http://www.infodev.org/en/index.html The latest news from infoDev 10 http://www.infodev.org/images/infodev.gif http://www.infodev.org/en/index.html Do you have an entrepreneurial and innovative idea that is locally-driven and has great potential to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries? In January 2009, the SEED Initiative will be launching its call for proposals for the 2009 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship in sustainable development. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.312.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.312.html GloTech Organics is a research-based technology venture dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of agro-based value added products that preserve soil and water, increase plant productivity under a crop eco-system. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.304.html Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.304.html Bharath Agro Products is a venture incubated at the Tiruchirappalli Regional Engineering College - Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park (TREC-STEP), a member and grantee of infoDev's Global Network of Business Incubators and one of the winners at the Development Marketplace 2008. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.305.html Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.305.html As global competition intensifies and innovation becomes riskier and more costly, the business sector has been internationalising knowledge-intensive corporate functions, including R&D. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.306.html Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.306.html http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.310.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.310.html The contest was organized within the framework of the EurOffice Project, where 80 Science Parks from Europe and the rest of world have partnered for creating a set of new venture incubation practices in globalization. The project is partly funded by the European Commission to promote dynamic international networking opportunities and to open international markets for small innovative firms, start-ups and SMEs. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.292.html Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.292.html OECD and the World Bank are joining forces to work more closely on innovation, particularly insofar as this issue is a crucial factor in the success of development policy, notably in middle income market economies. To this end, the OECD and the World Bank will hold a conference on 18-19 November in Paris to discuss issues such as the diffussion of technology in developing countries or the evolution of the ICT sector and its contribution to growth in the OECD and developing countries. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.276.html Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.276.html Proposals were submitted in response to the Call for Proposals under the Korean Turst Fund for ICT for Development. The Korean Trust Fund finances projects chosen followig a competitive selection process of proposals received from operational units for the World Bank. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.277.html Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.277.html More than 200 participants from about 20 countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) gathered in Tambov, Russia, to discuss the potential and challenges for innovation and SME development outside the megapolises in the ECA region. Focus areas included education and youth, social innovation, industrial and technology innovation, tourism and agriculture, including a training session on local economic development and stakeholder management. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.284.html Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.284.html The development community is experiencing an explosion of interest in providing low cost devices, such as laptops, to students in developing countries. infoDev is now working to develop a web-based “community of practice” that will share lessons among the different initiatives. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.275.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.275.html The 3rd Global Forum on Business Incubation will be held in Brasilia, Brazil on May 11-15, 2009. Further information about the program, participation and practical arrangements will be posted here soon. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.273.html Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.273.html More than $4 million was awarded in seed money to 22 innovative agricultural projects at the end of the 2008 Development Marketplace, a competitive grant program organized by the World Bank to fund innovation in development. infoDev is pleased to announce that a member of its Global Network of Business Incubators was awarded for its Mini Cold Storage Ventures project. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.271.html Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.271.html Economic growth and social wealth in the Eastern European and Central Asian region increasingly depends on the ability to foster economic and social development and innovation in small and medium sized towns and rural areas, where business incubators, other business development instruments and the government play a key role. Sharing international experiences about such innovation development is the objective of this international conference. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.265.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.265.html infoDev study finds that ICT plays an important role in facilitating the modernization and improved economic performance of firms in transition economies. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.247.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.247.html A key finding from infoDev's Incubator Initiative and our country work on growth and competitiveness is that there is little available financing for technology entrepreneurs. Without appropriate financing, the inevitable result is a significant slowdown in the business development process, which, in a fast moving business such as ICT, may ultimately jeopardize chances of success. To better understand the financial challenges facing technology entrepreneurs, infoDev commissioned this study, which assesses the current efforts by multilateral institutions and investors to address the financing needs of ICT and ICT-enabled SMEs in developing countries, and identifies the key challenges and constraints to meeting these needs. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.243.html Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.243.html The incubator selected 12 women (from 60 applicants) in the information and communication technology field for its Empowering Women in ICT 18-month mentoring program, which aims to develop role models and encourage South African women to become ICT entrepreneurs. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.251.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.251.html Proposals were submitted in response to RFP "Promoting ICT-enabled Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries through Business Incubation" http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.234.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.234.html One of the first tenant companies of YES Incubator, a member of the infoDev Global Network of Business Incubators, won a large-scale tender of the Government of the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia in July 2008 aiming to provide free ICT trainings for more than 7000 citizens. The “Macedonia – Country of Information Technology“ program aims to extend ICTs to citizens by increasing the Internet penetration rate, PC literacy and PC access. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.249.html Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.249.html The first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2003, brought together leaders from governments around the world to discuss and adopt strategies for creating an inclusive Information Society. One outcome of the Summit was a Plan of Action enunciating ten targets to be achieved by 2015 of which the first is: “...to connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points...”. This report describes research to measure that target. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.236.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.236.html Tiruchirappalli Regional Engineering College - Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park (TREC-STEP) from India has been selected as a finalist among 100 candidates for the DM2008 awards. 1,768 proposals were submitted for this year's competition. TREC-STEP has been a member of infoDev's Global Network of Business Incubators since 2004. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.231.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.231.html Co-published by The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Doing Business Report 2008 is the fifth in a series of annual reports investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. In particular, it identifies countries where to do business, from the easiest to the most difficult places, through indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.233.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.233.html infoDev has received 90 proposals from 39 countries as the result of the Call for Proposals on its initative to promote ICT-enabled Innovation and Entrepreneurship in developing countries through business Incubation. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.228.html Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.228.html Thirteen youth organizations from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus received $232,000 in grants on April 4, 2008, from a World Bank led initiative supporting innovative development projects. The organizations are the winners of Youth Development Marketplace (DM) 2008, a competitive grant program of the World Bank. http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.220.html Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.220.html