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Edition 1: Your Network News - December 2008

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DiagnosingDVT, a European business co-operation project for improving the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis

DVT ImageDiagnosingDVT is a 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:

Securing raw materials for European competitiveness

CarModern 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

FreePhotoA 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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£72 million investment in innovative research and development - 10th November 2008

TSBNational 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. 

National Venture Capital Association predicts investment slowdown into 2009

TreeThe 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.

Technology Strategy Board to establish a new Knowledge Transfer Network for the Finance Services

London Square Mile 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.

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Do you have ideas for reducing red tape for the European Commission? Get your suggestions submitted by the 31st January 2009

Reducing Red TapeAnyone 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

1st 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.

Free movement of workers is good for Europe's economy

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.

European money for small businesses in the UK

notes 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:

Powerful clusters: Main drivers of Europe’s competitiveness

Powerful ClustersCompetitive 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.”

European funding for fuel cells and hyrodgen technologies

Car 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: