Projects Database

Snowpolis

Snowpolis Technology Park is an European Regional Development Fund co-financed project located in the town of Sotkamo in the Kainuu region of eastern Finland. The overall objective of the Snowpolis project was to establish the basic infrastructure and operations for an international technology park specialised in three areas: wellness and sports technology, nutrition technology and technologies related to snow and winter conditions. At the end of 2006 there were a total of 19 companies located in Snowpolis ranging from sports technology, nutrition technology, to winter technologies and various other fields. It is estimated that about 60 jobs have been created as a result of the project.

«J'entreprends@Bruxelles»: an innovative concept

A non-profit organisation in a run-down urban area of the Belgian capital has received the support of URBAN II, to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the underprivileged sections of the population. The method used by this "economic literacy" campaign makes it truly original: an interactive game adapted to individual needs.

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PUCK - Polymerindustrins Utvecklingscentrum

PUCK, the Plastic and Polymer Centre in East Sweden, is a cluster organisation created especially for companies from the plastic industry. It promotes the use of polymers in construction and production, with a focus on high quality products. PUCK provides its members advisory services and technical assistance during the product development phase, construction, design, prototype and tool manufacturing phases, as well as during the manufacture of short and long product lines. In addition, PUCK provides qualified support on environmentally friendly material technologies.

A Network of Regional Innovation Agents creates links between Technology Providers and remote businesses

The Castilla y León region of Spain established a network of regional innovation agents to make the link between small, mostly rural and remote businesses and existing centrally located technological services. 12 regional development agents from different academic backgrouds were recruited and trained to form the innovation network; 969 companies were visited, 231 businesses were put in contact with a Technological Centre; and 63 innovation projects were started in SMEs. The region continued to support the project after the period of EU cofunding.

Samsø Energy Academy

The energy academy project is part of a larger project, launched in 1998, that covers the entire Danish island of Samsø with the aim of implementing renewable energies in order to make the island self-sufficient in terms of energy supply. This will end the island’s dependency on fossil-fuel energy supplies from the mainland and will create a sound basis for business competitiveness in the future, in terms of low energy cost and accumulated knowledge about renewable energies.

LAV (Laboratorio su Acustica e Vibrazioni)

The Laboratory of Acoustics and Vibrations (Laboratorio su Acustica e Vibrazioni - LAV) is one of a number of research and development (R&D) laboratories in Emilia-Romagna created in 2005. The laboratory aims to become a point of reference for regional enterprises for product testing and certification related to acoustics and vibrations.

The Knowledge Exploitation Fund

The aim of the Knowledge Exploitation Fund (KEF) is to enable higher education and further education institutions to fulfil the prominent role expected of them by the Welsh Assembly Government in taking forward its economic development agenda. This concerns, especially, the emphasis given to the need for Wales to engage comprehensively with the emerging knowledge economy.

Knowledge Dock

Knowledge Dock is the name of the physical premises and the operational brand of a portfolio of interlinked regeneration initiatives aimed at transforming the entrepreneurial landscape of the deprived area of the London Docklands. The objective of the Knowledge Dock branded initiatives, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, is to encourage and assist the development of enterprise opportunities for students, academics and local companies in East London and to help to grow those businesses through incubation, expert centres and support programmes.

Centres for Industrial Collaboration

This project aims to create a network of sustainable business-focused centres within the region's universities. The Centres of Industrial Collaboration (CICs) were set up to help businesses by transferring skills and technology from universities to small and large companies, encouraging greater levels of industrial innovation, research and development.

Competence Platform for Artists

Being a good artist, ‘knowing how to perform on stage’ is no longer enough for an artist to stand her/his ground in today’s labour market, which is characterised by high shares of self-employment, unemployment and involuntary part time or short time jobs. Increasingly important is that an artist acquires entrepreneurial skills to complement his or her artistic competences. However, self-marketing, business planning, or calculation of prices have been given no room in the traditional curricula of universities of the arts.