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9 Oct 2009 14:26:17
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to benefit from a new handbook produced by the University of Bedfordshire and seven European partners.
The handbook is intended to provide SMEs, universities, institutes and other research technology development organisations with practical, useful and easy to follow advice on how to maximise the impact of research and development projects (RTDs) involving SMEs.
Involvement in EU collaborative projects can be rewarding but daunting for SMEs. The guide provides a route through potential problems and is supplemented by a number of cases that give insight into successful participation.
Input for the manual has been based on an analysis carried out in 2008 of research and development projects from the health and ICT sectors.
Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire Dr Elly Philpott said: "There is a real opportunity for UK SMEs to use European funding and collaboration with universities to their benefit, but they need to be aware of the obligations that this type of funding brings.
“The handbook offers a step-by-step route through the difficulties of collaboration using EU funds. It offers insights from SMEs which have already been successful in using EU projects to improve productivity and exports, bring new products and services to market, improve their company know how and skills, and create valuable business contacts."
The handbook is available as a free download from www.useanddiffuse.eu
The project will be holding a series of seminars throughout Europe for SMEs on the exploitation and dissemination of research results and tools used.
To register an interest in the UK seminar in Luton, which will have a ‘health' theme and will be held in the new year contact Dr Elly Philpott on elly.philpott@beds.ac.uk
