Latest News

It gives us great pleasure to inform you that an independent panel of judges have placed  our very own Tim Barraclough of Enterprise Europe Network Yorkshire (EENY) on the final shortlist for the Humber  Renewables Champion 2012.

The Commission is proposing to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are monitored and controlled in EU surface waters, believing that improvements in water quality could be at risk from new forms of chemical pollution. 

A consultation opportunity on the European Research Area (ERA) which ended in November 2011 has been timetabled for further discussion in June 2012.  The Commission is to decide which issues should be addressed as priorities when finalising the ERA for completion by 2014.  Some of the key themes resulting from the consultation include: making Europe more attractive for top scientists and globally-mobile private R&D investment; increasing transnationally-coordinated research; achieving higher scientific excellence; moving, working and co-operating freely across borders or tackling global challenges. 

FREE personal development workshop for life sciences executives, focusing on strategic management and planning, funded by the European Commission and supported by Venture Capital firms and expert advisers who are giving their time without fees.

The European Parliament has confirmed its support for the Commission’s proposal to ban the use of phosphates and limit the content of other phosphorous compounds in consumer laundry detergents as of 30 June 2013.  Similar restrictions will apply to automatic dishwater detergents for consumers in 2017. 

A comprehensive reform of the EU's 1995 data protection rules has been proposed to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe's digital economy.  

Croatia’s accession to the EU is within reach as the Croatian Parliament, as well as the Parliaments of all the EU Members States, go ahead with the ratification process so that Croatia can become the Union’s 28th member on 1 July 2013. 

According to the results of a study on the essential contribution of SMEs to job creation, 85% of net new jobs in the EU between 2002 and 2010 were created by small and medium-sized businesses.

Doing business in more than one Member State often means dealing with several tax administrations in different languages, and dealing with multiple VAT obligations can be very burdensome and costly for companies.  The European Commission is proposing to make things simpler

According to the European Commission, the development of e-commerce and online services offers enormous potential for beneficial economic and social change.  The Internet economy creates 2.6 jobs for every ‘off-line’ job lost, and the gains brought by lower online prices and a wider choice of available products and services are estimated at €11.7 billion.

 The Technology Strategy Board has announced a £5 million funding call for “Sustainable Manufacturing for the Process Industry”

The long-awaited £1.5bn programme aimed at supporting the growth of small and medium businesses in England has officially been launched. 

From 1st January, the European Commission is giving more time to submit comments when it runs public consultations.

The 2012 call for proposals is open under the Intelligent Energy – Europe (“IEE II”) programme until 8 May 2012. Companies can bid for a share of an available total of €67 million (approximately £57 million) of funding. 

Revision of the public procurement Directives has just been announced by the European Commission, as part of an overall programme to modernise public tendering in the European Union.

The demand for highly skilled workers in the EU between now and 2020 is projected to rise by over 16 million jobs.  The European Commission believes that if Europe is to meet this demand, gaps in labour shortages need to be filled, for example through mobile and well qualified professionals from other EU Member States. 

The European Commission has launched an action plan to promote innovation which reduces the pressure on the environment.
 

A new initiative has been launched to help companies that are developing innovative environmental technologies, by providing independent verification of their performance.

MARINET, a new EU-funded initiative worth EUR 9 million, is set to enable companies to access specialist marine test facilities and carry out renewable energy testing at no extra cost. 

The European Parliament has voted to approve measures aiming to simplify life for more than 5 million of the smallest companies in Europe. 

The Commission has launched an Open Data Strategy for Europe, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion (approximately £34 billion) boost to the EU’s economy each year. 

The European Commission is proposing to allocate €3.2 billion over 2014 to 2020 to a new Programme for the Environment and Climate Action – LIFE. 

A new fund of up to £125 million has been announced  to improve the global competitiveness of UK advanced manufacturing supply chains.

The government has published more details about a £75 million boost for high-tech SMEs.