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About Us Enterprise Europe Network - Ireland West is based in Galway Chamber of Commerce and is a business support centre open to members and non-members of the chamber. Our core function is to support companies to connect with trade partners in Europe, innovate their products and services, and grow their business. Our centre is part of the wider Enterprise Europe Network consisting of 600 host organisations spread across 40 countries in the EU and Associate countries.  Over 4,000 skilled and experienced staff are linked through the Network’s database to offer business support and partnership advice to local companies.  Our centre works in partnership with Enterprise Ireland in delivering regional support to companies. What we do We provide the following assistance to companies located in the west of Ireland Business to Business Matching Service e.g. distributors, manufacturers, importers inform companies of tendering opportunities for Irish businesses help business to access EU funding programmes and other incentives provide info on EU markets, policies, regulations and EU initiatives update businesses on events and trade shows relevant to their sector connect businesses to new technologies within the framework of R&D Business-to-Business Matching Service The Business-to-Business Matching Service is a unique service provided to all business Free of Charge which helps you find new business contacts in overseas markets. Whether you are a shop owner looking to source new unique lines of products or you are a manufacturer of electronic products looking to licence in a technology, this service can help get you introduced into a market place at no cost to your business. Find a match for your Business Send us your Request and we'll do the rest ! Business Request / Offer Form Search the latest B2B Matching Bulletin for current list of businesses looking to connect with Irish companies Download B2B Matching Bulletin ***Featured Profiles July 2010*** Serbian company, producer of work uniforms, searches for distributor and offers service as subcontractor. View Full Details Croatian company, producer of a patented fully adaptable shoe wardrobe system, unique worldwide, is looking for trade intermediary partners, as well as for joint venture partnership. The company is also offering sale/acquisition of the complete company or a part of it. View Full Details A Polish company specialised in metal processing is looking for trade intermediaries and is offering its activities as a subcontractor. View Full Details UK company, specialising in health and nutrition consultancy and research, offers to act as a sub-contractor or outsourced provider of health and nutrition-related services to EU-based firms wishing to sell their food products in the UK market. The firm is also interested in potential joint ventures. View Full Details An Italian company producing high quality wine is looking for importers and distributors interested in selling its wines in a foreign market. View Full Details Are you looking for a business partner in Europe? We work with over 600 partner organisations in 40 countries and may be able to held you find a business partner. For further details contact: sheila@galwaychamber.com   Upcoming Events Funding Opportunities  Eco-innovation projects in Europe: good for business, good for the environment Life is not always easy. Especially if your company has developed a new "green" solution that could really work but has still not found its place in the market. Through the Eco-innovation funding scheme, the EU wants to support innovative products, services and technologies that can make a better use of our natural resources and reduce Europe's ecological footprint. With its objective to bridge the gap between research and the market, CIP Eco-innovation contributes to the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP). There is nearly €200 million available to fund Eco-innovation projects between 2008 and 2013.The Call for proposals 2010 is open. Deadline for submission of applications is 9 September, 17:00 (Brussels local time). More details.. Your Voice in Europe  When introducing new legislation or reviewing existing legislation and policies, the European Commission opens public consultations so that all relevent stakeholders may give their opinions and feedback. Taking part in these consultations usually involves completing a short questionnaire.  Some consultations currently open include the following topics: Public consultation on corporate governance in financial institutions and remuneration policies. Deadline September 1st 2010. More info.. Public debate on the future of pensions. Deadline November 15 2010 More info.. Public consultation on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legislation of the EU. Deadline September 24th 2010 More info.. Downloads  Frequently Asked Questions about Enterprise Europe Network Services Guide to Intellectual Property The European Union - Delivering for Galway Presentations from New Business Opportunities - Ideas through Licencing and co-operation Worshop Carol Brady, Project Manager, Enterprise Europe Network (Galway Chamber)  Seamus Bree, Regional Director, Enterprise Ireland P.J O'Reilly, Technology Partnering Executive, Enterprise Europe Network (Enterprise Ireland)  Hot Topics Doing Business in Germany  Are you considering doing business in Germany but don't know where to start? To help you decide and provide a comprehensive source of information we have put together a Fact Sheet on the subject. To access the summary version fact sheet click here, For a more detailed version click here CE Marking CE Marking is the European marking of manufactured goods, fulfilling technical requirements due to European regulations. The ma rking of those products is obligatory and without this seal EEA market access is not possible.  CE marking ensurescommon standards and requirements across 30 European countries. Further details on CE marking.. EU Services Directive comes into force With the beginning of the New Year the EU directive on services that attempts to eliminate national regulations which impede the cross-border delivery of services in a manner that is discriminatory or objectively unjustified on the grounds of public interest, comes into force. The scope of the directive covers the provision of services by distributive trade (including retail), regulated professions, construction and craft, business activities, accommodation, leisure, catering, installation and maintenance, media, training and education, real estate services and leasing. Only a few category groups are explicitly excluded such as electronic communications networks, transportation, healthcare and certain state-provided social services. Now it is the turn of the governments of the member states to transpose the Directive into natonal legislation. Full details on Irish tranposition of legislation... Employment Subsidy Scheme The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has initiated the Employment Subsidy Scheme, managed by Enterprise Ireland, to support the retention of jobs in viable exporting enterprises that might otherwise be made redundant as a result of the impact of the global and financial economic crises.   It is an employment subsidy scheme for eligible manufacturing and internationally trading, exporting enterprises that can identify a number of full-time jobs at risk in their company as a result of the current economic downturn. Employment subsidies of up to €200 per week per full time (working an average 35 hour week) person for the first 26 weeks and then on a reducing scale thereafter to a maximum of €9,100 over the 15 month period to 21/11/2010 may be awarded to successful applicants. The maximum support an enterprise can receive is €500,000.  A condition of approval is that companies commit to maintaining a multiple of the number of full time jobs that may be covered by employment subsidies until 30/11/2010.  Failure to comply with this condition will result in the application being ineligible.  The scheme is implemented under the EU State Aid Temporary Framework Guidelines. This is a cash limited scheme. Are you eligible? Eligibility can be summarised as companies/groups who: - Are manufacturing or internationally traded services - Currently employ 10 or more full-time employees - Are currently exporting and can demonstrate that exports accounted for at least 30% of sales last year - Will commit to retaining a number of full time employees to 30/11/2010 For more information see: www.employmentsubsidy.ie Misleading Directory Companies Quite regularly, our centre receives calls from local businesses, large and small, with questions concerning the validity of actions of some Directory Companies. While many of the directory companies are indeed acting in a proper manner, some directory companies engage in practices which businesses feel are misleading. Following several complaints and having reported these complaints to our elected representatives in the European Parliament, we now have an update on some of the issues which businesses have raised and what action if appropriate the European Parliament are resolving to make. A practical workshop to help SMEs win Public Procurement Opportunities in Ireland the EU and the 2012 Olympics. The workshop will be a mixture of presentation, interactive exercises, and working on a tender applicable to your business To read the Resolution by the European Parliament of 16.Dec.2008 on misleading directory companies click here. This resolution is the European Parliaments response to the situation of all the complaints they have received and their views on the various studies and opinions expressed in the European insitutions on this matter. Further Reading: Study of the extent of the problem "directory companies" Report on Misleading Directory Companies (Committee of Petitions, European Parliament)   To find out how we can help your company, contact Carol Brady, Project Manager at carol@galwaychamber.com or telephone 091-563536.