TEK has been involved in a number of projects funded by the European Commission.  These programmes are centred on gaining an understanding of the environment in which SMEs operate and are carried out in close collaboration with SMEs.  Examples include:

• SOUTH EAST ENGLAND INNOVATION RELAY CENTRE
  Innovation Relay Centres (IRCs) are centres for the exchange of technology.   They support innovation and transnational co-operation in Europe with a range of specialised business support services.  IRC services are primarily targeted at technology-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but are also available to large companies, research institutes, universities, technology centres and innovation agencies.
• Click here for more information.

• ARISE (Accelerating Regional Innovation Strategy Exchanges)

         This project brings together some of Europes leading    

         innovative regions who have been involved in various levels of regional

         innovation strategy development for over 15 years.  The consortium

         partners offer geographical (north & south Europe) and  

         economic/trading (Baltic Sea, Mediterranean basin) complementarities

         which provide a wide range of conditions in which to test evaluation

         and benchmarking methodologies and tools.

•  Click here for more information.

Past programmes include:-

• INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY EUROPE (IP Europe)
  To improve basic awareness within the European business community of how the patent and other IPR systems may be used to commercial advantage.

• RETINA
  Aimed at increasing the capacity of SMEs to benefit from effective application of Economic and Technological Intelligence (ETI) and stimulating transnational collaboration in RTD.  RETINA developed and implemented an audit tool with nearly 500 SMEs, a web portal, capacity building workshops and RTD proposals.

• DICON - Digital Contents Competition.
  A multi-national competition to stimulate business ideas with a digital content and to encourage entrepreneurs to use venture capitalists.  The overall winner was from the UK.

• PROGRESS PACK
  Development of the South Great Plains Area in Hungary. ETI, Business support.  Establish stronger links with EC mechanisms.  Regional knowledge transfer.

• RISC - Regional Innovation Strategy in Cyprus.
  Development innovation strategy on the Island of Cyprus.   ETI, Business support.  Establish stronger links with EC mechanisms. Regional knowledge transfer.

• ETI BICs
  A programme of work co-ordinated by the European Business Network directed at encouraging SMEs to take part in European RTD projects.

• Detect-IT
  An extension and development of ETI-BICs.

• RITTS/TRIPS
  Regional and trans-regional innovation strategies for technology transfer.

• ENTRAIN - Techniques for training entrepreneurs to start up a business.   A Europe-wide study.

For more information, contact info@technologyenterprise.co.uk