MFG European Reporter -

Applications for the European Seal of e-Excellence for 2011 are now open to recognize ICT and digital media companies worldwide which have an excellent track record in the marketing of innovation. The European Seal of e-Excellence is widely known for promoting digital companies which have:
• Innovative products and services
• Excellent marketing practices to promote them

How to Apply
Interested companies may apply online until 31 December 2010 at the Seal website.

Awarded Annually Since 2003
The Seal has been awarded annually since 2003 by the European Multimedia Forum (EMF) and its Partner Associations at an Award Ceremony at CeBIT, the European trade show for the ICT industry. Winners of the Seal of e-Excellence are entitled to:
• Publicly display the “Seal of e-Excellence” logo in their own marketing programmes
• Free membership in the European Multimedia Forum
• Receive preferential rates for all e-Accelerator services
• Other advantages in kind from various Seal Partners and Sponsors

For more information please visit http://www.seal-of-excellence.org/

Even though there are not too many new call for proposals published recently, the September issue of our Project Development Newsletter is worth a look. A lot of exciting events are coming up the next months – like the international conference “Creativity, the Energy of Success” in Košice, Slovakia or Europe’s forum for ICT research and innovation “ICT 2010: Digitally Driven” in Brussels, Belgium.

Download our Project Development Newsletter here and enjoy the read!

Following the example set by Heidelberg Innovation Forum, the National Research Council Canada (NRC-IIT) organises the matchmaking event for the third time. This year they are working together with New Brunswick Information Technology Council (NBITC) and the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN).
The overarching theme of New Brunswick Innovation Forum 2010, taking place on 5th and 6th October 2010 in Saint John/Canada,  is the Digital Economy. A selection committee will review the submissions and choose eight panelists in each of the following streams:
• Looking for technology transfer opportunities
• Offering collaboration opportunities
• Looking for funding
• International opportunities – this category is reserved for International researchers and companies that are offering business opportunities to Canadian companies.

MFG Baden-Württemberg is a partner of NRC-IIT and therefore happy to support you in taking part in New Brunswick Innovation Forum. If you’re interested in presenting your business idea and/or R&D results in front of Canadian investors, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Call for Proposal is open until 25th June 2010.

If you have enjoyed our first newsletter with all the most important tipps on conferences, events and call for proposal in Europe, you can for sure not miss our second one! In two minutes you can have a quick but exhaustive overview of all the funding opportunities, awards and chance of networking happening all around Europe, without wasting time looking for them on many different websites.

So grab this opportunity and download our March newsletter now! It’s free and useful: Newsletter_Mar_2010

And in case you have some questions or suggestions, you can contact us anytime

The Call for Proposals for the ninth Heidelberg Innovation Forum is open right now. Until 8th of February 2010 you’re invited to submit your business ideas focussing on Cleantech and Green IT – to participate in the convention for funding of technology-based start-ups and financing of research projects.

The forum will cover a broad sprectrum in the field of cleantech industries. Topics may range from Green IT and ICT innovations, Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Renewable Energies and White Biotech over Sustainable Mobility to Product Recycling. But other ideas from your subject area are also possible.

At the forum each panellist has 8 minutes to present his idea to investors and decision makers. Then in the breaks it is time to "Meet the Panellists" and engage in transfer business. Top industry representatives and researchers are expected to attend.

The Heidelberg Innovation Forum, taking place on 22nd of April 2010, is organised by MFG Baden-Württemberg mbH in collaboration with the European Media Laboratory, established by SAP co-founder Dr. h.c. Klaus Tschira.

Find out more…

On the 9th September the Steibeins Europa Zentrum in collaboration with the MFG Baden Württemberg has run a workshop on the European Seventh Framework Programme (FP/7), with the aim of giving the applicants some useful tipps to present a successful project, being aware of possible tricks. More than 40 german future applicants had the chance to improve their knowledge on the programme and make questions to clear their doubts. Here a brief overview of what has been said.

FP/7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the EU’s main instrument for funding research in Europe. The broad objectives of FP7 have been grouped into four categories: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities. For each type of objective, there is a specific programme corresponding to the main areas of EU research policy. All specific programmes work together to promote and encourage the creation of European poles of (scientific) excellence. The programme will run from 2007 till 2013 with a budget of 54.521 billion euro.

The complexity of the programme required a careful understanding of the requirements set up in the call. Take your time to read and understand all the documents and, in case you still have any doubts, there are a lot of european contact points who can help you to work on your proposal.

Heike Fischer from Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum

First of all, who can participate to FP7?

Any company, university, research centre, organisation or individual from the EU-27 Member States may participate in a collaborative project. But also associated, candidate and third countries may take part to a project.

No one can present a project on his on: a fundamental prerequisite to take part to FP7 is to set up a consortium of at least 3 partner.  In choosing partners it’s crucial to look for reliable organisations, which will for sure carry out the work assigned to them. For a successful project management a clear division of tasks among partners is vital. Look for partners with differente expertise, which can bring complementary knowledge and support in the project, adoiving – in the meantime – any form of internal competition. And remember that the transnational dimension of the project is a key factor for its success.

If you have never draw a proposal before, finding the right european partners could not be that easy. Fortunately, there are a lot of database that can help you in your search: in these database organisations looking for partnership can upload their profile by entering their project idea or specific expertise and, of course, can look for other partners reading all the profile divided by projects and countries.

Here are some useful links:

Cordis database

Enterprise Europe Network

Is your idea right for the FP7 and how can you develop it?

This is also an important questions that should be answered before drawing a proposal. Ideas should fit to the detailed request from the EU and should therefore proposed in the framework of the right programm. But good ideas are not enough. A good project should show a high profile project management that takes into consideration a solid risk management and a wide dissemination strategy. If you are not sure that your project has all these requisites you can ask for advise to the one of the many contact point and institutions that all over Europe help applicants to write proposals, check financial matters and evaluate the work done from a outsider’s point of view.

In Germany you can in any time contact the National Contact Point for any problems regarding European project. If you are in Baden-Württemberg you can directly ask the Steinbeins Europa Zentrum, your regional contact point.

Here you can find all the slide and the information provided during the workshop:

Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum

Grundprinzipien der Europäische Forschungsförderung

Der Weg zum Antragstellung und Aufbau eines Konsortiums

Aktuelle IKT Aufrufen in 7. Forschungsrahmenprogramm

Finanzielle Aspekte in einem FP7 Projekt

September the 3^rd: a workshop for INTERREG IV B NWE was held in Bonn to guide the german speaking applicants through the impervious road, which bring to the development of successful projects. The MFG Baden-Württemberg was there, here a short report of the event.

For the ones who are still confused on the matter, it’s important to know that Interreg IV B NWE (North West Europe) is a financial instrument of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy. It funds projects which support transnational cooperation. The aim is to find innovative ways to make the most of territorial assets and tackle shared problems of Member States, regions and other authorities.

The Iinterreg IVB NWE priorities at a glance:

1. Developing the NWE knowledge-based economy by capitalising on our capacity for innovation
2. Substainable management of natural resources and of natural and technological risks
3. Improving connectivity in NWE by promoting intelligent and sustainable transport and ICT solutions
4. Promoting strong and prosperous communities at transnational level

Unlike its predecessor Interreg III B, the Interreg IV B is mainly focused on projects which will provide a concret outputs, developing a final product with a visible value and able to prove the long lasting impact of the project. That means that studies will not longer be financied.  Besides, the transnational dimension of the project will be crucial: the greatest potential for added-value through transnational cooperation can be achieved in projects where the problems addressed is of such nature that it cannot be satisfactorily tackled within one nation state.

Here are some useful tipps emerged from the conference:

• A well defined project required at least 6 months of development
• It is always better to have a face-to-face meeting with the partners you are working with
• In writing the project avoid to use jargon
• Deserve the right attention to the budget calculation: even things like translation and travel costs shouldn’t be understimated
• Staff costs are usually calculated considering the gross-income
• Don’t over estimate the costs of contribution in kind
• Before submitting a project check if some other projects on the same topic have already be presented
• Last but not least, form matters: don’t forget to sign the project, to completely fill the form, to provide all the documents required and to send everything on the right time

At the workshop – organised by the Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR) – was also presented the German Contact Point for the Interreg NWE, an istitution which should be contacted by the German applicants to get some useful tipps and recommendations but also in order to absolved at the First Level Control (FLC). For any further information:
Eva C. Lupprian
Deutsche Kontaktstelle

Interreg IVB Nordwesteuropa (NWE)Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Mittelstand und Energie
des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
Haroldstraße 4
40213 Düsseldorf
Tel.: ++49 (0)211 837 4149
Fax: ++49 (0)211 837 4206
E-Mail:  nwe-contactpoint@mwme.nrw.de

The MFG Baden-Württemberg Project Development Team is pleased to welcome you on its new webblog! Using this platform we will try to keep you inform on the most relevant European matters regarding calls, applications, projects and international affairs.  We will share useful tipps and recommendations which can lead to successful project development and keep you updated on ongoing projects we are working on. We will also provide you with a continually updated lists of conferences and events regarding international topics, which will help you not to miss anything important happening in Europe.
Our blog aims at producing a profitable exchange of information, that’s why your contribution is more than welcome: feel free to comment our news and add any relevant information.

We wish you an interesting surfing!

The MFG Project Development Team