EU Commission Signs with ScanBalt to Support SME's

The EU has signed a contract with ScanBalt as coordinator for the project "Bridging Life Science Research and SME's in the Baltic Sea Region - Putting Cluster Policies into Practise for the Benefit of SME's" or in short Bridge-BSR.

Bridge-BSR will identify regional bottlenecks in ScanBalt BioRegion for linking academic research with SME's in order to enhance innovation and develop an investment structure promoting SME development, integrate Intellectual property management in various networks thereby enhancing commercialization and create a shared SME support structure between regional clusters increasing SME participation in EU programmes

Joint Innovation Agenda 

A key outcome of Bridge-BSR will be a joint innovation agenda for ScanBalt BioRegion targeting SME based innovation. The agenda is to be integrated with regional authorities and their strategies.

- Agreements between the regions on cross-border efforts to strengthen SME based innovation is a significant step to mature ScanBalt BioRegion as a globally competitive hot spot attracting human, industrial and financial resources. The development of shared services between clusters, the common bench mark system to be implemented, enhanced access to financing and integration of intellectual property management in various networks will strongly support this, says the coordinator of the project, General Secretary Peter Frank ScanBalt.

Partners

Partners of the project consortium besides ScanBalt are Medicon Valley Alliance, Steinbeis, BioCon Valley, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research in Warsaw, BioForum Oulu, Latvian Biotechnology Association and Estonian Biotech Association.

For further information visit the ScanBalt website.

Source: Press release, ScanBalt, 21.12.2007