital published by the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (http://www.evca.com/html/home.asp) identifies a growing role of VC in Europe, with a 40% increase in the number of companies supported since 1995. The positive impact in terms of employment is also generally agreed so as its contribution to R&D. But the same report also underlines difficulties faced by this sector since the burst of the Internet bubble in 2000-2001. For instance, amount of VC invested in 2000 was nearly 20 billion euros, compared to 10.3 billion euros invested in 2004. One of the major consequences of this decrease is a seed capital based investment decline in start-up companies. Thus, the number of companies in which VC was invested declined from 9,187 in 2000 to 5,557 in 2004.
Continue reading ‘SME access to finance in the EU-15: is venture capital so crucial?’
I am pleased to introduce Noweurope?s audience a new contributor from Belgium.
Claudie Tallineau (33) is a Senior Consultant at Pole Europe Conseil, a Belgian private consultancy company concentrating on assignments aimed at supporting socio-economic actors in the elaboration and implementation of policies or strategies, directly or indirectly, related to their growth and competitiveness through innovation, internationalisation and integration of the European dimension.
Pole Europe Conseil has a strong experience in advising SMEs and supporting them in their participation in European projects. Through a one off contribution, Claudie proposes to share with nowEurope’s audience her views on the difficulties faced by SMEs in meeting such challenges and how they can overcome the barriers of the 6th FPRD.
Scope for venture capital in financing SMEs has been, since the late nineties, subject of many discussions and debates. With regard to the flourishing literature and political support towards venture capital, this has appeared as a way to substantially improve SMEs’ access to finance. However, recent assessments have enlightened its decline.
Investment made possible through venture capital (VC) is commonly recognised as an important path to economic growth and innovation. The report Employment Contribution of Private equity and Venture Capital published by the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) identifies a growing role of VC in Europe, with a 40% increase in the number of companies supported since 1995. The positive impact in terms of employment is also generally agreed so as its contribution to R&D. But the same report also underlines difficulties faced by this sector since the burst of the Internet bubble in 2000-2001. For instance, amount of VC invested in 2000 was nearly 20 billion euros, compared to 10.3 billion euros invested in 2004. One of the major consequences of this decrease is a seed capital based investment decline in start-up companies. Thus, the number of companies in which VC was invested declined from 9,187 in 2000 to 5,557 in 2004.
Continue reading ‘SME access to finance in the EU-15: is venture capital so crucial?’
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