University of Technology, Aachen , Germany

Research &Development related to Networking of SME´s

The regional networks in the Aachen region instigated by the Aachen team, are developing very fast. At present the network consortium is designing and implementing a web-based information support system which is expected to fulfil two purposes: firstly to make asynchronous communication easier and more efficient between the 25plus network partners (mostly SMEs of the Region of Aachen - several of them employing large numbers of women -, but also including some large German and international companies); secondly to test a pilot concept of such communication and co-operation support within a highly complex network of fundamentally different partners. The strategy is to be considered as an innovative process of "Learning through Collaboration".

NISTADS

l. R&D Projects and Entrepreneurial Networking

Dr. V.P. Kharbanda Visited a few CSIR laboratories including National Chemical Laboratory and MERADO, Ludhiana for their linkages with small enterprises in the regions. The visits brought out that these labs have strong linkages with small enterprises. A number of products and processes have been transferred to SMEs. However, these linkages still need to be strengthened with other R&D institutions and universities

Dairy Project
Visited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) regarding the implementation of Dairy Project (Dr. Kavita Mehra and Dr. Ranjit Singh) and Small Production Enterprise Research (V.P. Kharbanda and Prof. H.S. Sekhon). The specific areas of work jointly with PAU have been identified. The work plan for the IInd year October 2000 - September 2001 was finalized. Interactions with M.Sc. Students of PAU for undertaking the field study of dairy project were carried out. It was decided to appoint students/fellows at PAU for fieldwork on dairy project work and Small Production Enterprises.

AI & Society
As Guest Editors of the AI & Society for the special issue on "Enterprise Innovation in India" about 18 experts were identified for contributions of research papers and book reviews. Selected books to be reviewed were also procured and given to the experts. Eight research papers and two book reviews have already been received (V.P Kharbanda and Dr. Kavita Mehra).

Floriculture, Bankura brass and Balucheri Saree
Some entrepreneurs in the field of floriculture were interviewed by Dr. Kavita Mehra to know their experiences in achieving the success in their sector. She also visited Bankura during April 2000. Field visits were held to interact with the artisans of brass metal and Baluchari saree, designers and weavers.

A Computer Aided Design system for upgradation of textiles has been installed at Bankura, Calcutta. Steps have also been taken for upgradation of traditional red clay pottery industry of Lalgarh village, Purulia

IT Sector
A number of firms in the information technology sector in Delhi and Hyderabad were visited by Dr. Kavita Mehra so as to know the status and competence of the sector in India. During the visits discussions were held with CEO's of the companies on the issues of manpower training, and the quality and availability of the expertise in this sector in India

ll. Publicity and dissemination including workshops and publications
All activities concerning EU-India Innovation Project are being continuously published in NISTADS News journal.

The Information about the forthcoming special issue of AI & Society on Enterprise Innovation in India was publicized widely with their posters, journals and personal contacts for seeking contributions from experts.

Delivered a lecture on Academia - Industry Symbiosis: Need for Technological Competitiveness in India and China. Indo-Vietnam Joint Workshop on S&T Policy & Management, April 13-15, 2000, organized by NISTADS (V.P Kharbanda).

Ill. Virtual Network - Website, Knowledge Base

a) Continuous link is being maintained with various partners in Europe and India to facilitate communication, linkages and exchange of information for establishment of a Virtual Network Websites of different Institutions/Universities are being gathered for virtual linkages and forming the Network. Website of NISTADS was launched.

b) Memorandum of Understanding on Academic and Research Programme between National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS, CSIR), New Delhi and Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh was signed to collaborate in identifying and enlarging the areas of convergence and in undertaking joint academic activities, studies and research programmes in these areas, consistent with the stated goals, objectives and resources of the two institutes

c) Memorandum of Understanding on Academic and Research Cooperation between NISTADS and Technikon Pretoria, Arts Faculty, South African Arts and Artefact Research Centre, South Africa, was signed to conduct studies on selected groups/communities of artisans with a view to understand/delineate the traditional systems of knowledge bases and the possibilities to blend these knowledge systems with modern scientific and technological systems

d)Following discussions / lectures were arranged with scientists at NISTADS to strengthen the knowledge base:
1. Designing a Technology-based industrial network.
2. Indian silk industry: Status and Strategy.
3. Post-liberalization mergers & acquisitions in India.
4. Globalization and science in developing countries.
5. Technology and artisans.
6. Cotton production in India and China: A comparative analysis.
7. Indian patents system.
8. Pharmaceuticals industry in China.
9. Cross-cultural psychology: Current research and trends.
10. Indigenous traditions of boat building and navigation.
11. Human capital in research & technology organization.

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Events In 1999/2000

September 1999

University of Brighton

The workshop "Collaboration in Innovation" and the Conference "Enterprise Cultures and Innovation in the Information Society" were successfully completed in September 1999. The workshop and conference was attended by the Indian and the European collegues of the project. There a were also participation from a number of local organizations and community groups. Titles and the abstracts of the papers presented at the workshop and the conference was published on the project web site soon after. For the titles and abstracts of the papers click here.

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February/March 2000

Seminars organized at GLS Institute of Business Management

February 6, 2000
Prof Dhawal Mehta gave a lecture on Globalization Of Small Scale Industries organized by Gujarat State Small Industries Federation.

February 18, 00
Prof Dhawal Mehta gave a lecture in an Entrepreneurship Training Programme organized by Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Govt. of Gujarat at L D Engineering College, Ahmedabad.

March 2000
Prof Jan Breman, a Dutch scholar from the Centre for Social Studies, Amsterdam, Netherlands gave a seminar on Globalization And Poverty In India . About 60 students attended the seminar.

March 2, 2000
Prof Karamjit Gill and Dr Ashok Jain gave a seminar on The Information Technology And Its Role In Management In The Globalised World.

March 26, 2000
Yoshirobu Sei - A Japanese expert gave a seminar on Doing Business With Small And Medium Scale Industries (SMEs) of Japan.

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June 2000

EU-India Cross Cultural Innovation Workshop
Open Discussion Groups: Knowledge Management and Cooperative Networks
University of Technology, Aachen , Germany
16 June 2000
7th IFAC Symposium on Automated Systems
Based on Human Skill - Joint Design of Technology and Organisation Aachen, Germany,
June 15-17, 2000

Around fifty participants were present at this workshop: EU-India Project Senior researchers: Dr. Dietrich Brandt; Dr. Ashok Jain; Prof. Karamjit S Gill, Prof. Lauge Rasmussen, Dr. Francesco Garibaldo, Lyngby PhD student Sune Netterstrom; senior academic and postgraduate students of Aachen University, and participants from the 7th IFAC Symposium on Automated Systems.

Formal papers by Gill, Garibaldo, Rasmussen, several German contribution on regional development in the framework of the EU-India project, and two submitted papers by Kharbanda and Mehra made the core of the workshop. These papers were based on project processes and outcomes. They also showed visions and further developments of the project for the coming years. In addition, several the workshops facilitated extensive exchange of experiences between the international guests of the IFAC Symposium with the project partners. The workshop papers are presently being revised to be published in AI&Society under the guest editor Dietrich Brandt, Aachen.

The EU-India project was strongly influential to the shaping of the agenda of the Congress on Information and Communication as part of the the First World Engineers Convention, held at Hannover on 19.-21 June 2000. The Convention was organised by the Aachen team of the EU-India project. Hence the concepts put forward by the EU-India group during the first year fund their way directly into the main plenary contribution as well as into the Memorandum and the Web-based Discussion Forum. These main papers are also being revised for publication in AI &Society -based on their first publication in the Convention proceedings. The web-based Discussion Forum is being extended after the Convention for further discussion of the most controversial issues. The regional networks instigated by the Aachen team are developing very fast. At present the network consortium is designing and implementing a web-based information support system which is expected to fulfil two purposes: firstly to make asynchronous communication easier and more efficient between the 25plus network partners (mostly SMEs of the Region of Aachen, but also including some large German and international companies); secondly to test a pilot concept of such communication and cooperation support within a highly complex network of

List of Invited Regional Participants
Dr Regina Oertel, SENEKA, Aachen Dipl.-Psych.
Christian Henrichs, SENEKA, Aachen
Dr Andreas Nolden, AIXONIX, Aachen
Prof. Dr Edeltraud Vomberg, University of Appl. Sciences,Moenchengladbach-Aachen
Horst Zaar and Anette Nowinski, AW-AG (Ltd), Aachen
Christian Robbin, Consultant, Aachen
Dr Paul Fuchs-Frohnhofen, MA&T Consulting and Software, Aachen
Michael Quante, Regional Development Consulting, Aachen
Dr Gabriele Veldkamp, Regional Employment Consulting

Some papers from the IFAC Aachen event contributed by the Eu-India team: http://www.hdz-ima.rwth-aachen.de/forschung/
publications/knowledge_networking.html

http://www.hdz-ima.rwth-aachen.de/forschung/
publications/regional_development_bologna.html

The main plenary contribution at the World Engineers Convention shaped by the EU-India project results
http://www.hdz-ima.rwth-aachen.de/forschung/
publications/the_future_of_information_and_communication.html

For further Information:
Dr Dietrich Brandt
University of Technology (RWTH), Aachen,
brandt@hdz-ima.rwth-aachen.de

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December 2000

4-6 December 00

International Workshop
Innovation in Science and Technology: Economic, Philosophical and social dimensions
Delhi
NISTADS, India

more information on the workshop, themes and speakers

Local Organisation, Workshop Contact:
Prof. Rajesh Kochhar
Director
NISTADS
Dr K S Krishnan Road,
PUSA New Delhi I-110012
INDIA
Email: rkk@csnistad.ren.nic.in

6 December 00

Search conference/workshop
Punjab Agriculture University

This action research workshop will discuss ideas, theory and methodology on the Diary project that has been set up between Punjab Agriculture University, Gujerat Law Society and Denmark Technical University.

Brief introduction to the dairy project and action research practice will be followed by an introduction and clarification of the concept of the Dairy project and action research methodology. The discussion will be based on the revised paper on the concept of diary and action research methodology by Francesco Garibaldo and Lauge Rasmussen.

This will eb followed by a session on the 8th of December where a audience consisting of entreprenures will gather to discuss the following:

- entrepreneurial networking
- collaboration on case study/field work
- exploring links between India and Europe in the dairy sector as well as other agriculture enterprise sectors

11-14 December 2000

International Workshop and Conference
Enterprise Innovation in Knowledge Society
GLS Institute of Business Management
Ahmedabad, I-380 009
Gujarat, India

This conference and workshop programme explores and clarifies values, structures, mechanism and applications of cross-cultural collaboration in the global context. How can university-enterprise partnerships work effectively for the upliftment of the society, thereby contributing positively to the economy of a developing nation? What is the value of cross-cultural collaboration? How can this be applied in socio-economic innovations? What is the way forward in fostering collaboration with enterprise? How can cross cultural collaboration in socio-economic innovation be facilitated and sustained? What is role and impact of knowledge networks in facilitating cross cultural partnerships and innovation practices across regions and continents? How to build knowledge networks to stimulate and promote local-global innovations in the global context? What are the possible impacts of information, communication and media technologies on socio-economic innovation in the cross-cultural contexts?

These are some of the issues which provide a focus for the International Conference/Workshop on Enterprise Innovation in Knowledge Society. The programme starts with a one day open public forum followed by a four day workshop programme including visits to regional research centres and enterprises. The aim of the international event is to bring together academic researchers, entrepreneurs, enterprises, policy makers, local community, and the media from Europe and India in an exciting new cross-cultural forum.

The one day international conference will be of particular interest to researchers and practitioners, policy makers, industry, civic organisations, community groups, government bodies, development agencies, NGOs and the media.

The Conference focuses on the broader social, economic, cultural issues of enterprise and innovation raised by the current debates on Information, communication and media technologies. It covers themes such as the Networked society, Media, culture and communication, the Knowledge based economy, Models of transfer of innovation and enterprise cultures, Life long learning, technology transfer and Sustainable development.

The conference has both European and Indian dimensions as well as related international dimensions, and draws its delegates from the UK, India, Europe, internationally, and the local community. Invited participants include researchers and practitioners from Gujarat, regional enterprises, and local entrepreneurs

The workshop programme will be of interest to postgraduate students, academic staff, researchers and entrepreneurs in the areas of information, communication and media technologies, technology transfer and sustainable development, social, economic and entrepreneurial innovations, and industrial cultures and global economy

The Conference/Workshop Programme is organised by the EU-India Cross-Cultural Innovation Network. This is a collaboration between European and Indian universities and research institutes, and is hosted by GLS Institute, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The programme is supported by the European Union within the framework of the EU-India Economic Cross-Cultural programme.

For information on the conference/workshop themes and speakers click here

For further information:

Local Organisation, Conference/Workshop Contact:
Prof. Dhawal Mehta
GLS Institute of Business Management
Ahmedabad I-380 009
INDIA
Tel: +91- 79-444811/402 286
Fax: +91 79 44 16 54
Emaill: glsibm@wilnetonline.net

One day International Conference on Multimedia Content Creation for Societal Transformation
Delhi University

The Institute of Information and Communication, Delhi University in association with Ministry of Information & Technology(M.I.T.) and EU-India Project proposes to organise a one day International Conference on Interactive Multimedia Content Creation.

This conference will address issues ranging from distance leaning, IT, courseware development, electronic publishing and multimedia.

For more information click here

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