The objective of "SMEs go Health" is to raise the number and quality of involvement of SMEs and SME groupings in Health related projects of FP7.
The 3-years initiative, co-financed by the European Commission, is based on the successful project SMEs go LifeSciences which was carried out with the focus on Life Science topics in the 6th EU Framework Programme.
"SMEs go Health" focuses on information and training, as well as in consortium building and matchmaking of SMEs and researchers preparing EU project proposals in the "Health" area. The project addresses all researchers, from companies, universities or research organisations, preparing a project proposal or acting as project participants.
Since its launch in February 2007, users can find relevant information on the project's homepage (http://www.smesgohealth.org) as well as a database, which was set up to give SMEs the opportunity to present their expertise and know-how. This will increase their visibility among Europe's research community in "Health" and maximise their chance to be found and identified as potential research partners for EU funded projects. Numerous SMEs have already taken advantage of this service by registering to this database. Research consortia who are preparing an FP7 project proposal and are looking for SME partners can register their project idea in the database. Through proactive match-making activities of the "SMEs go Health" consortium, researchers are brought together with suitable SMEs. In addition, interested SMEs and research consortia can proactively and independently search the public database.
"SMEs go Health" acts as a helpdesk informing and training SMEs and researchers on FP7 issues. It deals mainly with legal and financial topics, IPR issues, proposal preparation and writing as well as financial requirements and the participation of SMEs in research projects.
A first virtual brokerage event has already been organised in June 2007, bringing together SMEs and academic institutions as potential workgroups around same topics of the "Health" work programme, encouraging contact, discussion and eventual collaboration between parties, which finally that can lead to a collaborative research project. More brokerage events and training workshops, like the "International Information & Training Workshop" in Riga on 13th of September 2007 will provide extensive information on funding opportunities, preparation and submission of project proposals, financial aspects, research areas and actual themes in Health and Biotechnology.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.smesgohealth.org