New projects

TESLA

The TESLA project focuses on innovative supports to early stage technology-based enterprises. The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the INTERREG IV B North West Europe programme.

The aim of the project is to design and deliver a suite of tools for the successful development of knowledge intensive firms with high potential to export through transnational cooperation. It aims to enhance the partners’ regional innovation ecosystems to support such firms (including SMEs and Micro Enterprises), to secure export markets through collaborative analysis and pilot actions.

The project comprises 10 project actions that will help supported firms to access innovation and product development supports and internationalise faster. Two of these are led by EBN, specific to supporting high potential start-up firms in the sector of creative industries, and to provide soft-landing and co-incubation services.

Overall, 612 firms will access supports and 45 new high potential start-up enterprises are expected to be established.

For further information, please contact :Robert Sanders at rsa@ebn.eu or visit http://nweurope.eu/index.php?act=project_detail&id=4284

WIM – Women in International Markets

The Women into International Markets (WIM) project’s primary aim is to address the lack of tailored and targeted provision to stimulate the growth of women-led SMEs through internationalisation.

This two-year project is led by the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Entrepreneurship (CEWE) at the University of East London (UEL). As partner in this project, EBN will bring their extensive international business networks and expertise to the WIM project to support London SMEs on their internationalisation journey, notably through the EBN Soft Landings Club, facilitating access to a global incubation network, and providing a trusted point of contact for beneficiaries in their chosen international market or venture.

For further information, please contact:Vera Egreja Barracho, vba@ebn.eu

The Brazil Connection

The EBN/ANPROTEC collaboration was formally agreed at the XXII National Seminar of Technology Parks and Incubators “Revealing and integrating new routes development”,  in September at Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.

EBN signed a MoU with the Brazilian National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (ANPROTEC) whose main mission is to aggregate, represent and protect the interests of Brazilian innovative enterprises. ANPROTEC is the lead ing institution on creation, development and consolidation of innovative projects that are aimed at economic, social and cultural transformation and sustainable development.

The signed MoU will provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between both EBN and ANPROTEC members in areas of common interest. The agreed areas of activity include support to the internationalization of businesses; exchange of knowledge, good practices and staff; identification of ad-hoc project collaboration (R&D, joint testing of new methodologies),co-incubation of selected new ventures, networking and joint events including technical study tours within Europe.This collaboration has an initial term of two years, with the scope of renewal after that period.

EBN is committed to enhance the networking capacity and scale up the interchange of business opportunities between BICs and entrepreneurship and innovation agents in Brazil.

The European Business & Innovation Centre Network (EBN) is the leading non-governmental pan-European network bringing together 200+ Business & Innovation Centres (BICs), and similar organisations such as incubators, innovation and entrepreneurship centres across the enlarged Europe. www.ebn.eu