A week kicks off today in Turin to make concretely known the new European funding and programs 2014-2020, offered by the EU and dedicated to companies and research institutions.
These are the EEN DAYS, organized by the Italian partners of the Enterprise Europe Network, the European Commission network that works to support small and medium-sized enterprises to increase their innovation and competitiveness. An initiative that takes place from 25 to 30 November as part of the European SME Week and is divided into a dense series of appointments, seminars, B2B, workshops.
As many as 60 meetings in 19 regions and 40 cities, involving Italy from North to South. The opening event today in Turin saw the participation of representatives of the European Commission. Attention is directed to the tools envisaged by the new European programming aimed at stimulating research, innovation and the competitiveness of enterprises.
The topics addressed in the various meetings will vary from area to area: seminars on how to access European funding and updates on quality standards and quality brands for agri-food products in Campania, business networks in Umbria and Puglia, new materials in the Marche, opportunities for start-ups in Tuscany and Palermo. And then in Lombardy patents, eco-innovation and eco-design and in Emilia-Romagna insights on the theme of intercultural communication in the approach to new markets. In Sardinia a laboratory to strengthen the company's communication in international markets also through social networks, in Campania a seminar on how to do business with China and in Abruzzo the opportunities offered by emerging economies.
Unlike other tools offered by the EU, which are rarely used by our country (just think of the reduced use of European funds), the EEN services are gradually establishing themselves among SMEs, an interest on the part of companies and research institutions is confirmed by the data on the results of the network disclosed by the European Commission at the end of the two-year period 2011-12. With the signing of 478 cooperation agreements concluded by Italian companies with foreign partners (151 commercial, 98 technological and 229 research), thanks to the support of the Enterprise Europe Network, in the two-year period 2011-2012, Italy gained third place in Europe after Germany and the United Kingdom, overtaking Spain and ahead of France, while confirming itself as second for commercial agreements behind Germany.
A decidedly positive performance which highlights an acceleration in 2012, the year in which Italian companies managed to achieve a strong increase in commercial, technological exchange and research agreements concluded with foreign operators thanks to the assistance of EEN, in total 307 against 171 of the previous year. There was a substantial increase for all types of agreements compared to 2011, for example technological ones doubled.
