Latest news
EEN joins leading industrial biotech programme
Enterprise Europe Network North East has recently joined a Euro 4.5m European-wide programme, BIOCHEM, to support companies entering the rapidly emerging market for sustainable bio-based products
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Super Region
A joint UK-Ireland initiative is helping businesses in the UK & Ireland exploit growth opportunities in Europe. Enterprise Europe Network UK and Ireland was set up to strengthen the links between the 12 network regions within the UK and Ireland. The network, comprising 12 regional and 31 business development partners, means the UK and Ireland are working together in what is effectively a ‘super region’ within Europe to support companies
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SME Week
This year SME week will take place across Europe from 25 May to 1st June. Business Support organisations across Europe are taking the opportunity to hold a series of events aimed at addressing all aspects of doing business in Europe including seminars, workshops and brokerage events.
For more information on activities
Special Focus Sector Groups
The Enterprise Europe Network has established a number of Sector Groups which are dedicated platforms working closely with organisations with specialized capabilities and expertise to address the needs of businesses.
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From Fat to Fuel
The Centre for Process Innovation was recently awarded funds from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to assess the feasibility of creating a scaled down Anaerobic Digestions process capable of generating income/and or power from farm or food manufacturers.
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Free Prize Draw from NEPIC
NEPIC are looking for anyone living/working/studying in Northumberland who is enthusiastic about science, technology or engineering to sign up as a STEM Ambassador and inspire young people to study science. To encourage people to sign up NEPIC have launched a free prize draw.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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Download the European Commission's report on the progress of FP7
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
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.
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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.
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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