1. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR SMEs “Report on INSME’s Activities”

2. INSME – International Network for SMEs 2 INSME Facts: who we are Legal Status: non profit Association, open to international membership (International NGO) Date of Creation: February 2004 Financial Sponsor: Italian Institute for Industrial Promotion (IPI) Moral Sponsors: OECD and the Italian Ministry of Productive Activities Slogan: “Making Innovation Happen!” Foster transnational cooperation and public and private partnership in the field of innovation and TT to SMEs Encourage North - South and South - South international cooperation and political dialogue Increase cross border opportunities for knowledge sharing, mutual learning and partnering Join forces and collaborate with other networks and institutions worldwide so as to maximise efforts for better innovation Mission & Goals:

3. INSME – International Network for SMEs What we do INSME promotes the internationalisation and competitiveness of national and subnational innovation systems 3 Policy Makers Networks Intermediaries NGOs International Organisations Financing Institutions Service Providers Practitioners Academia Companies INSME

4. INSME – International Network for SMEs Our Added Value for Members PROBLEM SOLVER FACILITATOR OF ACTIVITIES MULTIPLIER OF CONTACTS ACCELERATOR OF OPPORTUNITIES NETWORK OF NETWORKS INNOVATION PLAYER 4 INSME as:

5. INSME – International Network for SMEs Geographical representation of the INSME Members 5 Total number of Countries = 32 (out of which 13 OECD and 21 non OECD member countries, from 5 continents)

6. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME Public & Private organisations 6 2004 2006

7. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME Membership 7 End of 2004 = 48 Member organisations End of 2005 = 73 Member organisations Total number of Member organisations = 73 (as of 25/4/2006)

8. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME Members Status 8 Total number of Member organisations = 73 The 11 International Organisations are Honorary Members

9. INSME – International Network for SMEs »Assistance in finding new partners for projects and collaborations »Broaden and strengthen international contacts with public and private organisations »Inclusion in the INSME database of organisations wishing to apply for Calls for Tenders and Proposals »Targeted e-mails from the INSME Secretariat »“Ask INSME Service” (askinsme@insme.it), providing access to a network of expertsaskinsme@insme.it »Possibility to offer/promote services and activities to other INSME Members and to INSMEnews readers and/or visitors to the INSME portal »Worldwide promotion through inclusion in the 2006 INSME Members’ Compendium Benefits for INSME Members (1) 9

10. INSME – International Network for SMEs »Access to the INSME portal’s intranet »Online thematic Discussion Rooms within the INSME portal »Possibility to disseminate information on Member activities through the INSME Newsreader service »Exclusive access for Full Members to the INSME Content Feed Service »Opportunity to participate in international meetings and other events at a reduced fee »Discounts for the purchase of selected publications »Free attendance at the INSME Annual Meeting »Free registration for participation in the INSME training programmes Benefits for INSME Members (2) 10

11. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME Activities INFORMATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRAINING MATCHMAKING PROMOTION AND MARKETING RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS TUTORING 11

12. INSME – International Network for SMEs 12 2006 INSME Action Plan Aim: increase to 90 Members by the end of 2006 and increase participation from countries outside the European Union and from international organisations such as: UNIDO, CAN, IASP, WAINOVA, the IRC Network and ProTon Europe

13. INSME – International Network for SMEs Priorities in 2006 (1) 13  Further assist INSME Members to build timely and stable relationships within the network on a thematic, sectoral and geographical basis  Strengthen the connection between the INSME Secretariat and INSME Members (especially Full Members)  Persist for the enhancement of Member’s satisfaction by personalising and targeting services (both off line and on line): joining forces and collaborating with other institutions worldwide so as to maximise efforts

14. INSME – International Network for SMEs Priorities in 2006 (2)  Increase financial income by involving new Members/Sponsors and providing value added services  Continue to diversify the INSME network’s three main groups of stakeholders: the creators/providers of knowledge and innovation, those who need/use and take advantage of innovation and the policymakers that affect this field  Create Partnerships and alliances with relevant networks and organisations such as TAFTIE, WAITRO and Gate2growth 14

15. INSME – International Network for SMEs INSME Portal Management and Development 15 The following guidelines will inspire INSME portal management and development in 2006: to favour the optimisation of the available resources; Develop the INSME content delivery/distribution tools including the INSME e-mail alert service, the INSME newsletter, the INSME Newsreader service and the INSME Content Feed Service; Provision of web-based applications to INSME Members; Enhancement of web marketing activities INSME portal function in 2006: Site to share knowledge and experiences, identify partners and technologies, publicise joint pilot projects and find training courses INSME portal development in 2006: Reorganisation of contents INSME portal targets for 2006: Increase new unique users by 20%

16. INSME – International Network for SMEs 2006 INSME Training Programmes 2 nd WIPO-INSME International Training on “The Role of Intellectual Property in Raising Financing Opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises” WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland, 11 – 12 July, 2006 (Participation for free) INSME - IPI International Training on “Business Start-ups and Access to Finance for SMEs” IPI, Rome, Italy, November 2006 (Tuition fee: €400 for OECD countries, € 250 for non-OECD countries) Participation free for INSME Association Members 16

17. INSME – International Network for SMEs The INSME Association is already involved as a Partner in the following European proposals to be awarded: Direct Participation in Calls for Tenders 17 The InnoTecNet INNO-Net project for national and regional programmes supporting technology transfer between Europe and other regions of the world (in particular North America and Asia) The CORP-INNOVA project to open European innovation to international views, integrate new trends in innovation and anticipate debates and needs for future innovation policies

18. INSME – International Network for SMEs Promotion and participation in major international events 18 Research to Business (R2B) Fair and Conference Research Renews Business “The 2nd Exhibition-Conference on Innovation” Bologna, Italy, 11 - 12 May, 2006 www.rtob.it International Conference on Clustering ABÝGEM-EU-Turkey Business Centres, Fashion and Textile Cluster Project and GAP/GIDEM Project Istanbul, Turkey, 25 - 26 May, 2006 www.clustering06.com European BIC (Business and Innovation Centres) Network Annual Congress 2006: “Innovation in Action!” Naples, Italy, 28 - 30 June, 2006 www.ebn.be Asian Entrepreneurs Convention (AEC) 2006 Entrepreneur Asia (EA) “Growing Your Business and Building Relationships” 27 - 29 November, 2006 Location to be confirmed (probably Kuala Lumpur) www.asianentrepreneursconvention.com IV International SME Congress & International SME Fair Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, 30 November - 2 December, 2006 www.srb-smeasoc.org

19. INSME – International Network for SMEs Call for Co-hosting and Co-organisation As in 2005, this call for collaboration will be made to both INSME Members and Non-Members from all over the globe, although preference will be given to applications from Full Members in the case of indecision between bids of equivalent appeal (see the Guidelines) In-kind Full Membership will be granted to the Co-host for 2007 and proposals must be submitted to the INSME Secretariat by e-mail or fax by the 15 th of July, according to the Guidelines A decision will be taken by the INSME Board and communicated to INSME Members and Candidates for co-hosting the meeting indicatively by mid-September, 2006. The deadline could be postponed if no proposal meets the criteria 19 INSME 2007 Annual Meeting

20. INSME – International Network for SMEs secretariat@insme.it 26 secretariat@insme.it www.insme.org