NEWSLETTER. SIB Net Small Innovative Business Promotion Network. No3, 2011

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER SIB Net Small Innovative Business Promotion Network No3, 2011

2 SIB Net news Dear readers, We are pleased to announce that 3rd milstone of SIB Net project is successfully concluded. Discover and enjoy! Creators of Newsletter No3 Main events Investors Forum Study visit to Finland Creativity and Matching methodology Cross-border Investors' Forum in Riga On 11th November, 2011, the International Investors Forum took place in Riga. It was set to bring together start-up businessmen from Latvia and Estonia as well as foreign investors. The Forum aimed to offer start-up and would-be entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet potential investors that would help entrepreneurs to implement their business ideas, new product or development necessary funding. of services and attract the For young entrepreneurs is important to understand that myth of the lack of financial recourses which was spread during the crises is exaggerated. (L.Grinberga) While investors would be able to find new talents, whose ideas could possibly facilitate the current business growth by launching new products or services. Accordingly, the Forum invites the authors and investors of ideas from Latvia, Estonia and Scandinavian countries. The Forum, organized within the framework of the project SIB Net, is a great chance for would-be entrepreneurs to present their ideas and propositions to international investors, which, might give a successful business start. To mention, this Forum will offer special training for start-up entrepreneurs, with an aim to provide necessary knowledge in project presentation, so that the Forum participants are better prepared for talks with foreign investors, says Grinberga. Liesma Grinberga /Riga Planning Region/ Liesma Grinberga /Riga Planning Region/

3 Experience of Finish organisations in facilitating innovations, entrepreneurship and creative thinking During August 23-25, 2011 partnership of SIB Net project consisting of 14 members (representing all project partners) was visiting 13 organisations of Finland: higher education institutions and organisations working in facilitating innovations, creative thinking and entrepreneurship. The main goal of this study visit was to benchmark experience of Finish organisations in developing preincubation services and facilitating creativity among students of higher education institutions and population in general. During the trip following organizations were visited: Universities in Turku (Turku University of Applied Sciences) and Hämeenlinna (Hämeenlinna University of Applied Sciences) Science parks (Turku Science Park) Incubators (BioTurku, Aalto Start-Up Center) Business accelerators (BoostTurku) HUBs (Aalto Venture Garage ja Aalto Design Factory) Other business development organizations (Spinno Enterprise Center, Culminatum Innovation, Potkuri, Wetterhoff Centre, Innopark Technology Centre) Summary - Turku university of Applied Science is a good example from education side, because students can get involved in the practical aspects of entrepreneurship by getting involved in project teams. The teams give the students the opportunity to learn trough entrepreneurial activities while also enjoying the added benefit of earned income. - In Turku Science Park the knowledge and creativity of individuals, together with the freedom of research, grow into innovations for companies and communities, creating not just world-class science but also financial benefit. - The main selection criteria of Aalto Start-Up centre is the business team. Experience shows that good team can fail with the first or several ideas and afterwards become successful. Not like this with weak team. Experience of the start-up centre- one business team become seccessful only by the seventh business idea. SIB Net Newsletter No 3

4 Best EU practice on creativity and innovation tools and their applicability in Estonia and Latvia Conclusions The report on best EU practice on creativity and innovation tools and their applicability in Estonia and Latvia has been developed within Estonia Latvia Programme project Small Innovative Business Support Network (SIB net (EU 31398), financed by European Regional Development Fund. Aim of the study is to identify innovation environments in target countries Estonia and Latvia, and compare them to EU innovation leaders, as well as to provide examples of best practice of innovation and business start-up tools. Report consists of four chapters. First is devoted to the description of the applied methodology. Second chapter gives a theoretical insight in business innovation and creativity, and pre-incubation tools and methods, and sets up the model describing required inputs and inter institutional linkages. Third chapter describes innovation environments at the target countries Estonia and Latvia, and compare them to innovation innovation leader countries. Last chapter introduces case studies of methods and tools applied at innovation leader countries. Case study description is provided in annex 1 of the report. Report has been developed by Aivars Timofejevs (Stocholm School of Economics in Riga, faculty of Business and Management Research Projects leader), Sandris Mūriņš ( Baltic Consulting Ltd, expert) and Sanita Kovaleva ( Baltic Consulting Ltd, expert). Estonia is well ahead of Latvia in its innovation performance. Relative strengths of both Estonian and Latvian innovation systems are human resources, however Estonia has developed firm investments and linkages & entrepreneurship factors, whereas Latvia s strength is finance and support. Both countries face relative weaknesses in open, excellent and attractive research systems, Estonia s weak factors are intellectual assets and economic effects, while Latvia is lacking linkages & entrepreneurship and innovators. Estonia and Latvia are lacking business inputs for innovative entrepreneurial environment. Mostly non-r&d innovation is being developed, where Latvia and Estonia outperform both innovation leader countries and EU in general, but at the same time both, but especially Latvia show very low rate of business R&D expenditure. SIB Net Newsletter No 3

5 Networking event Ventspils University College (VUC) together with Kurzeme Planning Region (KPR) organized Networking event on 13th October in Liepāja. Participants of Networking event were representatives from VUC, KPR Administration, Council of Liepāja, Council of Grobiņa Parish, University of Liepāja, and Liepāja Branch of Riga Technical University Topic of Networking event/discussion was - how to keep talents in regions. Event started with presentation of V. Avotiņš (SIB Net project manager), where he introduced participants with the aims of discussion, described current business environment and created preconditions for discussion. The next was presentation of K. Godiņš (head of Kurzeme Planning Region Administration), he spoke about the migration of inhabitants in Kurzeme region and in Latvia, and then was the presentation of S. Golde (vice-chairman of Council of Liepāja), she presented what the City of Liepāja has done to keep and attract new talents in Liepāja. Afterwards stared the discussion about following questions: what is a talent and why it is needed in the context of economy of Latvia, where and why disappear our talents, why we do not have Skype or Nokia. Networking event ended successfully, because many useful conclusions were made, and summary of the event was formed. Description of this Networking event, with the main conclusions and recommendations developed during discussion, was prepared and sent to the participants.