Concluded projects in the field of Technology Policy

• Enterprise Europe Network Berlin-Brandenburg
  funded by the European Commission, the Berlin Senate Administration for Economics, Technology and Women and the Economics Ministry of the Land Brandenburg.
  
  The Enterprise Europe Network Berlin-Brandenburg provides information and advices companies, institutes and other interested parties on innovation-oriented developments, initiatives and programmes of the European Commission and assists them with their search for business and technology partners. VDI/VDE-IT acts in a coordinating capacity. VDI/VDE-IT is partner of the Berlin-Brandenburg consortium and your contact for technology transfer and Seventh Framework Programme issues.

• European Project Management Bavaria – EPM Bavaria
  on behalf of the Bavarian Ministry for Economy, Infrastucture, Traffic and Technology
  
  With European Project Management, the Microsystem Technologies Bavaria support programme addresses the challenges posed by the increasingly unified European research community for Bavarian companies and research institutes.
  

• Smart and Green Building – Energy Efficiency
  Workshop under the aegis of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Bavarian Ministry for Economy, Infrastructure, Traffic and Technology (StMWIVT)
  
  VDI/VDE-IT has been active in the sector of house and building technologies for several years now, organising conferences, accompanying innovative projects and advising companies. The latest highlight of these activities was the second Smart and Green Building – Energy Efficiency German-Chinese workshop, which took place in Qingdao in April.
  
  
• Organisational Monitoring of the Evaluation Committee of the BAM
  on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
  
  In 2004/2005 an expert committee evaluated the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). VDI/VDE-IT was in charge of the evaluation office. This comprised the conceptual and organisational support of the activities of the evaluation committee.

• Pro_NMS: Pro Active Measures for New Member States
  
  Funded by the EC, the PRO_NMS consortium will in three Strategic Objectives of the IST priority - among them Microsystems Technologies - facilitate the participation of organisations from the New Member States (NMS) in the activities of IST and establish partnerships of research organisations from the NMS with organisations from the other MS. VDI/VDE-IT is responsible for the organisation of training workshops related to submission and management of EU research projects.

• National Contact Point for Innovation
  on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
  
  It is the aim of the European "Research and Innovation" programme to make a contribution to improving the European investment climate. By providing information about invitations of tenders, counselling on application procedures and support for contractual problems, the National Contact Point seeks to make it easier for small- and medium-sized enterprises from Germany to gain access to the programme.
  
  
• Nano and Microtec SMEs in Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence – NAoMITEC
  funded by the European Commission
  
  NAoMITEC helps small and medium sized companies of the micro and nanotechnology sector to gain access to the instruments of EU Framework VI, thus improving their chances of adequate participation in EU research support.
  
  
• Technology, Enterprises, Innovation, Cooperation – TEICO-Net
  on behalf of the Investment Bank of Berlin
  
  The partly EU-financed technology network TEICO-Net supports the transfer of technologies and knowledge between the regions of Berlin-Brandenburg, Greater Poland, Western Pomerania and Lower Silesia in Poland, Southern Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania with the goal of simplifying transnational cooperation within the network. VDI/VDE-IT supports the coordination.

• Examining the Design of Research Programmes
  on behalf of the Optimat Limited Company
  
  In this project, the positive and negative factors influencing transnational research support in the EU-34 countries are analysed in order to motivate transnational research more effectively in the future by means of directed programmes.
  

Scientific support for technology policy and innovation processes

• Shipping and Maritime Technology
  on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Education and Technology
  
  The BMBF´s research programme “Shipping and Maritime Technology for the 21. Century” will end in one year. The VDI/VDE-IT´s evaluation of the programme aims at analysing its overall success and the extent of reaching the intended goals.

• FUTUR
  on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
  
  "Futur – the German dialogue on research", an initiative of the Ministry, takes up the question as to which research projects must be encouraged today to meet societal requirements in this field in 2020. Workshops, future workshops and conferences identify and reflect trends, translating them into guiding visions. VDI/VDE-IT makes available studies and brief expertises to aid this process.
  
  
• Exploratory Study on the Potential Socio-Economic Impact of the Introduction of Intelligent Safety Systems in Road Vehicles - SEISS
  on behalf of the European Commission

  The study analyses the socio-economic effects of intelligent safety systems in road vehicles. Road crashes take a tremendous human and societal toll. Intelligent safety systems are promising instruments in order to reduce the number of accidents and their severity and are already showing remarkable results.
  

• Challenges facing the political community following the convergence of electronic media
  Study commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour
  
  Automobile construction, mechanical and plant engineering as well as information and communication technologies are among the mainstays of the German economy. As a result of the convergence of the electronic media, these sectors are exposed to major changes. The study drawn up by VDI/VDE-IT jointly with partners aims to help derive recommendations for action towards an efficient economic and technological policy.
  
  
• Transfer of knowledge in the work process – WiPA
  on behalf of the Work Group for Research on in-House Training
  
  An ongoing inter-company and intersectoral rationalisation pressure, new forms of in-house and external cooperation and increasing cooperation requirements imposed from outside are increasingly forcing companies to newly design their processes of internal and external value added. VDI/VDE-IT assists this development of value added processes scientifically under five corporate projects.
  

• Technological roadmaps till 2014 in nanoscience and nanotechnologies in materials, health and medical systems, energy fields - Nanoroadmap
  funded by the European Commission
  
  The goal of this initiative is to create a roadmap in three selected sectors for the time period until 2014. Technology roadmaps are to be created in the sectors of materials, energy and health and medical systems in order to offer orientation for industry, research and politics. The consortium consists of institutions from 7 European countries and Israel. Germany is represented by VDI/VDE-IT.
  

 Contests and conferences

• Innovations – worlds of technology, women’s worlds
  funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
  
  An increasing number of girls and young women are greatly interested in technical professions. In order to ensure that they will stay in the technical world of labour reforms in schools, in training and at the university have to be linked with reforms of working conditions. Funded by the Ministry and organized by VDI/VDE-IT, this subject was discussed at a conference on “Innovations – Worlds of Technology, Women’s Worlds”, which was held in Berlin on 21st October.

Networks

• MicroNano Technology Systems Integration - Era Pilot MiNa TSI
  funded by the European Commission
  
  Era Pilot MiNa TSI networks national and European entities supporting systems integration related to micro and nanotechnologies.

• General Olfaction and Sensing on a European Level – GOSPEL
  funded by the European Commission
  
  GOSPEL is a Network of Excellence (NoE) under funding of the European Commission in the 6th framework programme. GOSPEL aims to structure the European research in the field of Artificial Olfaction (AO) with the declared goal of establishing Europe as a world leader in this field.
  
• General HiGroSME - Supporting high-growth-potential-SMEs
  funded by the European Commission
  
  The HiGroSME project seeks to optimise present European support offerings for high growth potentials SME and to propose new European support programmes. The consortium consists of 8 European technology and innovation agencies with VDI/VDE-IT as the project coordinator.
  

Basic and further training

• Advanced Training in the Chemical Industry – Ciwes
  on behalf of the Federal Institute for Professional Training (BIBB)
  
  

  The VDI/VDE-IT and two partners have launched the project “Advanced Training Programme for the Chemical Industry – Ciwes”. The projects aim is to present necessary and sensible decisions for a durable and innovative advanced training programme for the chemical industry.