SMEs in European UnionSmall and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy. There are 23 million of them in the Union, representing 99% of all EU companies and employing some 75 million people. These statistics underpin the increasing focus at the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry on the needs of SMEs and underline the importance of creating a healthy working environment for such businesses if the Union is to rise to its number one challenge of stimulating economic growth and creating new jobs. There is already a well-established philosophy and an extensive range of measures to support SMEs, but the Commission is now fine-tuning these to ensure an even closer fit with the reshaped Lisbon economic reform agenda. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered to be essential to the EU in its continuing drive to compete. They have few staff, little money, but will often be full of ideas, partly due to their small size - they have to strive to innovate in order to compete and get ahead. This does not just mean cutting corners, but 'thinking outside the box' in order to - simply - innovate. ICT and SMEs are the motor of the European economySME produce considerably more than half the EU's GDP.Due to their small size and lean structures, SMEs are potentially more dynamic than big enterprises, which makes them particularly important for job creation. But they are also more vulnerable, often lacking access to capital and to funding sources. Innovation and Research funding at hand DETECT-it primarily aims to tackle some of the problems SMEs have in accessing EU R&D projects. The project involves 42 partners from 15 countries and it will target more than 1000 SMEs across Europe. It will mobilise a network of 30 European Commission Business Innovation Centre (EC-BICs) incubators to identify and encourage SMEs to make the most of FP6 research. These BICs will audit more than 1000 SMEs starting from the BICs' client base and cluster them into the three target industry sectors - IST, food safety & quality and environment & energy - based on similar technology profiles and innovation needs. The BICs support business creation and provide innovation services to existing SMEs. DETECT-it is supported within the framework of the ''Stepping up Economic and Technological Intelligence'' (ETI) actions of the EU Sixth Research Framework Programme and aims to stimulate co-operation between SMEs and the research community. The ETI scheme has been set up by the Commission to promote and enable the participation of SMEs in the 6th Framework programme so that SMEs can fully tap available funding. communication solutions INSME Training: Rome A programme funded and managed by the European Commission for European small and medium-sized enterprises. Gaining a foothold in the Japanese market is challenging for any SME, particularly in today’s global economic climate. For those who succeed the rewards are as substantial as the challenges. The European Commission has been lending a helping hand since 1979. Over the years businesses have benefited from EXPROM, a set of dedicated export promotion initiatives funded by the European Commission. EXPROM maximises the Japanese business opportunities open to SMEs and helps them succeed at the early market penetration stage. France is the ideal base for foreign companies to establish European-wide operations.France is among the world's leading destinations for foreign direct investment offering high levels of training and education, a productive and reliable labor force, modern infrastructure, a central position within the single European market -- proximity to the United Kingdom and land-borders with Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg -- and excellent quality of life. Biotechnology Industry in France Aube has an asset rarely found in France; the ability to make people from the business, scientific, medical and sporting worlds work together. This is particularly true for the Aube Technopolis and its immediate surroundings, which is a scenic area peppered with top-level sports facilities and installations. In addition to those companies in this sector based in the Aube Technopolis, there are also researchers from the UTT, the Biotechnology Institute of Troyes (IBT) and the Institute of Sports Medicine (IMS). New contacts are made day in day out...
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