Introducing Innovation
Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency has played host to a range of top European organisations during the inaugural meeting of the Innovation in Micro-Enterprises (IIME) Partnership.
Representatives from University Politehnica of Bucharest, the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation, Magdeburg in Germany and Mindshare Consulting, based in Paris, met with local academics from Greenshoots Innovation and Incubation Centre in Newry, the Dundalk Institute of Technology, the social enterprise Media Ireland which operates IurFM, and First Derivatives plc, to discuss approaches to innovation.The group also toured ITS New Media based at WIN Business Park, a high-growth local enterprise.
Over the next 18 months, Enterprise Agency staff and local micro-enterprises will visit the partner organisations in France, Germany and Romania with a view to introducing new innovation training models into small businesses in Newry and Mourne and helping to generate new trading opportunities between European countries.
Speaking to the Partnership at WIN, Dr Conor Patterson, Chief Executive of Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency, said, “Especially in the current economic climate, it is important that small businesses are not complacent but are encouraged and supported to be continuously innovative.”
The partnership is funded through the Leonardo Da Vinci EU Lifelong Learning Programme.
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