Enterprise Europe Network Scotland

In every show we say that the network contains nearly 600 organisations in more than 50 countries. Nothing demonstrates the strength of our network than the sound of our valued colleagues.

The Enterprise Europe Network Scotland team attend many conferences and where possible we grab some time with valued network colleagues to record interviews to demonstrate to you dear listener, that the network really is full of great people.

Join us at a very noisy event where Liz lost her coat and asked our Italian Colleague Giada Platania about doing business in Italy, where the key sectors are oil, ICT, tourism, construction and agro-food, her top tip for doing business for the first time is be clear on what you want, and her fantastic fact is that not all businesses are the Mafia!

While looking for the toilets (he does drink a lot of water), Anis met Eric Kuipers, one of our colleagues from the Netherlands and in exchange for directions to the toilet he told Anis that the key sectors include food, nano and medical. His top tip for doing business for the first time was bring whisky! His fantastic fact is that the Netherlands is not just tulips and cheese!

Ken went looking for milk for yet another cup of coffee (he does drink a lot of coffee; too much, some would say) and in return for some milk, Stalo Demosthenous from Cyprus told him about the key sectors in Cyprus which are, tourism, financial and legal services and manufacturing. Her top tip for doing business for the first time is contact the EEN in Cyprus and her fantastic fact is that Cyprus has a local ancient wine called Commandaria.

Liz is prone to paper cuts (event when there’s no paper!), got a paper cut (bit of a gusher) and while looking for a plaster, she bumped into Kristine Timberlid from the EEN in Norway. Kristine told her that the key sectors in Norway are Petro-maritime, offshore wind, biotechnology, fish and oil. Norwegian and Scottish companies already cooperate well in these sectors and have a natural rapport, so her top tip for those doing business for the first time is: be yourself. Did you know that the paperclip was invented in Norway? Neither did we!

The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services in more than 50 countries in nearly 600 organisations.

Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact details top right.

What have you got to lose?

Join us next time for part 2 of interviews in noisy places.

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The Enterprise Europe Network provides free information to help businesses solve problems, evaluate new markets and scope out business opportunities.

In this podcast our valued colleague Brian Connolly, one of our information executives describes the service we provide and the kinds of information you can access.

You can find out about regulations, legislation relevant to you business and forthcoming legislation, VAT, taxation and information on shipping.

In addition, we subscribe to a number of market access databases. This can help you understand the key players in your market and can provide demographic data. We can also provide you with lists of distributors, relevant events and financial information on potential partners.

We are a network of local people helping local businesses, so that local knowledge from our 4000 colleagues in more than 50 countries is only an enquiry away!

Interested? Fill in our enquiry form to start the process to getting the information you need.

We mentioned our FREE European Information Clinics. You can find them on our events page.

The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services in more than 50 countries in nearly 600 organisations. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact details top right.

What have you got to lose?

Listen Now:

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Horizon 2020 is the new European funding programme aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness.

Running from 2014 to 2020 with an estimated €70 billion budget, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.

We are part of "team Scotland" (comprising the Scottish Government, Scotland Europa, Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise) and our collective goal is to help you take advantage of the significant opportunities presented by Horizon 2020. We are delivering general information events across Scotland and in this podcast,  Ken and Richard Buxbaum from Scotland Europa try their presentation pitch out on a sceptical Liz.

• Will she be impressed?
• Will Eric the dog get his walk?

If you want a 7 minute primer on Horizon 2020, this podcast is for you.

Important Note: At time of recording, negotiation of the fine detail behind Horizon 2020 was ongoing. All the information in this podcast was correct at time of publication.

If you are a business in Scotland and want to be included in our regular email updates, email your business and contact details to horizon2020@scotent.co.uk.

Come along to one of our Horizon 2020 information events. Book yourself a place now!

• Inverness - 22nd May
• Glasgow - 11th June
• Edinburgh - 20th June
• Dumfries - 24th June

The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services in more than 50 countries in nearly 600 organisations. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact details top right. What have you got to lose?

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In Scotland there is a unique organisation called Interface – The knowledge connection for business, that helps Scottish small businesses access the specialist expertise, knowledge and facilities in Scotland’s world class  universities and research institutions and their services like ours, are FREE.

The director of Interface,  Siobhan Jordan kindly gave us some time recently to talk about what they do and to give us some examples of the support they have given Scottish organisations.

The two examples she describes demonstrate the amazing breadth of support that Interface  - the knowledge connection for business, can provide:

• Burgons of Eyemouth Ltd , a crab processing company, for whom Interface helped investigate the feasibility of alternative uses for crab shell waste as a whelk bait.
• Albyn Housing Association - where Interface identified expertise and facilitated collaboration between Albyn Housing Society and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) to investigate the feasibility of offering Assisted Living Technologies to their vulnerable residents.

If you have a business in Scotland and you are thinking about getting advice on how to grow through connecting to our amazing Scottish research facilities, think no more and give Interface – The knowledge connection for business a call!

Interface's free and impartial service aims to stimulate innovation and encourage companies to consider academic support to help solve their business challenges. Through Interface, Scottish businesses can increase their competitiveness, develop new products, and exploit new market opportunities by connecting with academia.

They are driven by your needs and they are based across Scotland in Edinburgh, Perthshire, Inverness, Glasgow, Dumfries, Dundee and Aberdeen. There is a local contact for your business. What have you got to lose?

Contact Interface on their website http://www.interface-online.org.uk/, speak to the team by calling  0131 651 4791, email the team using  info@interface-online.org.uk and you can find them on Twitter @InterfaceOnline , on Facebook and on LinkedIn .

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The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services in more than 50 countries in nearly 600 organisations. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact details top right. What have you got to lose?

Listen Now:

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In this podcast Ken and Anis talk to valued colleagues Allan McCabe and Alan Dick who work in the Scottish Enterprise Regional Selective Assistance team.

Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) encourages businesses to undertake investment that will directly result in the creation or safeguarding of jobs in Scotland.

It can help eligible businesses with projects involving investment in buildings, plant and equipment and both indigenous and foreign companies can apply.

In the financial year 2010/2011 some 7000 jobs were created or secured thanks to RSA funding. Awards totalling £52 million supported 114 projects across Scotland.

We learned that far from being just for multinationals, in the current financial year, of the 90 accepted RSA offers, 75% were for Scottish companies. You can find the latest reports giving details of successful applications here.

RSA is not limited to single grants and can be awarded for subsequent expansion projects in Scotland.

The grants awarded depend on the size and location of the company and the nature of the project. The support limits range from 10% to 35% of eligible costs and the limits are set by the EU. The latest draft guidelines from the EU suggest that large companies may not be eligible for support after the end of 2013, so if you are a large company, and have a good project, GET YOUR APPLICATIONS IN NOW!

You can meet the RSA team at the many events they speak at around Scotland, you can contact them by calling 0845 607 8787 , read more on  this web page and join the RSA LinkedIn Group.

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The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services in more than 50 countries in nearly 600 organisations. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact details top right. What have you got to lose?

Listen Now:

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In the EU and thinking about doing business in China?

Get in touch with the China IPR SME Helpdesk!

Ken recently met Philippe, Jennifer and Ben from helpdesk team and they told him all about all their FREE services as well as some cautionary tales about doing business in China.

The China IPR SME Helpdesk supports European Union (EU) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to both protect and enforce their Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in or relating to China, through the provision of free information and services.

You will get jargon-free, practical, confidential advice on intellectual property and related issues as well as training , materials and online resources. If you are interested in doing business in China, what are you waiting for?

You can contact the China IPR SME helpdesk team through their website http://www.china-iprhelpdesk.eu where you can sign up for their newsletter. Follow the team on their Twitter stream (@iprchina) and LinkedIn Group.  Visit their blog China IP Insider,  email your questions to question@china-iprhelpdesk.eu, call them on the hotline +86 (10) 64620892.

If your business is based in Scotland you should also speak to  Scottish Development International , visit their website , download their "Doing Business in China" guide or call them on 0800 917 9534.

Finally, you can contact us in the Enterprise Europe Network in Scotland using the links on the right side of this page, by leaving a comment on this podcast page, by emailing us using info@enterprise-europe-scotland.com

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In this podcast we caught up with our valued colleague Tracey Ward.

Tracey is the digital health specialist in our Scottish team and she kindly gave us some of her valuable time to talk about the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL), which is currently looking for proposals related to the theme “ ICT-based Solutions for Supporting Occupation in Life of Older Adults”.

The deadline for projects is 30th April 2013.

The programme's specific aims are to foster the emergence of innovative ICT-based products, services and systems for ageing well at home, in the community, and at work, thus increasing the quality of life, autonomy, participation in social life, skills and employability of elderly people, and reducing the costs of health and social care.

The Ambient Assisted Living programme is looking for project proposals from industry, user groups etc, related but not limited to areas such as:

• Adapting the way of working by thinking about new concepts for flexible systems in a dynamic labour market to keep seniors motivated and active in work or other meaningful activities
• Developing, adapting and/or re-designing the place of occupation to age-specific conditions to sustain occupational health, while coping with the specific environmental conditions
• Coping strategies or processes (e.g. stress or time management) and technologies (e.g. for handling heavy or small things) that can help older adults adapt physically and cognitively with their tasks (e. g. at work, in community activities or voluntary organisations) maintain their quality of life and envisage the work-life balance
• Improving occupational lifestyle preserving health (e.g. through personal risk assessment) and supporting behavioural changes (e.g. through smart advisory tools)
• Training devices according to physical capacities and usability demands, in/outdoors
• Developing means for learning and training of older workforce
• Addressing intergenerational knowledge transfer to use skills and competencies based on experience

Tracey highlighted the key areas that the call for proposals are looking at who is eligible and how to get involved.

we have to stop thinking of an older workforce as a separate group. We are all getting older and our working lives are likely to be extended

In Scotland and interested in getting involved in the AAL programme? The deadline for projects is 30th April 2013. Check out the AAL website  here and get in touch with Tracey Ward on 0141228 2252 or by email, to tracey.ward (at) scotent.co.uk .

If you are not in Scotland, fear not. There is a branch of the Enterprise Europe Network near you and our valued network colleagues will be delighted to help. You can find your local office by visiting our network website and using the map.

Contact Enterprise Europe Network Scotland using the links on the right side of this page, by leaving a comment on this podcast page, by emailing us using info@enterprise-europe-scotland.com .

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What links Scotland to the model T Ford? What links the East Ayrshire village of Newmilns and the new Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln? What do you think about when you think of Scottish textiles?

Kilts, tartan, cashmere and tweed?

Well that's roughly what we were thinking about until we spoke to Stewart Roxburgh of the National Textiles team in Scottish Enterprise.

More than 200 of the world’s biggest fashion brands like Burberry and major stores like Brooks Brothers and Saks Fifth Avenue come to Scotland for textiles, and Scotland’s textile industry includes high performance leather and very sophisticated hi-tech fabrics.

Stewart told us how the most successful businesses in Scottish textiles are cultivating the premium or luxury end of the market; the biggest barriers to success; the power of emphasising provenance and  building compelling stories, and why market intelligence is key to building your business.

Hear two fantastic examples of companies that are taking very different approaches to diversification.

1. MYB a traditional lace manufacturer founded in 1900 in Ayrshire discovered completely new markets for their large seamless fabric in the movie industry.
2. Strathberry is a company in their infancy who have a mill that is over 200 years old, are focussing on designing products focused on quality and historical provenance.

Scottish Enterprise gathers intelligence from the market and employs many sector specialists focused on future trends in your industry. If your business is based in Scotland this support is available to you FREE! Why not ask? Contact Scottish Enterprise now :

• Telephone : 0845 607 8787,
• Email : enquiries@scotent.co.uk
• Telephone : 0141 228 2000 from mobile phones or if outside Scotland
• Use Minicom 0800 023 2071 - if you are deaf or hard of hearing (BT helpline 0800 731 1888)

A big thank you to Stewart for giving us some of his time. Find out more about the latest in Scottish Textiles, news, events and more here.

The lovely pony photo was taken by Rob McDougall - http://robmcdougall.com/

If you want to see more pictures of ponies in jumpers (and who wouldn't?), visit our valued colleagues at Visit Scotland and then make plans to VISIT SCOTLAND!

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The Enterprise Europe Network (that's us) is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services near you. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact box at top right. What have you got to lose?

Listen Now:

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It's the start of a New Year and the Enterprise Europe Network already has a very full calendar of events for 2013.

In this podcast, Ken and Liz highlight a few of those including the Missions for Growth where you will be able to meet and discuss business ventures with major companies and entrepreneurs in the major non-EU markets. Spearheaded by European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani , participation in the Missions for Growth will also provide you with unique opportunities to meet and network with important political decision makers and local authorities. Want to take part? Get in touch now!

And in Scotland there are many events including:

• Life Science Partnering Event in Edinburgh  on 7 February 2013 (CLOSING SOON - BOOK TODAY!)
• Scottish Renewables Annual Conference 2013 Business Partnering event, in Edinburgh from 18 - 19 March 2013
• Scottish Technology Showcase in Glasgow on 11 June 2013

In Europe you will find us at:

• European Seafood Exposition 2013 in Brussels from 23 - 25 April 2013
• Mobile World Congress 2013, in Barcelona 24 - 28 February 2013
• CeBit in Hannover Germany from 5- 9 March

There are more events than we could list here or mention in this podcast and more are being added all the time. Check out our events calendar , register as a subscriber to our website to received email notification and to make sure you don't miss out on updates and new events in Scotland.

The Enterprise Europe Network is your local route to developing your business and our services are fully funded by your local organisations and the EC, so they are FREE! While we help Scottish businesses only, we have valued colleagues providing the same services near you. Find your local office on this map or drop us an email or a comment on this show notes page using the contact box at top right. What have you got to lose?

Listen Now:

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Happy New Year and warmest greetings for 2013 from the Enterprise Europe Network team in Scotland.

In our team, 2012 was extremely busy, with lovely new people joining the team and a load of events and missions all because there is a growing demand for our FREE services to businesses.

We were more than chuffed to win the Best Practice Award for our Network Online Presence, voted by our lovely colleagues in nearly 600 organisations in more than 50 countries, for our collected social media efforts and we've been nominated again in the European Podcast Awards 2012 (still time to vote for us by clicking here BTW) for this podcast series.

Thank you for your support, comments and for listening to our podcasts. In making this, our second annual New Year "top five" compilation, we were surprised which shows were the most listened to, in 2012. You might be too.

Remember if your business would like to expand outside your home country, the Enterprise Europe Network is here to help. Our services are FREE because your local business organisations and the European Commission have paid for them.

If you are not in Scotland, fear not. There is a branch of the Enterprise Europe Network near you and our valued network colleagues will be delighted to help. You can find your local office by visiting our network website and using the map.

Contact Enterprise Europe Network Scotland using the links on the right side of this page, by leaving a comment on this podcast page, by emailing us using info@enterprise-europe-scotland.com or call us on 0141 228 2797.

Listen Now:

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