LEAR - LEGAL ENTITY APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE 
The LEAR should provide the Commission with up-to-date legal and financial data (including supporting documents, where
necessary) and commits to maintain the information up-to-date, enabling future use for grants and other transactions between the entity and the Commission research (and other) programmes. A legal signatory of each legal entity must appoint one person (the so-called LEAR – Legal Entity Appointed Representative) for being the correspondent towards the Commission on all
issues related to the legal status of the entity.

More info: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/urf-lear_en.html

NEW WEBSITE- THE ENTERPRISE FINANCE INDEX (EFI)

New website on SMEs' access to finance in Member States (27 May 2008)The Enterprise Finance Index (EFI) website has been
launched by the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry 27th May 2008. It aims to provide data and trends about the
development of access to finance for SMEs in the Member States in a clear and user-friendly manner. The final goal is to
enable policy makers better to evaluate the effects of policies on SME finance across Europe.

Contact: entr-finance-index@ec.europa.eu

More info: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/financing/enterprise_finance_index/index.htm

FP7- SME-2008-1 CALL - RESEARCH FOR THE SMEs - RESULTS KNOWN
A total of 673 proposals were received when the call closed on 11 April 2008. 10 proposals were declared ineligible before the evaluation. The evaluation of the other 663 proposals were conducted remotely from 13 to 30 May 2008, and in Brussels from
9 to 19 June. The most popular topics include: Information and Communication Technologies (93proposals),Machinery/Instruments/Sensors (54 proposals) and material processing (48 proposals). It is said that European Commission is going to finance circa 98 proposals (due to budgetary issues).

FP7 - ON-LINE LEARNING COURSE IN THE FRAME OF THE HAGRID PROJECT

A specially tailored e-course on FP7 issues was elaborated in the frame of the Hagrid project, financed under the FP6. The main aim of this course is to improve the overall research performance of an organization (so called newcomer/beginner in FP7) concerning its future participation in FP7-ICT area. The course consist of two parts: conventional one with two face-to-face meetings training sessions, lasting 1-2 days each and a number of distance learning training modules. Apart from that there is a forum that consist of learning materials and useful information for trainees and a possibility to have additional training face to face meetings with the tutors.
More info about the project itself can be found at: http://www.hagridproject.net/

FRENCH PRESIDENCY CONFERENCE 2008 - E.U. RESEARCH FOR SMEs
The two-day event organized by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, The European
Commission, The French Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment and Oseo will host over 300 participants.

FIRST EUROPEAN SME WEEK - MAY 2009 ORGANIZERS LOOKED FOR
The European Commission is going to organize the first European SME week in May 2009 to inform SMEs about available support at EU and national level and to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs. The SME week will be an European
umbrella campaign for activities that take place throughout Europe. The SME week will run from 6 to 14 May 2009. It will be launched in Brussels on 6 May but the vast majority of events during the week will take place across Europe in
the Member States. The closing event will be organised together with the Czech Presidency on 13 and 14 May 2009. This event will include the European Enterprise Awards ceremony.

More information can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/

MODEL GRANT AGREEMENT - AVAILABLE IN 21 LANGUAGES
The European Commission has adopted on 10 April 2007 the general model grant agreement to be used in research
projects funded under the 7th Framework Programmes. This model grant agreement is applicable to the indirect
actions under the 'Cooperation' and 'Capacities' Specific Programmes of FP7. It consists of a core text and several
annexes. There is also a list of special clauses to be introduced in the grant agreement where necessary.

The core text together with annexes can be downloaded from: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls-grant-agreement_en.html

PUTTING SMALL BUSINESS FIRST - 2008 EDITION
This guide provides a handy summary of EU SME policy, its key initiatives and programmes, and underlines the importance of making Europe a better place for SMEs to do business. The 2008 version of the Guide indicates how SMEs can get involved, and where they can turn to for additional information. New and completely updated edition, including the 'Small Business Act for Europe'.

The brochure can be downloaded from:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=1619

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
08.09.2008, Cracow, Poland, Training course of intellectual property rights protection
11.09.2008, Dublin, Ireland, 2nd National Innovation Forum Making Innovation Deliver Results
15.09.2008, Brussels, Belgium, FP7 Security Info Day
17 - 19.09.2008, Strasbourg, France, EuroBioForum
19.09.2008, Brussels, Belgium, How to write a FP7 Proposal successfully?
29.09-02.10.2008, Paris, France, Valorization of Innovation: practice and problems of licensing
06-09.10.2008, Brussels, Belgium, Open Days 2008. European Week of Regions and Cities
20.10.2008, Wisla, Poland, 8th International Interdisciplinary Conference on e-Commerce and e-Government
22.10.2008, Lyon, France, 2nd Europe Innova Conference Accelerating Innovation in Europe
22-24.10.2008, Stokholm, Sweden, eChallenges e-2008 Conference & Exhibition
30.10.2008, Brussels, Belgium, Management of Intellectual Property Rights and Contract Management