An European Network to Support the Sustainable Surface Transport SMEs

Call: FP7-SST-2007-RTD-1
Start date: April 2008
Duration: 30 months

The aim of the Star-Net Transport project http://www.starnet-transport.eu/ is to be the first step towards the development of a consolidated network covering at least 16 European countries to support the participation of European SMEs in Sustainable Surface Transport activities .

The Star- Net Transport project will address the following strategic objectives:

• Set-up a network covering at least 16 European countries, selected within the countries with the highest potential within the Sustainable Surface Transport (SST) sector and including partners from OMS, NMS and candidate countries.
• Identify the barriers to SME (high tech and low tech) participation in SST collaborative projects and produce a set of recommendations to promote participation.
• Implement a full range of services and tools (available on -line using an innovative e-learning platform) for the animation, training, information sharing and deployment of the network services.
• Identify S&T Co-operation partnerships by using an on -line tool to perform “Technological Audits” of SMEs, personalized to the characteristics of the SST sector
• Build transport European SMEs profiles and promote them to European transport key players in order to involve them in their Transport supply chains.
• Facilitate the participation of European Transport SMEs in FP7 and CIP programmes, using a simplified methodology to “Write Proposals” based on an online tool adapted to FP7 – Cooperation – Theme Transport (SST) .
• Analyze the existing results in FP6 projects with SMEs participation and disseminate the research results to European Transport SMEs.
• Prepare an European SST Research Agenda as support for definition of SMEs actions at European level.
• Launch the basis for the continuation of the network from 2010 onwards, based on a self-sustainable plan.

The Star-Net Transport consortium involves the following organizations:

• 4 Innovation Agencies

• Inova+ , Portugal
• CIDAUT Foundation, Spain
• CFA , UK (Cliff Funnell Associates)
• SEPC, Baltic countries (Social and Economic Development Centre)

• 4 Transport Associations

• PSTP , Poland (Poznan Science and Technology Park),
• URTP , Romania (Romanian Association of Public Transport)
• CLEPA , Belgium (European Association of Automotive Suppliers)
• EMEC , Belgium ( European Marine Equipment Council)

• 3 National Contact Points for Transport theme

• IPPT-PAN , Poland (Institute of Fundamental Technological Research , Polish Academy of Sciences)
• APRE , Italy (Agenzia per la Promozione Della Ricerca Europea)
• EGL , The Netherlands (SenterNovem);

• 1 cluster – GIZ ACS , Slovenia (Automotive Cluster of Slovenia);
• 2 innovation and technology transfer organizations

• ARC Fund, Bulgaria (Applied Research and Communications Fund)
• NKTH, Hungary (National Office for Research and Technology )

• 2 RTD and academic organizations

• UNIZA , Slovakia (University of Zilina)
• TUBITAK, Turkey (Scientific and Technology Research Council of Turkey)

The Star- Net Transport project will directly contribute for strengthening competitivenes s of transport SMEs in the European Union and Bulgaria in particular by ensuring sustainable, efficient and affordable services for identifying potential project partners, creating new skills for project design and management, and broadening the technology portfolio of the SMEs by creating innovation culture and providing ways to innovate.

For further information:

Denitsa Marinova: denitsa.marinova@online.bg
Tel.: +359 2 9733000
Fax: +359 2 973 3588