CIP Innovation proposals

Chair: Barbas, Antonios
Maloney, Colette - Monteiro, Manuel
Organisers: European Commission, Information Society & Media Directorate-General (DG INFSO)
Themes: Theme B - Sustainable development: Regional responses to climate change
Speakers: Couturier, Martine - Gricar, Joze - Harmer, Dave - Reix, Claire-Anne - Simon, Patrice - Weets, Guy
Location: European Commission, Centre Borschette CCAB 1C
Date: 07/10/2008 [14:30-16:15]
Brief: Adapting to climate change in Europe, reinforcing the Union’s disaster response capacity, preventing natural and man-made disasters, and protecting citizens better against disaster risks by strengthening early warning systems, are now policy matters of high priority. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can dramatically improve the operations of emergency/civil protection agencies which have distinct legacy systems and depend largely on voice communication practices. There is also an increasing demand for reliable forecasting or prevention of riskprone conditions, launch of early warning systems and ICT-enabled preparedness strategies for timely interventions and cost-efficient resource management. Pilot
validations in urban and regional settings of emerging information exchange protocols and crisis communication technologies, permit interoperability in
operations between control rooms and field personnel as well as between the various agencies called for action after an incident.

Dear eBSN members, I would like to draw your attention to the European SME week, 6-14 May 2009.

The Commission is organising the first European SME week in May 2009 to inform SMEs about available support at EU and national level and to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs. The SME week will be a European umbrella campaign for activities that take place throughout Europe. It will be launched in Brussels on 6 May but the vast majority of events during the week will take place across Europe in the Member States.

The Commission is organising the first European SME week in May 2009 to inform SMEs about available support at EU and national level and to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs. The SME week will be a European umbrella campaign for activities that take place throughout Europe.

The SME week will run from 6 to 14 May 2009. It will be launched in Brussels on 6 May but the vast majority of events during the week will take place across Europe in the Member States. The closing event will be organised together with the Czech Presidency on 13 and 14 May 2009. This event will include the European Enterprise Awards ceremony.

We are calling for business organisations and all interested parties at national, regional and local level to organise events during the SME week. The SME week is an opportunity to promote the support that your organisation can provide to SMEs and potential entrepreneurs.

To organise an event as part of the SME week, please fill in the event form below and send it to the national coordinators for your country.