Five easy ways you can be more innovative

At its core the Enterprise Europe Network offers free business and innovation support for SMEs looking to access new and exciting markets. In this blog post we have asked our valued colleague Mamta Singhal to give us her throughts on how you can be more innovative. Mamta is an Innovation Advisor for Scottish Enterprise and has worked for exciting companies like Mars and Dyson. ...she’s also got lovely eyes.

1) Be honest, upfront - don’t have structural boundaries.

This is about being open to change, options and views. Some of the best ideas come when people are relaxed and enjoying what they are doing. Every firm needs a level of structure however many new firms are taking a casual approach to this and hierarchy isn't important, it's more about freshness and reaching business goals.

2) Be around creative people who know how to have fun. No grey or beige.

Yes, having fun at work is possible. The old school view of wearing grey and having beige walls has long gone. It's about being bright, bold, brave and brash. If you have a talented creative person on your team you will be surprised how much energy and unique ideas they have and the commercial sense that it will make.

3) Have creative hobbies - dancing, music, art, etc.

Outside of work do some exciting and expressive hobbies. Let your mind play and explore. The people you will met and they way you see the world will change. Learning golf or fishing may be your thing but try something new and different like salsa dancing or photography, your work will be more creative as a result.

4) Understand and appreciate the short and long term benefits - feel the passion. Think like the Dysons & Apples of the world (I worked for Dyson!).

All too often we aim for short term results but is it best long term?  Do both!  Think like the great designers of the world who never gave up until they had a great product or service, for them it wasn’t the short term goal it was the longer term vision of making a difference. Master strategic thinking and see how short term goals will benefit your longer term vision.

5) Be you. Be unique. Have morals. Don’t just go for the result - do what feels right.

You are unique and use those skills. Every person in a team should have the freedom and time to add to a firms creative goals. Ditch the 'barcode code' diary that is just meeting after meeting and have more team based activities. Equally always do ethical business - morals and integrity is important for long term loyalty with staff plus have a fun personality coupled with self awareness and refined social skills.  Always follow what feels right.


If you would like to get in touch with the Enterprise Europe Network in Scotland please e-mail us at info@enterprise-europe-scotland.com. 

Your Enterprise Europe Network team places in European Competition

Okay, so not quite what you thought...

You may be familiar with the Enterprise Europe Network podcasts (and if not, I strongly recommend you have a listen!).

We started podcasting last March, highlighting how Scottish companies can take advantage of Enterprise Europe Network services. Since then, the podcasts have evolved to also include features with our colleagues at Scottish Enterprise, holiday specials around Christmas and Halloween, and even include a dream sequence and time travel.

Our podcasts were entered into the European Podcast Awards for 2011. To all those who voted, thank you very much!

The results were announced on Thursday, 15 March 2012 and we're delighted to inform you that the team finished with a podium place! Out of 40 UK entries, EEN Scotland finished 3rd in the Non-Profit Category and 14th overall in Europe in the same category.

The approach has been described as "quirky but informative" by a number of stakeholder organisations, including the EUREKA Directorate in Brussels and, since last March, there have more than 11,000 visits to the podcast website.

Not satisfied with a podium place at National Level, EEN Scotland plan to take the Awards by storm again this year, confident that they are now equipped to conquer not only the UK but to take the main European Prize!

If you haven't had the pleasure yet, please listen to the EEN Scotland podcasts.

If you have any comments, or suggestions for topic you’d like to here us talk about, please get in touch with me at elizabeth.mcneil@scotent.co.uk.

Five reasons why Europe still makes good business sense!

Five reasons to develop your business in Europe

Europe is still the most potentially lucrative and accessible location for Scottish companies. In this blog, Anis Mourad suggests five reasons why Europe might be for you:

1) It’s a free trade zone!

The EU is the biggest free trade zone in the world. Factoring in some of the associated countries, such as Switzerland, Norway and so on, the unhindered movement of goods and services between Scotland and the rest of Europe means a wealth of choice when buying raw materials or distributing goods.

2) It’s right on our doorstep!

Businesses can reach places such as the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia in only a few hours via budget airlines (other flavours of airline are available too of course!) and the Enterprise Europe Network can put you in touch with like-minded businesses from the continent using our local valued colleagues on the ground in all these countries.

3) English – the beautiful language of business!

I once read that around 40% of EU citizens learn English as their first foreign language. Stunning stat! Generally speaking, English also dominates as the language of business offering Scottish organisations more of an opportunity for comfortable business conditions than they may have thought! And…if there are any problems….our Enterprise Europe Network colleagues in regional offices all over the continent can assist in making the contact easy.

4) Etiquette – eti-what?

Similarities in business practices and etiquette put Scottish companies in a good position when dealing with continental European colleagues. We all know being smart and punctual will go a long way towards making a good first impression to potential clients and partners, but the Enterprise Europe Network also has the inside knowledge on regional preferences. A Swede once told me to “lose the tie and be informal”!

5) They’re all very nice too…

Not only are all my valued EEN colleagues across our 50 partner countries extremely nice, but they all have a great love of Scotland and interest in the country, business conditions and potential collaboration with like-minded organisations in this nation of ours. Don’t be surprised if they are a bit shocked to find out that not all Scots have red beards and wear kilts, though.!

These are just some of the reasons why I feel doing business in Europe is something that Scottish organisations should seriously consider, if they aren’t doing it already! The bonus of it all is that we, at the EEN, are willing and able to help your company as best we can.

Whether it’s market information, scouting for business partners or funding advice you’re looking for, the team is ready to support you.

To get in touch with a view to doing business in Europe, please just drop me a line on Anis.Mourad@scotent.co.uk

Would like to meet...

The Enterprise Europe Network offers a range of services to companies in Scotland, one of which is providing support to find European business partners. In this blog, Elizabeth McNeil highlights upcoming opportunties for you to meet your ideal customers, suppliers or partners.

With Valentine’s Day next week our thoughts turn to finding or renewing connections with loved ones. But have you ever considered matchmaking for your business?

Often described as “speed dating”, our matchmaking events allow you to book pre-arranged meetings based on a profile submitted to the event’s website. This gives you the opportunity to meet potential customers, suppliers or partners face-to-face to explore business opportunities through targeted meetings.

Over the coming months Enterprise Europe Network is hosting a number of matchmaking events and we invite you to join us and find your perfect match!

Find out what’s hot in sustainable energy

Sustainable Energy: Challenges and Opportunities for the Supply Chain is the focus for this year’s sustainable energy event on 20 and 21 March at Edinburgh’s Napier University. Companies with green interests at heart can connect with like-minded companies at the industry-led brokerage event.

Participants are urged to create an online profile prior the event to highlight their capabilities and to maximise the chance of finding their perfect business match. The free event will provide a platform for Scottish companies to meet international contacts to talk about their innovative products and services.

For more information or to register for the brokerage event please visit the website.

Fish around the global seafood market

Companies within the food and drink industry are already cooking up their plans for the largest seafood trade fair in the world, the European Seafood Exposition, which takes place 24 to 26 April in Brussels.

Again this year the Enterprise Europe Network team will be hosting a matchmaking event. Last year’s event attracted 104 organisations - from sole traders to multinationals - from countries including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Turkey and Iceland.

To find out more or to register please visit the ESE Brokerage Event website. 

Tap into the latest technology advances

The Scottish Technology Showcase consistently brings together some of Europe’s top industry minds. Technology leaders will flock to Glasgow on 12 June to take part, offering a chance to network with over 1,500 like-minded experts.

Enterprise Europe Network is keen for Scottish companies to make the most of the associated matchmaking event and forge potential partnerships and business links. Keynote speakers will also discuss the latest technology developments and how these can impact on your business.

For more information or to register please visit the matchmaking website. 

For more information on these matchmaking events please e-mail me at elizabeth.mcneil@scotent.co.uk.

My top 5 places to find FP7 projects that need partners

Ken Gordon

Part of the service provided by The Enterprise Europe Network is in supporting organisations that want to take part in EU collaborative R&D, particularly FP7 and Eurostars. 

For organisations wanting to engage for the first time, the search can be daunting. In this post Ken Gordon gives you his 5 top tips in finding projects that need partners.

I am often asked by Scottish organisations who want to join an FP7 project as a partner,

“What place can I look to find projects that are looking for partners?”

My largely unhelpful answer is that there is no single place to look, but the good new is that most of the places you will find such projects, are free and easy to use. 

Here are my top 5 places to find FP7 projects that need partners (in no particular order).

1. The first suggestion is easy. The Enterprise Europe Network manages the world’s largest business partnering system and among the many commercial opportunities, there are FP7 and Eurostars projects looking for partners. Register on our website and you will automatically get email notification of projects looking for partners.

2. Engage in the UK FP7 community by joining the UK home of FP7, the Connect site. It is free and easy to join and it is managed by the UK FP7 National Contact Point Network, the people in the UK who know most about each FP7 theme. While you are in there, look out for the FP7 thematic partner search tools. This link gives you a list of some of them.

3. Register (if you haven’t already) as a potential FP7 project partner on the CORDIS website . It is long established, and still a "go to” Site for project partners. Also register on the new Research Participant Portal site for all you need to know about FP7 calls.

4. Are you a member of a local or national technology network? Use that to raise your profile and make connections. Someone in your network might be preparing an FP7 project. LinkedIn contains many FP7 Groups to join and a request placed in a relevant LinkedIn group can work.

5. Attend info days about FP7. In Scotland alongside Scotland Europa, we host around 10 of these a year. If you can go to the FP7 information days in Brussels, there is always a chance to network and often formalised FP7 project partner brokerage activities.

To sum up, successfully finding projects that need partners is largely about networking and making people aware of your organisation and what it does. I hope the above short list is helpful. 

Remember the Enterprise Europe Network is here to help you so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you are thinking seriously of joining FP7, Eurostars or other Funding programmes.

The Network Effect

The Enterprise Europe Network is a European Commission funded project that provides business and innovation support to local companies looking to access new and exciting markets. In this post Elizabeth McNeil explores what it means to be part of this Network.

We define ourselves as a Network but what does that really mean?

The Enterprise Europe Network spans 50 countries and is made up of close to 600 partner organisations employing 3,000+ advisors. The organisations include chambers of commerce, enterprise agencies, regional development organisations, research institutes, universities, technology centres and innovation centres.

Our Network covers the 27 Member States and, contrary to the name, extends far beyond Europe.

The European Commission has recently extended the reach of the Enterprise Europe Network by opening new contact points in Japan and doubling its presence in China.

We now reach southern Mediterranean countries, with eight contact points in place in Tunisia, a longstanding partnership renewed in Egypt and Moroccan branches to be set up soon.

Other new countries to have recently joined the Network include Ukraine, Moldova and Mexico.

At the heart of this is free business and innovation support for SMEs looking to access new and exciting markets. All done through our network of colleagues.

If you are looking for market information or have questions about doing business in a new country; need assistance in accessing EU Funding; or want to identify business opportunities based on technology compatibility, trade or manufacturing requirements the Network can help.

We have trusted colleagues that we can call upon to assist you in finding the information and local business contacts you need.

This is the Network effect!

For more information and a list of the countries we cover please visit the Enterprise Europe Network’s website.

Please e-mail me at elizabeth.mcneil@scotent.co.uk if you would like information on doing business in any of our partner countries.

Low carbon makes business sense

The Enterprise Europe Network aims to help all companies, of all sizes, across Scotland. In this blog, Elizabeth McNeil discusses low carbon and looks at what it means for all companies, not just energy businesses.

 

Low carbon is often associated with renewable energy. And while that is true, the low carbon agenda isn’t just for the big energy firms. Reducing your carbon footprint can also increase your bottom line.

Not only is adopting low carbon technologies and practices is the right thing to do in the fight against climate change, it can also save Scottish companies millions of pounds.

Simple things such as cutting out business travel and using video conferencing, fitting speed limiters to company vehicles, cutting energy costs and switching machines off after use, can make significant savings.

Even something as apparently trivial as keeping a single computer and monitor switched on 24 hours a day can cost £50 a year – so imagine those costs multiplied across a large business with dozens of machines.

Adopting a low carbon culture can also enhance a company’s reputation, as many businesses are finding that increasing numbers of their clients are making choices based on how environmentally sound a company is. 

While Scottish companies and organisations are working to become models of low carbon best practice, the switch to a low carbon economy is also seen as increasingly important to Scotland’s bottom line as a whole.

According to the Scottish Government, Scotland’s low carbon market is forecast to rise to around £12 billion by 2015-16 – over 10 per cent of Scotland’s GDP. Overall jobs in the low carbon economy could rise from 70,000 to 130,000 by 2020 to become over 5% of the Scottish workforce.

Becoming a low carbon business is easy and the benefits are clear, but there’s no definitive rulebook on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Every business is different and it’s important to consider your individual circumstances when striving to go low carbon.

Small changes can lead to big improvements and huge savings. To get you started on the path to low carbon success there is a varied menu of support available; here’s a few I like:

Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise works in close partnership with the Carbon Trust, Zero Waste Scotland, Energy Savings Trust and Business Gateway to offer practical advice and assistance, helping you realise your company’s low carbon potential.

Free support ranges from workshops and training on business efficiency and Lean Management to masterclasses in innovation and one-to-one consultancy. Download the guide to see how you and your business can benefit from these services.

Sustainable Food & Drink
Sustainable Food & Drink is a joint venture between the European Development Fund and SEEKIT to help Scottish SMEs in the food and drink sector bolster their business competitiveness through effective management of carbon emissions.

The scheme provides free support to eligible businesses – often equivalent to up to eight days of private consultancy – covering carbon, energy, waste, and networking and collaboration. For more information on the scheme’s services and eligibility criteria visit the website.

Scottish Environmental Technology Network
SETN holds events to encourage discussion around environmental issues and helps connect clean technology businesses with Scotland’s research base. It also offers information and advice on such areas as green procurement and global markets and can provide seed funding through the SETN Innovation Grant. For more information pleae visit the SETN website.

For more information please get in touch with me at elizabeth.mcneil@scotent.co.uk.