Latest news
A Small but Cool Way to Change the World
In the first in a new series of features looking at innovation in the Tees Valley, environment correspondent Kelley Price investigates NanoHex - a revolutionary cooling system that could slash greenhouse gas emissions on everything from high-speed trains to data centres, which is being commercialised at Wilton.
Click here for more information
Accessing Grant Finance for Research & Development
The European Commission and the Technology Strategy Board have a number of calls for R&D proposals currently open including:
Eurostars February 2010 Call
A Eurostars project is a European research and development project. It can address any technological area, but must have a civilian purpose and be aimed at the development of a new product, process or service.
Three new Technology Strategy Board 2010 Competitions for Funding:
- Fighting infection through detection
Detection and identification of infectious agents competition.
- Plastic Electronics competition
To overcome technical barriers and start building the supply chain to enable the UK to exploit plastic electronics.
- New Approaches to Crop Protection Competition
We are launching a collaborative R&D competition with up to £13m investment to help crop growers (arable and horticulture, forage and non-food crops) respond to the dual challenges of increasing the productivity of crops while reducing the environmental impact of crop production.
E-Skills for a more innovative and competitive Europe
In a modern knowledge-based economy, excellence in information and communication technologies (ICT) is a crucial factor in individual and collective success. The EU’s drive to promote ICT skills, or e-Skills, has made some impressive progress. Further developing these skills throughout Europe can play an important role in meeting several objectives from fostering innovation, competitiveness, growth and jobs to combating social exclusion. The first European e-Skills Week is due to take place in March 2010.
Click here for more information
European Skills Week:
Small Business Act
The European Commission reports good progress in the implementation of the Small Business Act (SBA) in 2009. The consensus on the SBA and the adoption of an Action plan to better assist SMEs in coping with the economic and financial crises has triggered impressive progress on the EU level as well as in the Member States. A broad range of measures have been taken to implement the Leitmotiv of the SBA - the "Think Small First" principle.
The SBA, adopted in 2008, is an ambitious package of policies designed to put SMEs' interests at the centre of decision-making. At the height of the economic and financial crisis, the SBA implementation in the first year focussed delivery on the following priorities: Reducing administrative burden for SMEs, access to finance, access to markets and promoting entrepreneurship.
European Commission welcomes the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.
The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on the 1st December 2009. The occasion will be marked by a ceremony in the City of Lisbon organised jointly by the Portuguese Government, the Swedish Presidency and the European Commission. The Commission believes that the new treaty provides significant new benefits for citizens and will settle the institutional debate for the foreseeable future. This will allow the European Union to fully concentrate on managing a smooth exit from the economic and financial crisis and pushing ahead with the 2020 strategy for greener growth.
Among key improvements are:
A more democratic and open and accountable Union – The European Parliament and national parliaments will now have a much greater say in the EU's decision-making process, and citizens will have the right to know what their Ministers are deciding at the EU level. All European citizens will be given the opportunity to influence proposed EU laws.
A more effective Union – through effective and streamlined institutions. Including swifter, more consistent decision-making on law and order issues, giving the EU greater ability to combat crime, terrorism and human trafficking.
More rights for Europeans – the EU's values and goals will be set down more clearly than ever before. And the charter of fundamental rights will be given the same legal status as the EU treaties themselves.
A more prominent global actor – new posts have been created as part of work to bring more coherence between the different strands of its external policy, such as diplomacy, security, trade and humanitarian aid.
EU achieves breakthrough on an enhanced patent system
The Council has unanimously adopted conclusions on an enhanced patent system in Europe. The package agreed covers major elements to bring about a single EU patent and establish a new patent court in the EU.
Both together will make it less costly for businesses to protect innovative technology and make litigation more accessible and predictable. The agreement will pave the way for solving the outstanding issues to achieve a major reform of the EU patent system in the near future. The Council agreement encompasses the main features of a future patent court in the EU.
Plans for Ridsdale eco-friendly holiday site
Plans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound holiday complex in Northumberland which will put the emphasis on eco-friendly and sustainable buildings.
One of the key objectives of the holiday sit will be to achieve a zero carbon development through the use of a biomass boiler, solar thermal water heating, rainwater harvesting and robust waste management strategies.
Diverse Energy could create 350 jobs in North East England
Diverse Energy is looking at locations in either Teesside or Tyneside for a plant to build "low carbon Powercubes" for the telecommunications industry. The Enterprise Europe Network asssted the firm to secure grant financing for further research and development of the company's PowerCube. Diverse Energy manufacturing facilities in the region creating 350 new jobs in the low carbon sector.
Look out for new European FP7 funding calls opening from the end of July 2009
If all goes to plan the end of July will see host of new Framework Programme Seven (FP7) Calls opening in key areas relevant to businesses operating in North East England, covering areas such as areas such as life sciences, healthcare, ICT, nanotechnologies,. new materials, new production technologies, energy efficient building, renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal,
agriculture
forests, fisheries and aquaculture ... and much more.
Click here to see upcoming calls for R&D
Reinventing Europe through innovation
An independent Business Panel, established by the European Commission says: "Innovation has been a central EU priority over the last decade, repeatedly supported by European leaders and backed by numerous strategies, funding programmes and assessments. But Europe has not achieved its full goal....."
From 7 July to 31 August 2009, the panel is holding an open online debate on new ideas to take Europe from a knowledge society to an innovation society.
Click her to have you say and share your ideas on Innovation Unlimited
eBusiness Guide for SMEs
Today it is clearer than ever that information and communication technology (ICT) and eBusiness models are the most important drivers of innovation and competitiveness. ICT has revolutionised the way business is done and it will continue to do so in the future. But ICT can only lead to substantial productivity gains when
accompanied by organisational changes: innovative eBusiness models and investment in skills.
Download eBusiness Guide to SME's click here (PDF, 4MB)
The unfettering demand for European funding
In its first two years, with around 25,000 FP7 proposals reaching the final evaluation stage, 5,500 were selected to receive grants totalling around €10 billion.
The new Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF), managed together with the European Investment Bank, has approved loans of €2 billion to support high risk R&D projects.
Click here for more information
Download the European Commission's report on the progress of FP7
Minister urges North East England firms to export and beat the global economic downturn
With figures showing that exporting firms do better in a downturn, Trade and Investment Minister Lord Davies of Abersoch today urged firms in the North East to take up Government help on offer to explore overseas markets,
Lord Davies said:
“Times are difficult here and across the world, but North East companies have shown that they can win business overseas.
Practical Guide to EU funding opportunities for Research and Innovation
Europe has three broad initiatives for which offer organisations funding and support for research and innovation.
This includes the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), Framework Programme Seven (FP7) and Structured Funds (SF).
CIP includes special finance instruments, which offer through intermediaries access to loans and venture capital for SMEs. FP7 now includes the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility managed by the European Investment Bank as well as the Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs)
Click here to go to the EU's online Practical Guide
Download the associated document
Public Consultantion: Effectiveness of Innovation Support in Europe - Deadline 4th May 2008
The main purpose of this public consultation is to get insights on how to best improve the effectiveness of public innovation support mechanisms in the EU, against the background of constantly evolving innovation patterns in enterprises. The public consultation consists of two online questionnaires :
- One asks the beneficiaries of innovation support measures, namely companies , to provide their views on the direction of future innovation support policies and instruments in the EU
- While the other invites institutional stakeholders active in the design, funding, implementation, and evaluation of innovation support measures at regional, national and European level to give their opinion on the key issues of better innovation support in Europe.
Have your say by completing the relevant online survey
Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) 2009 Call for proposals - Deadline 25th June 2009
The 2009 Intelligent Energy Europe call for proposals now open. The objective of the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme is to contribute to secure, sustainable and competitively priced energy for Europe, by providing for action to:
- Foster energy efficiency and the rational use of energy resources;
Promote new and renewable energy sources and to support energy diversification - Promote energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energy sources in transport
Download information on the Intelligent Energy Europe 2009 Call
A Strategy for ICT R&D and Innovation in Europe: Raising the Game - source DG Enterprise & Industry
Making Europe the world leader in ICT is the goal of the new strategy proposed by the European Commission. Today Europe represents 34% of the global information and communication technologies (ICT) market, and its value is growing by 4% per year.
However, the value added produced by the EU's ICT sector amounts to only 23% of the total, because both Europe's market and research efforts are fragmented. As a result, Europe is lagging behind its global competitors in ICT research and in the production of innovative ICT-based products and services.
The strategy proposed calls on Member States and industry to pool resources and work together more in ICT research and innovation. The strategy also proposes showcase ICT innovation projects to deliver modern services infrastructures in areas like healthcare and energy efficiency.
Download and read communication published by the EC
EuropeAid: Central Asian Invest and ACP Programmes
DiagnosingDVT, a European business co-operation project for improving the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis
DiagnosingDVT is a ICT research programme funded by the the European Commission and led by businesses and scientists from North East England.
The consortium are now in the third year of the project and will be developing a prototype device for improving diagnosing of deep vein thrombosis at the point-of-first-contact:
Click here to learn more about the project
Securing raw materials for European competitiveness
Modern cars, flat-screen televisions, mobile phones, and countless other tools based on technological developments of the past couple of decades rely on a basket of metals and other raw materials. In many cases, the quantity required for each product is tiny, but with a mobile phone made up of around 40 high-tech metals – such as lithium, tantalum, cobalt and antimony – it is a major challenge and cost for any manufacturer to ensure they have supplies of all of them.
European Economic Recovery Plan for Growth and Jobs
A major plank of the European Commission’s €200 billion Economic Recovery Plan is the emphasis on financial and administrative support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are key to rebooting Europe’s economic growth and safeguarding jobs.
The measures include providing SMEs with better access to loans and speeding up reforms under the Small Business Act.
Click here for more information...
£72 million investment in innovative research and development - 10th November 2008
National and European funding sources for research are vital for innovative SMEs in North East England. The Technology Strategy Board is to invest a further £72 million in innovative new research and development projects in eight key areas, its Chief Executive, Iain Gray, announced in October 2008.
The ten new competitions, in important areas such as photonics, high value manufacturing, intelligent transport systems, network security and energy generation and supply, will be split into three phases, with the first three competitions opening in November 2008. UK based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as large multinationals, will have the opportunity to access the funds for market-led R&D projects.
Click here for more information..
National Venture Capital Association predicts investment slowdown into 2009
The National Venture Capital Association predicts that 2009 will be another slow year for investment in venture backed businesses throughout most sectors.
While venture firms are prepared for lower returns in 2009, the upside of this year’s survey reveals that most venture investors think deal activity and exits will increase as soon as 2010, and that surviving companies will come out stronger than before. Especially those companies that continued to get financing from venture capitalists who say that downturns are “the best time to invest when valuations and competition are lower.” That is about 87 percent of them, who said that the value of companies to be acquired will again decline in 2009.
Results from the survey of 400 venture capitalists
Technology Strategy Board to establish a new Knowledge Transfer Network for the Finance Services
The Technology Strategy Board is to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the financial services sector by investing up to £3 million over three years in a new knowledge-sharing network, and is looking for a consortium to help set up and manage the new organisation.
Do you have ideas for reducing red tape for the European Commission? Get your suggestions submitted by the 31st January 2009
Anyone who has a good idea may participate. The competition is therefore open to all: citizens, companies, business associations, public authorities, non-profit organisations and others. To enter, simply fill in the form of the online consultation on administrative burdens reduction and ensure that the competition box is checked. The deadline for entering the competition is 31 January 2009.
Examples of what a submission might look like can be found in the reports on the online consultation and in the 2008 list of Fast Track Actions.
First European SME Week '09
The Commission is organising the 1st European SME Week from 6 to 14 May 2009. The SME week is an umbrella campaign aiming to promote entrepreneurship and inform entrepreneurs about support that is available to them at European, national and local level. The SME week is coordinated by the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General and will be launched in Brussels on the 6th of May next year. The opening will be followed by an array of events organised by public administrations, business organisations and SME support providers at the national and local level throughout Europe.
Click here for more information
Free movement of workers is good for Europe's economy
European Commission report published today shows that mobile workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 have had a positive impact on Member States' economies and have not led to serious disturbances on their labour markets. Workers from the EU-8 as well as Bulgaria and Romania have made a significant contribution to sustained economic growth, without significantly displacing local workers or driving down their wages. Both for the EU as a whole and for most individual countries, labour flows have been limited compared to the size of labour markets and to inflows from non-EU countries.
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European money for small businesses in the UK
Around 16 per cent of companies in the north of England are reporting they cannot survive, while just one per cent in the south-west are saying likewise.
UK Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced £4bn of funding will be available to small and medium-sized firms, to support businesses through the downturn. The funding will come from the European Investment Bank (EIB), via Britain's High Street banks, and will amount to about £1bn of loans a year, for the next four years. The loans can support funding for any amount ranging from very small investments to projects costing up to £19.6m. Loans can be between two and 12 years.
The EIB says that its loans can be used to support a wide range of investment including:
- Puchase of factory
- distribution networks
- Research and development
- The filing or acquisition of patents
- buying up another business to keep that business going
Find more information - EIB funds for UK companies
Find more information - Small firms failing in crunch
Powerful clusters: Main drivers of Europe’s competitiveness
Competitive clusters are powerful engines of economic development and drivers for innovation in the European Union. They provide a fertile business environment for companies, especially Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), to collaborate with research institutions, suppliers, customers and competitors located in the same geographical area. A Commission communication published today, calls for more efforts for facilitating the emergence of world-class clusters in the European Union. It addresses key challenges to achieve this: Deepening the internal market, improving cluster policies, fostering trans-national cooperation, promoting excellence of cluster organisations, and improving the integration of innovative SMEs into clusters.
European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said: “We need more world-class clusters in the EU. Clusters play a vital role in the much needed innovation of our businesses. They are powerhouses of job creation. Therefore we suggest that cluster policy efforts at all levels should aim at raise excellence and openness for cooperation, while respecting the competitive market-driven nature of clusters.”
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European funding for fuel cells and hyrodgen technologies
The technology challenge facing fuel cells and hydrogen is of great complexity, requiring substantial investments and a high level of technological expertise. At
the same time, its potential contribution to Community policies - in particular energy, environment, transport, sustainable
development and economic growth - is very significant. The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen JTI opened their first call (Euro 28.1M) on the 1st October 2008 for R&D proposals covering:
- Transportation and refuelling infrastructure
- Hydrogen production and distribution
- Stationary power generation and CHP
- Early markets including portable and micro fuel cells
