• Entrepreneurship – A different way of life
• Entrepreneurship – Challenges and rewards
• Entrepreneurship – The way into the future

Each category will be awarded with €3,333, for the first place, the second place will be awarded €2,222, and those in third place will receive €1,111.
Five special prizes of € 555 each will be awarded to participants aged 25 or younger. If you are interested in this award please have a look at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/entrepreneurship/video-award/  
More information is also available through your Enterprise Europe Network team.


New harmonised standards for machinery in the EU
The machinery sector is an important part of the European engineering industry and the machinery directive provides the regulatory basis for the harmonisation of the essential health and safety requirements for machinery at European Union level.
 
As it is a new legal framework directive it does not only promote the free movement of goods within the Single market but also sets new standards to protect EU workers and citizens. It is relevant for machinery that is to be placed on the EU market for the first time and it differs from the original directive in the way that it encompasses construction-site hoists and cartridge-operated fixing and other impact machinery.

More information and the directive itself can be found on http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/mechanical/machinery/index_en.htm  


Knowledge and Innovation Communities launched
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has unveiled three major new innovation clusters focusing on climate, energy and information technology.

Each of the initiatives will bring together academia and industry at several locations across Europe. Following the selection process after the calls for proposals the first Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) will be climate focused and look at water and land use, as well as greening Europe's cities and improving climate forecasting systems. The centres will be based in London, Zürich, Berlin, Paris and Randstad.

The second KIC will be focusing on sustainable energy and will have bases in Karlsruhe, Grenoble, Eindhoven/Leuven, Barcelona, Stockholm and Krakow.

The third Community will focus on information and communications technology and connects existing clusters in Berlin, Eindhoven, Helsinki, Paris and Stockholm.

The European Institute of Technology was originally modelled after the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a total of six KICs are to be created by 2013 in an effort to integrate the EU's fragmented research infrastructure by bringing together university departments, companies and research institutes to focus on key strategic areas.

More information about the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the Knowledge Innovation Centers can be found on: http://eit.europa.eu/home.html  


Making access to finance for Small and Medium Enterprises easier
In the current economic climate several member states of the European Union have decided to make access to finance easier for the Small and medium enterprises as outlined in the Small Business Act. The UK has committed itself to enhance SMEs access to liquidity through bank lending and the government has accepted to pay all bills within 10 days.
 
All Member States have adopted national targets to reduce administrative burden and to simplifying the administrative environment for SMEs.
 
A successful result is the time and cost involved in setting up a business. In 2008 the average time to start a business was 9 days, in 2009 only 8 days were needed and costs decreased from €468 in 2008 to €417 in 2009.

To find out what is possible under the Small Business Act, please refer to:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/  

If you want to know how the UK is doing in comparison to other European Member States have a look at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/performance-review/index_en.htm  

If you have any business questions, telephone 08457 17 16 15 or email us at enterprise.europe@businesslinkeast.org.uk

Textphone users can dial direct on 01707 398390 and we welcome Typetalk calls.