Innovation Relay Centre.

December 2000 I N N O V A T I O N / S M E s P R O G R A M M E IRC N E W S L E T T E R I N N O V A T I O N F I N A N C I N G W O R K S H O P Investment Expertise In collaboration with the European Commission's LIFT Helpdesk, the IRC network is rapidly developing the competence to offer local support in the key area of innovation financing. [...] Jointly developed by the IRC IRE The search is an Central Unit (CU) and LIFT, the programme was designed to help Michael White of Enterprise participating IRCs to assess and Ireland outl ined the range of strengthen skills and procedures innovation financing services to assist clients in securing devel which an IRC could offer, while opment financing. [...] The workshop began with an Westphalia both offer full in overview of the market for innov house innovation financing ation finance, and the way in services, and gave practical which investors and lenders examples of the help they can money chasing too few deals is a assess technology projects. [...] Christophe deTauzia of the LIFT investment contracts word by The workshop raised aware Helpdesk traced a typical pro word before they are signed, we ness of the issues involved, and ject's sources of funding from can save them a lot of time and enabled participants to position founder, friends and family to money," said Rainer Hagedorn of themselves on the ' innovation initial public offering (I [...] He later told the confer "You could say that the European V J ^ g i a n and European em ence that if Europe was to be Business Summit created a plat ployer's federations FEB-VBO and come the most competitive and form for a new era of co opera UNICE, the June summit^) offered dynamic economy in the world it tion for IRC Brussels." a unique opportunity to promote urgently needed to release its