Agro-Food News published: BAFN Newsletter 1
By Ms. Elke DALL on Nov 01, 2006
Status: Public
The Balkan Agro Food Network (BAFN) published its newsletter. You can subscribe and unsubscribe to it contacting europroject@bafn.eu.
The main topics are:
- BAFN news: BAFN meetings, events in BiH, Albania and Bulgaria
- European News: Europe's regions, EU-China relations in science, cohesion policy, establishment of FP7, science-business gaps
- EU Funding: SME access to EU programmes, transparency
- WBC Opportunities: brokerage event
- Useful information: training-youth, EU-AgriNet, Food Science Central
BAFN news
BAFN 6-th month meeting on 6 November 2006 in Paris
BAFN is a project supported by the European Commission under the sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6). The project intends to support the opening of the European Research Area by developing a sustainable network in agricultural and food sector in the Western Balkan. BAFN agrifood research and company databases were set up and invitations to register were sent in September 2006. In order to improve the rate of answer, the questionnaires were translated in the languages of the 4 countries involved in the project, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Former Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. Today 113 agrifood research groups, 230 attached researchers and 36 agrifood companies from western Balkan are registered in the BAFN databases.
Read more
www.bafn.eu
Events in Bosnia and Herzegovina (reported by the Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology)
The IV Symposium of agriculture, veterinary, forestry and biotechnology has been held in Zenica on the 21-23 September 2006. The theme was "Domestic Production Development Strategies". The symposium program was divided in seven sections: Zootechnic/Indigenous breeds, Infectious diseases with clinical pathology, Food hygiene and food technology, Forestry and horticulture, Environment protection, Modern education and Legislation and inspection. Experts from Universities in Sarajevo, Zenica, Bihac, Federal, Cantonal Government and entrepreneur representatives from federation were attended this symposium.
Events in Albania (reported by the Agricultural University of Tirana)
The conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Central European Countries members of CEI took place in Durres on the 19-20 October 2006 with representatives from Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Hungary among others. The agro-business fair 2006 has been organized by the Albanian Agribusiness Council together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Albania between the 29 September and the 2 October 2006. A National Symposium "From the farm to the fork in the kitchen" has been organised by the Ministry of Agriculture on the 13 October 2006. The objective was to discuss problems of marketing chain and to exchange experiences among CEI countries (Central European Initiative).
Events in Bulgaria (reported by EuroProject)
Bulgarian information campaign for FP7 - Info Rally Days: the National department "Scientific researches" starts an information campaign for FP7 in Sofia, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Rousse, Shoumen, Varna, Stara Zagora and Blagoevgrad. Discussing subjects at the Info days will be Structural Funds in Bulgaria and FP7 in the following priorities - ICT, Environment, EURATOM, Agrifood and Regions of knowledge.
European news
Europe's 254 Regions: diverse yet vital
The European week of regions and cities ends with a ceremony in the European Parliament on the 11 October 2006. Over 307 billion euros will be allocated to investment in the EU's 254 regions over the next 6 years. EP President Josep Borrell called it "an opportunity for the different levels of authority involved in EU affairs to get together and strengthen ties". An Inter-parliamentary meeting on "Regional policy -from the Pre-Accession Programmes to the Structural Funds" also took place on the 9-10 October 2006. Members of parliaments from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia shared their experiences regarding the pre-EU accession assistance programmes from which they benefit.
Read more
www.europarl.europa.eu
EU and China launch Science and Technology Year
The China-EU Science and Technology year has been launched on the 11 October 2006. Activities such as conferences, workshops, seminars, forums and exhibitions will take place in China and the EU to promote co-operation across all fields of science and technology. The launching took place during a policy forum in Brussels, where discussion was focused on current and future areas for co-operation such as health, energy, environment, food and biotechnology - all areas where there is mutual interest in co-operating.
Read more
http://europa.eu
Cohesion policy 2007-2013: Danuta Huebner launches guide to innovation for growth and jobs
Regional policy Commissioner, Danuta Hübner, launched a new guide to help regions to develop and improve their approach to innovation on the 6 October 2006. The document contains practical guidance and examples of good practice drawn from 15 years of experience with innovative regional strategies and actions. "The aim of this guide is to help regions to learn from each other - to share on as wide a basis as possible the positive impact of their experiences with European regional policy", Commissioner Hübner said at the presentation of the guide. She highlighted the "central importance of regional policy in the Union's strategy to promote growth and jobs, and the essential role which is played by innovation at regional level. "
Read more
http://europa.eu.int
The Council adopted a common position on a draft decision on FP7's establishment
An amended proposal for the Seventh Framework Programme has been published on the 3 August 2006. The Council adopted a common position on the document in its 2751st Council Meeting on Competitiveness in Brussels on the 25 September 2006. The position follows the agreement achieved by the Council on 24 July 2006, once the issue of embryonic stem-cell funding was discussed (the Austrian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish and Slovak delegations voted against). The Council's common position will be forwarded to the Parliament for a second reading on 29 November 2006. The FP7 will be launched in January 2007 if the rules for participation in FP7 is adopted at the first reading. The first deadlines for proposal submission are expected in April or May 2007. The first FP7 project could begin at the end of 2007 or early 2008.
Read more
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7
Science-business gap reason for poor EU performance in technology
ScienceBusiness news service calls politicians to 'stop fussing about the spending gap between the EU, US and China and focus instead on the gap between industry and academia'. The Innovation Manifesto puts forward nine ideas on how to fill the science-business gap, by changing the legal framework and organisational structure in corporations and in universities:
* Be Darwinian - concentrate scarce funding on the best research groups and institutions;
* Reform the technology transfer offices - Set one goal: to make money;
* Use public funds to encourage seed investing;
* Fix taxes: encourage private investment;
* Create deeper stock markets for young companies;
* Harmonise European patent rules, bit by bit;
* Make patenting cheaper;
* Provide a better-trained, flexible labour force, and;
* Drop the barriers that make Europe unattractive.
ScienceBusiness qualifies its manifesto as "an independent, largely liberal-markets view on what is to be done to permit innovation to happen in Europe".
Read more
www.sciencebusiness.net
EU funding
Facilitating SMEs' access to EU programmes
Increasing the participation of small and medium-sized companies in EU-funded programmes was the topic of a SME stakeholder conference held in Brussels on the 11 October 2006. The conference took place at the eve of the start of new major EU funding programmes in January 2007 on promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and research (CIP and Framework Programme 7 on research and development) and of the new programming period for the structural and cohesion funds with greater emphasis on the creation of growth and jobs in line with the renewed growth and jobs strategy. Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Commissioners Danuta Hübner and Janez Potocnik gave details on recent Commission action to facilitate SMEs' participation in these EU programmes. This includes the simplified rules and procedures to help SMEs to access funding for research and development from the 7th framework programme for research.
Read more
http://europa.eu.int
Better EU budget transparency as Commission discloses beneficiaries of funding (10.10.2006)
As part of the European Transparency Initiative to improve the openness and accessibility of EU institutions, the Commission is publishing information about end-beneficiaries of centrally-managed EU funds on its EUROPA website. From 10 October 2006, two web sites containing information on EU grants and public contracts will be available to the public. The move follows a communication in November 2005 calling for increased transparency about the EU's handling of responsibilities and funds entrusted to it by European citizens. There are two main types of EU-funding, funds which are managed centrally and directly by the Commission, such as those in the field of research, and funds whose management is shared between the EU and the Member States, such as the common agricultural and fisheries policies. In the latter case, the EU entrusts management to the Member States. The bulk of EU spending, 76% is spent on funds which are under EU Member States' shared management. The availability of beneficiaries' data depends on each Member State. As there are no common standards about the extent to which information is made public, Member States are left entirely to their discretion. Information on beneficiaries of the Common Agricultural Policy therefore is currently available in only eleven Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK) and with wide variations in the level of detail provided.
Read more
www.europa.eu.int
WBC opportunities
Technology Brokerage Event in the field of Biotechnology during the "Interfood and Drink", "Meatmania", "The World of Milk" and "Salon de Vin" exhibitions in Sofia, 16-17 November 2006
A Technology Brokerage Event in the field of Food and Drinks Biotechnologies (www.tttsofia2006.ircnet.lu) is being organised by ARC Fund and its Innovation Relay Centre-Bulgaria (www.irc.bg). The event will take place on 16-17 November 2006 during one of the largest forums of the food and beverage industries in Bulgaria - Interfood and Drink, Meatmania, The World of Milk and Salon de Vin exhibitions in Sofia. The event offers the participating company representatives, RTD organisations and experts unique opportunities to meet and establish cross-border contacts with a diverse range of European companies, active in the field of dairy and wine production, meat processing, healthy foods, food additives and other relevant applications. The objective of this networking is to foster Transnational Technology Transfer (TTT) agreements and technological co-operation, to encourage establishing start-up companies as well as to inspire and initiate joint participation in European RTD projects and future collaboration. This is a great opportunity for researchers to investigate the potential of commercial exploitation for products and technologies in the development stage.
Read more
www.arcfund.net
Useful information
Training-Youth.net
This web site offers training opportunities and publications for youth workers and youth trainers in Europe. It is a product of the Partnership Programme between the Council of Europe and the European Commission.
Read more
www.training-youth.net
EU-AgriNet
EU-AgriNet is the European Commission web site dedicated to EU-funded research in agriculture, food, fisheries, forestry and rural development. It contains: information on calls for proposals and work programmes ; an overview of agricultural research in FP6 and FP7 ; a database of FP5 projects ; resources to the European Technology Platforms (ETP) as well as practical information such as calendar, publications or contacts at the EC.
Read more
http://ec.europa.eu/research/agriculture/index_en.html
Food science central
Food Science Central(r) is produced by IFIS Publishing, the producers of FSTA - Food Science and Technology Abstracts(r).
* Food Science Central is a gateway to free and subscription based information relating to the world of food science, food technology and food-related human nutrition.
* Food Science Central offers a host of FREE services. Access to some of these services is limited to registered users.
Read more
www.foodsciencecentral.com
Source: BAFN Mailing