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Boxtel/Dublin May 13, 2008
STIMUTRAN final event at the BT Small business & franchise show. The STIMUTRAN project was officially closed during the BT Small business & franchise show, Ireland’s premier exhibition for anyone running a Small or Medium Sized Business, thinking of Starting a Business or Franchising. This was an excellent event to present the STIMUTRAN project results to the public. STIMUTRAN was presented during the opening speeches of the trade show and at the STIMUTRAN public seminar. Mr. John Whelan from the Irish Exporter Association, the Lead Partner in the project, gave a keynote speech, in which STIMUTRAN was presented, at the opening of the trade show. In addition, the STIMUTRAN partners also had a large booth (stand) with project promotion materials. At least 25 companies showed interest in participating in future business matching events; their profiles will be uploaded on the STIMUTRAN database.
At the final event two STIMUTRAN ‘best practices’ companies presented their STIMUTRAN experience. One Dutch company, which participated in two STIMUTRAN BioTrinity business matching events (2007 and 2008) and one UK company, which participated in the STIMUTRAN ClearView event (2008). Participation resulted for both companies in excellent leads for future business. The entrepreneur especially appreciated the SMEs focus of the project; the tools and project approach were developed for SMEs.
During this event project results were presented by Mr. Oyono Vlijter from EGA, the Dutch project partner. It showed that this project was implemented successfully, almost all targets were met. Ms Gabriele Hanisch from the Handwerk International, the German project partner, gave a presentation on the possibilities of future cooperation with b2fair.com. B2fair is a business matching concept which has been successfully implemented at different trade fairs since 2004. It is likely that the STIMUTRAN Transnational Matching Centre (TMC) partners will develop new initiatives with the b2fair partners in order to increase the geographical scope of successful business matching in Europe. For future STIMUTRAN activities, please visit our website at www.stimutran-sme.com .
Click here for pictures of the final STIMUTRAN event.
Dublin/Boxtel April 29, 2008
STIMUTRAN-SME final event at the BT Small business & franchise show The STIMUTRAN project partners are organizing a final project event the BT Small business & franchise show which takes place from May 9-10 in Dublin. BT Small business is Ireland’s premier exhibition for anyone running a Small or Medium Sized Business, thinking of Starting a Business or Franchising. BT Small business is an excellent event to present the STIMUTRAN project results and to inform businesses about the advantages and importance of international business cooperation. Several companies have been invited to present their STIMUTRAN experience; how the project has assisted them with further developing their international business cooperation activities. Participants will also be informed about the STIMUTRAN Transnational Matching Center (TMC) network, which has been established by this project. After this event a final partner meeting will be organised. At this partner meeting partners will discuss the overall project results and future actions.
Oxford/Dublin/Boxtel April 24, 2008
STIMUTRAN at BioTrinity 2008 The STIMUTRAN partners have again successfully participated in the BioTrinity partnering event. This year STIMUTRAN was platinum sponsor of the event. 270 companies participated in this event, with more than 500 one-to-one partner meetings and 400+ delegates from 12 countries. STIMUTRAN clearly contributed to the success of BioTrinity 2008. As this event shows there is a lot of business matching potential within the (international) biotech sector. STIMUTRAN companies from Ireland, UK, Belgium and the Netherlands were represented at BioTrinity. Because the STIMUTRAN project will officially end on May 30 this has been the last STIMUTRAN business matching event co-financed by the European Commission. Through the Transnational Matching Center (TMC) network, the STIMUTRAN will continue its international business cooperation activities. The final event of the project will be organized in Dublin on May 9th at the BT Small business & franchise show.
Click here for pictures of Biotrinity 2008.
Dublin/Boxtel, February 25, 2008
STIMUTRAN-SME ClearView event and partner meeting STIMUTRAN-SME partners from Ireland, UK, the Netherlands and Belgium participated in the Clearview matching event on February 21st and in the STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting on February 22nd. The ClearView was a small matching event focused on the development of new software products for the Customs and Logistics sectors, in anticipation of new EU legislation which will come into force next year. Interested organizations from Greece, Poland and the Baltic states were also present at this event. New software solutions would be an added value for the SMEs participating in STIMUTRAN; it would greatly facilitate their export activities.
During the STIMUTRAN partner meeting (the next day) the project results and financial progress were discussed. The meeting was opened and chaired by Mr. John Whelan, Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association. Presentations were given by Mr. Oyono Vlijter (EGA, STIMUTRAN partner from the Netherlands) Mr. Marc Wagemakers (financial management, ERAC BV) and Ms. Mary McClean (Irish Exporters, lead partner). The project has so far reached most of its targets; the last large matching event was very successful with 209 companies participating. The content for the final conference was discussed in detail. This conference will be organized in conjunction with the BT SME event. The next events are the BioTrinity (April 15-16, Oxford) and the final conference (May 9-10, Dublin). Contact your nearest STIMUTRAN partner for more info.
Opportunities to access new markets and learn about the latest developments in international trading
On 21st and 22nd February 2008 an event will take place in Dublin exclusively aimed at the ICT, Customs and Logistics Sectors.
This event is specialized in finding business contacts for SME’s throughout Europe; it will bring together companies involved in international trading ICT, Customs and Logistics firms. ClearView is a project funded by the European Commission under the eTen programme, to roll out a pilot single window services for SMEs across Europe. Single window is a technology which offers significant business benefits to companies trading across national boundaries. Single window services allow companies to create, manage and maintain electronic documentation dedicated to Import, export, transport and logistics. The use of the single window facilitates legal/regulatory compliance and drives major time and cost savings in cross border trade.
Stimutran-SME assist SMEs in their export efforts by facilitating matching events where SMEs can find suitable business partners and offer their services to overseas businesses. In addition to learning about the latest in international trade technology, you can get maximum benefit for time invested at this event.
Stimutran-SME has joined together with ClearView at the aim giving SME’s the opportunity to trade internationally. This project targets sectors between ICT, Customs & Logistics providers in North West Europe and has interlinked with ClearView to increase and maximize profits for SMEs. The event is taking place in Dublin at the Grand Canal Hotel on the 21st and 22nd February 2008.
Irish Exporters Association is the lead partner of both projects ClearView and Stimutran-SME and is hosting the event in Dublin. These programmes are designed to help SMEs succeed with exporting, and this is crucial to the long-term growth of local businesses in Europe.
Who should attend?
Why not take advantage of both sessions at this event ClearView project offers single window services to SMEs, thus increasing their competitiveness. The core focus of the project is on;
How can ClearView and Stimutran-SME help SME’s?
What will ClearView and Stimutran-SME deliver?
How can I participate in STIMUTRAN-SME? If you are interested in making international contacts in the following sectors: Logistics, Customs & ICT, then Stimutran-SME next matching event is the ideal event to attend. Your company details will be visible to other companies in the above sector in North West Europe and you can view details of businesses of interest you. You can have the opportunity to meet face to face with your chosen selection of potential business partners, with a view making contacts and “match-making”. In most cases matching is combined with existing trade fairs or special business events.
How much does it cost? Most of the services are free of charge due to the financial contribution of the European Commission.
Contact details The STIMUTRAN-SME project has 10 partners from 6 NEW EU member states. The Irish Exporters Association the lead partner. Please contact Mary McClean, Marketing Executive at MaryMcClean@irishexporters.org or telephone +353 1 642 4178.
Luxembourg/Boxtel/Dublin, November 29, 2007
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event at SME Forum 2007: great succes! From November 19-22 the fourth STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event was organised at the SME Forum 2007. This business matching event was held at the “CONTACT” professional services trade fair in Luxembourg. With over 200 participants (!) this was a very successful STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event.
The main goal of this event was to promote business matching between SME's in North West Europe and beyond. This STIMUTRAN-SME matching event focused on the following sectors:
Approximately 60 percent of the participating companies are located in urban areas and 40 percent in rural. This ratio has contributed to the project objective to promote rural-urban SME-development and competition in the the North West Europe region. A large number of participating companies are also very innovative; machinery and foodstuffs in particular.
The event was divided into the professional trade fair ‘CONTACT’, the business meeting/matching area and there was also the opportunity for the participating companies to attend thematic workshops on several European topics. The workshops ‘Intellectual Property’, ‘Structuring your cooperation in the Greater Region: Best practice for contracts’ and ‘ Participating successfully in public tenders in the Greater Region’ enriched the programme of the SME Forum. The ‘CONTACT’ trade fair offered a variety of EU information stands and was well-attended.
Here you will find more information about SME Forum 2007. Click here for pictures of the SME forum 2007.
GROW into Maintenance Event The aims of the event are:
On the 16th of October all companies are welcome to join a networking dinner. On the 17th the seminar and the event will take place. Next to a key-note speaker, workshops and the seminar there will be enough time to bring the theory in to practice by (in)formal networking opportunities. The initiative of the seminar is supported by the partners of the project STIMTURAN-SME. The event will be free of charge (travel and lodging excluded). For more information and registration: www.worldclassmaintenance.eu
Dublin/Boxtel, September 7, 2007
Successful STIMUTRAN-SME business matching at the SHOP retail, food & drink event The Irish Exporters Association in cooperation with the other STIMUTRAN-SME partners has organized a successful STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event at the SHOP retail, food & drink trade show in Dublin. The SHOP took place from 2-4 September and hosted more than 320 companies and received 5,000 visitors. 32 Companies from the North West Europe region participated in this event through STIMUTRAN.
At this trade show the latest developments in the area of food, drinks and retail were presented; from new cheese, chocolate and energy drinks to weighing instruments, food processing machinery, ovens and ICT tracking.
Most of the STIMUTRAN-SME business matching took place on Monday September 3rd. Before the start of the business matching on Monday the Irish Exporters Association organized a short seminar on Professional Selling with keynote speaker Mr Damien Carolan, an award-winning expert on professional selling. The seminar was opened by Mr John Whelan, Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association. Mr. Oyono Vlijter, Head of the Euro Info Centre in Boxtel (the Netherlands) introduced the STIMUTRAN-SME project to the participating companies.
The next STIMUTRAN-SME business matching events are at the end of November, Multinational Matchmaking at the Automotive suppliers and the SME Business Matching Forum 2007. On the STIMUTRAN-SME website you will find more information about these events.
For pictures of the SHOP event, please click HERE
Brussels/Boxtel/Dublin, July 31, 2007
4th Partner meeting, Brussels, Belgium On July 30 the 4th STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting was held in at the Thon Hotel in Brussels. During this meeting information was provided about the results of the first 2 STIMUTRAN-SME matching events (i.e. B and the upcoming events in September and November. The number of STIMUTRAN-SME participants will have to increase for the upcoming business matching events, in order to reach the project targets. The overall STIMUTRAN-SME business matching database 2007-2008 has been placed on line and was demonstrated by one of the partners. The database contains company profiles from all the STIMUTRAN participants and companies which have not participated in one of the matching events but who would like to find new (international) business partners. After each event the STIMUTRAN-SME business cooperation profiles are transferred to the overall STIMUTRAN-SME database. Each of the partners presented the activities it has implemented so far and the project actions for the coming months. The financial progress of the project was also discussed and the project partners received additional promotion items. For pictures of the 4th STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting click here
Dublin/Boxtel, July 5, 2007
STIMUTRAN-SME Business Matching Event @ SHOP retail, food and drink The third STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event takes place during the SHOP trade show on the 2nd , 3rd and 4th of September 2007. This is Irelands best trade show for food and drink related products and ancillary service (non-food products, machinery and equipment). During this event you will be able to meet and match with potential business partners from Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and beyond. The SHOP trade show is located at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin, Ireland. The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) / Dublin Euro Info Centre is organizing this event in close cooperation with Meath County Enterprise Board and the STIMUTRAN-SME partners. If you are active in the food and drink sector and are looking for new partners and the state of the art development in this field, you should definitely participate in this event!
Participating in our business matching at the SHOP event is easy. You only need to upload your business cooperation profile in our STIMUTRAN-SME business matching database. Your local STIMUTRAN-SME partner will confirm your profile. This profile has information about your contact details, the activities of your company and the type of business cooperation you are looking for. Please enter your profile through the following weblink: STIMUTRAN-SME Transnational usiness Database.
If you have any questions about the project please contact one of the project partners. The STIMUTRAN-SME partners assist you with your international business cooperation activities before, during and after your matching activities at Industrial Maintenance 2007. Due the financial contribution of the European Commission participation in this project is free of charge.
The STIMUTRAN-SME partners look forward to visit your company and assist you with a successful participation in SHOP.
If you are not planning to participate you can upload your business cooperation profile in our STIMUTRAN-SME business matching database. This database has profiles of all the companies which are interested in STIMUTRAN-SME international business cooperation. This will enable you to find new and high quality business contacts.
Boxtel/Hasselt, June 12, 2007
On 5, 6 and 7 June a STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event took place at the Industrial Maintenance fair in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This 3-days event attracted 330 exhibitors and almost 10.000 visitors. 32 SMEs successfully participated in the STIMTRAN-SME business matching which was organized in Hall 1. The STIMUTRAN partners built a business matching plaza of 54m2 with nine seats and 3 computer terminals. Companies who did not yet participate had an opportunity to register at the STIMUTRAN desk. A large part of the matching took place at the stand of the exhibiters which participated in the project. During the event various STIMUTRAN promotion items were handed out.
The project got excellent exposure at this trade fair, from which the other matching events will benefit. The next STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event will take place at the SHOP food & drink event in Dublin, Ireland on September 2, 3 and 4 (www.shopexhibition.com).
Click here for pictures of the Industrial Maintenance Fair
Boxtel/Hasselt, March 30, 2007
Transnational Business Database Industrial Maintenance 2007 now accessible EGA (Euro Info Centre Boxtel), the Chamber of Commerce Limburg (Euro Info Centre Hasselt) and Brabant Development Agency are organizing a special SME matching event during Industrial Maintenance 2007 (Ahoy’ Rotterdam, 5-7 June 2007).
Before your can participate in the Industrial Maintenance Matching Event you are required to register first by uploading you company profile. This Transnational Business Cooperation profile is an important instrument because it provides information about the activities of your company and the type of cooperation which you are looking for. The Transnational Business Database for participation in the Industrial Maintenance matchmaking is now accessible here. If you are interested in transnational business cooperation and business matching please register in the Transnational Business Database.
The STIMUTRAN-SME partners assist you with your international business cooperation activities before, during and after your matching activities at Industrial Maintenance 2007. Due the financial contribution of the European Commission and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) participation in this project is free of charge. The STIMUTRAN-SME partners look forward to visit your company and assist you with a successful participation in Industrial Maintenance. Here you will find more information about Industrial Maintenance 2007. More information about the STIMUTRAN-SME project can be found here.
Oxford/Boxtel, March 29, 2007-03-29
On March 27 and 28 a successful STIMUTRAN-SME pilot business matching event took place at the BioTrinity partnering conference and showcase in Oxford, UK. This matching event for biotech companies was organised in cooperation with the BioTrinity organisers. 285 organisations participated in this biotechnology partnering event and more than 420 meetings took place. The event took place at the beautiful Oxford Belfry hotel in Oxfordshire. Participants were able to attend various speeches from scientist, venture capitalists and companies which are active in the Biotechnology sector.
Companies from the STIMUTRAN-SME partners in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands participated in this pilot event. Please find pictures of this event here
The next STIMUTRAN-SME matching event will take place on 5-7 June at the Industrial Maintenance fair in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (www.industrialmaintenance.nl).
Click here for pictures of the BioTrinity matching event
Boxtel/Hasselt, March 5, 2007
The second STIMUTRAN-SME business matching event 2007 will take place during the Industrial MAINTENANCE fair 2007. STIMUTRAN-SME partners EG-Adviescentrum (Netherlands) and Kamer van Koophandel Limburg (Belgium) will organize this matching event in close cooperation with the other project partners.
The maintenance technology trade show will take place in the Ahoy venue, Rotterdam (Netherlands) from 5 till 7 June 2007 . Industrial MAINTENANCE 2007 shows the latest technological innovations and a broad overview of the maintenance sector and provides the sector with face-to-face contact. During the last edition (2006) over 350 stand holders participated and more than 12.000 visitors attended this trade fair.
Industrial MAINTENANCE focuses on Automation, Electro technology, Tools, Business services, Logistical services, Measuring and control technology, Environmental engineering, (Petro)chemicals, Facility management and courses and training etc..
During this fair there will be several seminars and workshops about this fast developing sector. These activities are organised by the branch organisations and training institutes. During Industrial MAINTENANCE 2007 there will be several demonstrations inside as well as outside the trade fair hall. Inside participants can present and demonstrate their product innovations and outside the exhibitors can carry out the demonstrations under certain conditions. This may include demonstrations with regard to working safely at heights, industrial cleaning etc.
For more information about this event please contact Oyono Vlijter (EGA) or your nearest STIMUTRAN-SME partner. STIMUTRAN-SME will assist you with your international business cooperation before, during and after the matching event; this assistance is free of charge (!).
Here you will find more information about Industrial MAINTENANCE 2007. More information about the STIMUTRAN-SME project can be found here.
Boxtel/Stuttgart, February 21, 2007
One of the STIMUTRAN-SME matching events 2007 will be held at the Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers in Stuttgart (Germany) on 20-22 November 2007. STIMUTRAN-SME partner, Handwerk International (Stuttgart Euro Info Centre) organizes the matching event in close cooperation with Baden-Württemberg International.
STIMUTRAN-SME is an exclusive opportunity to meet and match successfully with SMEs in the North West Europe and beyond. Participation in Matching Events can be regarded as the most effective way of finding new (international) business partners. STIMUTRAN-SME organizes five Matching Events in 2007. The Stuttgart Matching Event focuses on the automotive industry and its suppliers.
The automotive industry and its suppliers benefit from global sales and supply-channels in order to strengthen their competitiveness and to cover local markets. An essential key to success is based on international cooperation for the local production of parts, components, modules and assembly as well as service and distribution. The Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers focuses on bilateral meetings between companies interested in any kind of co-operation, but with the addition that the matchmaking event is embedded in the regional Automotive Supplier Day. In the last three years about 250 companies from 22 countries attended the events and had about 1400 pre-arranged meetings.
Tentative programme for the STIMUTRAN-SME participants: 20 November 2007: arrival in Stuttgart 21 November 2007: matching event 22 November 2007: visit Daimler-Chrysler museum + lunch in museum Departure from Stuttgart
For more information about this event please contact Gabriele Hanisch (Handwerk International) or your nearest STIMUTRAN-SME partner. STIMUTRAN-SME will assist you with your international business cooperation before, during and after the matching event; this assistance is free of charge (!).
There will be many networking opportunities, including a networking reception the evening prior to the conference at the venue. You can now register through our matching database. Here you will find more information about our other matching events.
Boxtel/Dublin, January 26, 2007
3rd Partner meeting Birmingham, UK A successful 3rd STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting was organised in Birmingham on January 23rd. All 10 partners were present at this meeting, which took place at the Jurys Inn hotel. Valerie Pondaven from Euro Info Centre Kent gave a presentation on the BioTrinity event (March 27-28)and explained the registration procedures. Partners were encouraged to recruit and prepare as many as possible participants for this event. Participants must register through the STIMUTRAN-SME database; company profiles will enter the BioTrinity database through the local STIMUTRAN-SME partner. The BioTrinity participation fee is only € 75,00 per participant (excluding travel and accommodation). Mr. Vlijter from EGA (Euro Info Centre Boxtel, the Netherlands) gave a presentation about the project tools which have been developed to assist the STIMUTRAN participants with their international business cooperation. Partners were encouraged to use these tools when assisting companies; this will enable the Transnational Matching Centres (TMCs), established by the project, to provide the same high level of assistance to participating SMEs. The planning of the matching events (most events will be organised between September and November this year) and the financial progress was also addressed by Mr. Vlijter. This year will be an important year for the project due to the implementation of all matching events. The next partner meeting is planned for June.
Click here for pictures of the Birmingham partner meeting
Boxtel/Birmingham, January 18, 2007
The first STIMUTRAN-SME matching event will be held at the BioTrinity in Oxfordshire on 27-28 March, the UK. The BioTrinity is the first biotechnology and healthcare partnering conference to showcase the Oxford and South East of England super-cluster. BioTrinity is a unique opportunity to take in showcase presentations from the best companies from the UK's most successful biotech supercluster and partner with them. There will be ample networking opportunities, including a networking reception the evening prior to the conference at the venue. You can now register through our matching database. For more information contact your nearest STIMUTRAN-SME partner.
Boxtel/Birmingham, December 21, 2006
The 3rd STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting will take place from January 22-23 in Birmingham (UK). Euro Info Centre Birmingham/Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be hosting this meeting.
This will be the last partner meeting before the first matching event (BioTrinity, March 27-28 in Oxford). During this meeting final preparations will be made for the first matching event and all project partners will receive additional (practical) information on how recruit and assist SME with the different project tools. Furthermore, partners will receive information on how to use the matching database and the financial progress of the project.
The agenda of the meeting will be made available as soon as possible. For more information about the STIMUTRAN-SME project, please take a look at project summary.
STIMUTRAN-SME (Stimulating Transnational SME Interactions) focuses on SME matching and cooperation in North West Europe (NWE). If you are an SME and you are interested in joining the project or participating in the STIMUTRAN-SME training, please contact your local STIMUTRAN-SME partner.
Boxtel/Dublin, December 21, 2006
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Events 2007
STIMUTRAN-SME is an unique chance to meet and match successfully with SMEs in the North West Europe and beyond. Participation in Matching Events can be considered as the most effective way of finding new (international) business partners. STIMUTRAN-SME will organize five Matching Events in 2007. These Matching Events will provide you a unique opportunity to meet potential business partners. Before your company starts with the partner search phase it is important to provide an up-to-date business cooperation profile of your company. Based on the company profile in the Transnational Matching Database companies are able to meet other companies at one of the Matching Events. The events are focused on bilateral meetings between companies interested in transnational co-operation. The meetings usually take a maximum of 20 minutes. This means that companies can have several meetings with potential partners in a short period of time. The STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Events will take place at international trade fairs or special business events focusing on the following sectors: metal working, automation, automotive, medical equipment, biotechnology, food, drink and construction. All participating SMEs will receive assistance before (during) and after the Matching Events, which is a unique feature of the project.
Tentative timetable Matching Events 2007: STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event no. 1 CONFIRMED Date: March 28-29 Location: Oxford (United Kingdom) Trade event: Biotrinity 2007 (www.biotrinity.com) Focus sector: Medical suppliers - Healthcare - Diagnostics
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event no. 2 CONFIRMED Date: June 5-7 Location: Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Trade event: Industrial Maintenance (www.industrialmaintenance.nl) Focus sector: Maintenance
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event no. 3 Date: September 2-4 Location: Dublin (Ireland) Trade event: SHOP, retail, food and drink (www.expo-events.com/shopexpo) Focus sector: Retail food products
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event no. 4 Date: November 20-22 Location: Stuttgart (Germany) Trade event: Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers 2007 (www.bw-i.de/auto) Focus sector: Automotive suppliers
STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Event no. 5 Date: November 22-23 Location: Luxembourg (Luxembourg) Trade event: SME Forum 2007 (www.b2bmatchingevent.eu/smeforum/) Focus sector: Machinery - Construction - Transport - Medical devices
Please find more detailed information about the STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Events here. Information about the STIMUTRAN-SME Matching Database can be found here. Please contact your nearest STIMUTRAN-SME project partner for your participation and more information about the Matching Events in 2007.
Boxtel/Eindhoven, The Netherlands, November 7, 2006
On Saturday November 4 EGA participated in the national Starters Day (“Startersdag”) event organised by the Dutch Chambers of Commerce. This is a yearly event for promoting Dutch entrepreneurship and business cooperation. It attracts many start up companies from all sectors and companies which would like to start up cross border business activities. The Starters Day provided an excellent opportunity to promote the STIMUTRAN-SME project. EGA informed approximately 25 SME with specific information about the STIMUTRAN-SME project. We also presented the project promotion tools (project poster and leaflet).
Click here for pictures of the Starters Day
Boxtel/Dublin, The Netherlands; November 2, 2006
On October 31st the second STIMUTRAN-SME partner meeting took place in Stuttgart. This meeting was hosted by the Handwerkskammer Region Stuttgart (Euro Info Centre Stuttgart), one of the partners in this project.
On the day before partners who already arrived were able to participate in a visit to the Porsche plant in the afternoon. This was a very interesting tour during which participants were able to see how a Porsche sports car (911, Carrera and Boxer) is build and how the (“Just in Time” ) factory supply system works. In the evening, after most of the partners arrived, a networking partner dinner was organised.
During the partner meeting the next day the lead partner (IEA, Dublin) presented an overview of the project activities which have taken place after the first partner meeting in May. An overview of the project activities for 2007 was also presented. The most important activity for 2007 will be the recruiting of SMEs and organisation of the SME matching events in the partner countries; the dates of these events have now almost been finalised. The first SME matching event will take place in April 2007 in the UK.
EGA elaborated on the project tools which have been developed since May. Each partner received several copies of the printed project poster and flyer. These are important tools for project promotion. The other tools which are almost ready were also presented. All remaining tools will be ready before the end of this year. These tools are essential for successfully implementing the matching events.
ERAC, who is providing financial management support, gave a presentation about the activities which must be implemented for the 2nd payment claim. Every 6 months the project partners must send the activity report and payment claim to the Interreg IIIB NWE (from which this project receives co-financing) secretariat.
During the meeting all partners signed the Transnational Matching Centre (TMC) Declaration of Intent. With this Declaration partners have shown their commitment to successfully develop their own TMC, which provides matching services for SMEs. Each partner has also received a nameplate for its TMC; to make its centre more visible in its own organisation.
In the afternoon all partners visited the Automotive Congress in Stuttgart to witness the business matching which was organised during this event. One of the organisers gave a presentation on how they have selected their companies and organised their matching. This was an interesting presentation for the STIMUTRAN-SME partners. After the presentation the partners visited the matching area. Euro Info Centre Stuttgart is planning to organise its STIMUTRAN-SME matching at this event next year.
In the coming months the results of this partner meeting will be implemented. The next partner meeting will be in March 2007 and will be organised by our project partner from Birmingham.
The full programme of STIMUTRAN-SME training event on October 31 2006:
09.30 h - 10.00 h Welcome of participants Location: Handwerkskammer Region Stuttgart Stuttgart
10.00 h -12.00 h Partner meeting Breakdown of meeting: 10.00 - 10.30 Presentation by IEA – Overview of project 10.30 - 11.15 Presentation by EGA – Details of Project tools 11.15 - 12.00 Presentation by ERAC – Details of Payment Claims
12.00 h - 13.30 h Lunch Location: Restaurant Amici Stuttgart
14.00 h - 16.30 h Attendance at the Automotive Congress in Stuttgart and observation of SME matching (meeting with the organizer) Location: Haus der Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart
Click here for picture Stuttgart Partner Meeting.
Boxtel, The Netherlands; August 25, 2006 EIC Stuttgart organises STIMUTRAN-SME training event on October 31 2006.
One of the STIMUTRAN-SME partners, Stuttgart Euro Info Centre, is represented at the Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers, which takes place in Stuttgart (Germany) on October 31 this year.
The Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers focuses on bilateral meetings between companies interested in any kind of co-operation, but with the addition that the matchmaking event is embedded in the regional Automotive Supplier Day. In the last three years about 250 companies from 22 countries attended the events and had about 1400 pre-arranged meetings.
Stuttgart EIC will organize their STIMUTRAN-SME matching event parallel to this trade fair in 2007, and will use this year's event as an STIMUTRAN-SME information and training platform. The training and practical interaction at this year's matching event would be of added value to our project.
During the STIMUTRAN-SME training all project partners can get additional practical experience on how to organise an SME matching event at a trade fair. This training will consist of a small partner workshop about matching and a practical interaction with actual matching at a trade fair.
The training event will also allow the STIMUTRAN-SME partners to promote the project to the SMEs attending the trade fair. Furthermore, this event will also be used for an additional partner meeting at which the partners can give their feedback on the project tools which are being developed and the planned activities for the next years.
STIMUTRAN-SME (Stimulating Transnational SME Interactions) focuses on SME matching and cooperation in North West Europe (NWE). If you are an SME and you are interested in joining the project or participating in the STIMUTRAN-SME training, please contact your local STIMUTRAN-SME partner (www.stimutran-sme.com/Contact.htm.).
Draft programme STIMUTRAN-SME training event Stuttgart 31 October 2006
09.00 Partner meeting - evaluation STIMUTRAN-SME matching tools - discussion and determination of sectors and events 10.30 Attendance of the Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers 2006 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Attendance of cooperation meetings and/or workshops 16.00 Transfer to the airport and departure
The full programme of this STIMUTRAN-SME training event will be available as soon as possible. For information about the STIMUTRAN-SME project, please take a look at project summary. Information about the Multinational Matchmaking Automotive Suppliers is available at www.bw-i.de/auto.
Boxtel, The Netherlands; May 15, 2006 Successful Kick Off Event for STIMUTRAN-SME partners
The Lead Partner of the STIMUTRAN-SME project, EIC Dublin, has in cooperation with EIC Boxtel, successfully organized the STIMUTRAN-SME Kick Off Event in the Netherlands. This Kick Off Event took place from May 11-12 at Van Der Valk Hotel in Vught, the Netherlands. The event was opened by the Head of the Irish Exporters Association, Mr. John Whelan. The CEO of the Meath Enterprise Board (Ireland), Mr. Hugh Reilly, and the director of European Regional Affairs Consultants (ERAC), Mr. Luc Broos, also attended the Kick Off Event, which was attended by about 20 representatives of the European project partners.
Participants included representatives from Irish Exporters Association (EIC Dublin), Handwerk International (EIC Stuttgart), Chamber of Commerce Limburg (EIC Hasselt) Southern Area Euro Info Centre (EIC Southampton), Stichting EG-adviescentrum Zuid-Nederland (EGA/EIC Boxtel), Highland Opportunity Limited (EIC Inverness), Chambre de Commerce du Grand-Duché du Luxembourg (EIC Luxembourg), Birmingham Chamber of Commerce (EIC Birmingham), Business Link Kent (EIC Kent) and Brabant Regional Development agency (BOM).
STIMUTRAN-SME stands for Stimulating Transnational SME interactions and focuses on SME matching and cooperation in North West Europe (NWE). This project is implemented with the financial contribution from the European Commission, through the INTERREG IIIB NWE program which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This project was developed in 2005 and approved for funding in November that same year. STIMUTRAN-SME will be implemented from January 2006 – May 2008 (29 months). If you are an SME and would like to participate in this project, please do not hesitate to contact one of the project partners.
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