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Tech Monitor ( July-August 2000 ) |
| Technology Market Scan |
| INTERNATIONAL ITU signs MoU on e-business The International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on electronic business,
which had earlier been signed by three leading international standard
setting organizations. The three original signatories are ISO, the International
Electro chemical Commission
(IEC) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
In addition to these four signatories, two other parties, Continuous Acquisition
and Lifecycle Support (CALS) International and NATO participate as registered
international user groups in implementation of the MoU. ASIA-PACIFIC The Shanghai based Pudong Development Bank will provide 600 million yuan (about US$ 72 million) in credit loans to promote high technology transfers. Under an agreement signed recently, the loans will be granted to technology transfer project designated by the Shanghai New Hi-tech Service Center, and by members of the Shanghai Technology Stock Exchange. The bank, with subsidiaries across China, will help the center to expand its influence, said one senior bank official. To date, the center has
helped more than 570 high technology innovations to come out of the labs
and onto the market, and they are expected to generate an output value
of over 20 billion yuan. The center, known as "a match maker for
science and technology", has branches in Shenyang, Shenzhen, Zhenzhou,
and other major cities in China. National network for EST transfer From March 2000, CESTT will launch this ambitious blueprint for the network by starting up the Tianjin and Chengdu regional centres with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank. Under the coordination f the Sichuan Provincial Commission of Science and Technology, CESTT will unite the Environmental Technology Institute of China's Academy of Engineering Physics, Sichuan University, with the Wuhai Environment Protection Co. Ltd. To develop the Southwestern Center for Environmentally Sound Technology Transfer in Chengdu City, Sichuan province. The Southwestern center aims at assisting SMEs in the Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou Provinces and the Chongqing Municipality in enhancing their competitiveness and environmental performance by applying clean technology. This regional center will build upon strong technological fields such as flue gas desulphurization as well as integrated municipal solid waste management. In order to provide service more effectively to SMEs in northern China, CESTT will collaborate, under the coordination of the Tianjin Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, with the Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University, Nankai University and Tianjin Science and Technology Consulting Company, to establish the Northern Center for Environmentally Sound Technology Transfer. This regional center is designed to better serve the needs of SMEs in the Tianjin Municipality and the Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning and Shanxi Provinces. It will become a center of excellence in the areas of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment reuse and industrial water conservation. A common feature of the
two regional centres is that they combine the strengths of technology
development institutes, universities and environmental companies. This
open and collaborative institutional arrangement will help them act as
a bridge among different players for transfer and commercialization of
clean technology. Hi-tech company group formed A high-tech enterprise
group embracing software, microelectronics and communications has been
formed in the Hangzhou High-tech Industrial Development Zone. The zone,
which is known as "Silicon Valley" in Hangzhou, capital of East
China's Zhejiang Province, has been dedicated to the application of scientific
results and incubation of high-tech enterprises. After a decade of effort,
the zone has 613 enterprises, including 12 companies with combined annual
output surpassing 100 million yuan (US$ 12 million). Last year, the zone's
per capita profit ranked third among the country's 53 national high-tech
development zones. In addition, telecommunication enterprises such as the Eastcom Communications Co. Ltd. And the UT Starcom (Hangzhou) Communications Co. Ltd. Have played an important role in the zone. With the introduction of advanced tech nologies, the Eastcom communications Co. Ltd. has promoted the development and technological upgrading in mobile communications and the integration of photo, mechanical and electronic technologies. The annual sales volume has exceeded 6 billion yuan (US$ 722 million), giving it the 13th rank among the country's top 100 electronic companies. The high-tech zone has been supported by a bounty of human resources. Sixteen universities and colleges and nine national key laboratories in the city have offered scientific and technological results and projects for enterprises in the zone. Although state enterprises play a vital role in the zone's economic development, private enterprises, foreign funded companies, and enterprises set up by students returning from abroad out number the State companies. The Hangzhou Shilan (Youwang) Company has injected 10 per cent of its annual sales into product research and development. It has become one of the country's largest integrated circuit design companies. The company solely focuses
on development and marketing of the products. It has quickly expanded
production through cooperation with other companies, such as renting their
production lines. Last year, the sales exceeded 250 million yuan (US$
30 million) and US$ 10 million worth of products were exported to other
countries. Industrialization of research results The first industrialization base for research results of the National 863 Program was officially put into operation on 26 February 2000 in Shenzhen. This is a new initiative after a 14 year implementation of the National 863 Program. Li Xueyong, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said the Government has made a new plan for accelerating the industrialization process of high level research results while steadily promoting the implementation of Phase II 863 project. It is planned to select 16 enterprises in the country to be industrial alizarin bases for National 863 research results, and Shenzhen Kexing Bioproducts Co. Ltd. Is the first one. Located in the so called Biological Valley in Shenzhen, Kexing is the largest High-tech company manufacturing biological products in the country. Jointly operated by Weiming Biological Group of Peking University and US Handing Asia and Pacific Venture in vestment Fund, its new product Sairuo-jin interferon is the first industrialized biological product in China's 863 Program and also the first genetic engineering drug approved by the Ministry of Health for its mass production. It is reported that, after being named as an industrialization base for 863 research results, Kexing is planning to expand its business by constructing a so called its business by constructing a so called Shenzhen Peking University Biological Valley on similar lines. With its major products centered around hot genetically engineered products such as interferon, insulin, sinalbin 2 and sinalbin 11 and human growth hormone, the new biological valley expects to in vest Rmb 300 million for its Phase 1 project out of its total investment of Rmb 700 million China Science and Technology Newsletter INDIA The Rs. 1.25 billion (US$ 28.5 million) Credit Guarantee Scheme for Small Scale Industries will become operational within the next two months, once the autonomous trust to manage the corpus is formed, a senior official of the Ministry of Small Scale Industries and Agora and Rural Industries says. "The trust, which will be registered under the Indian Trust Act, will be headed by the Chairman, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and become operational in the next sixty days", Mr. D. P. Bagchi, Secretary of the Ministry said. The trust will be professionally managed and will have the Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner of the SSI Ministry, and an Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India as its members, he said, adding that specialists in the field of insurance and credit would also be made members of the trust. The fund will augment itself as income will flow from the guarantee fee of 2.5 per cent of the loan up front and an annual service fee of 1 per cent of the loan outstanding at the end of each year, Bagchi said. As loans disbursed would have a lock in period of 24 months, the initial fund corpus of Rs, 1.25 billion would be in vested, he said, but a final decision on this would be taken by the trust. http://www.asia-links.com/scripts/ponstnews/article.asp?newsid=6317 Technology fund for SSI Small Industry Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has created a Technology Development and Modernization Fund for small scale India or abroad. SIDBI offers soft loan support to SSI units at the prime lending rate of the bank, besides offering support for undertaking studies, surveys and promotion activities for the benefit of SSI units, especially those operating in clusters. Further, industry associations
interested in getting internet connections and hosting websites for their
members. Who should be predominantly SSI units, will be extended grant
support of up to 50 per cent of the cost of any project exceeding Rs.
30000 per association. This scheme will be available to the first 50 associations.
These initiatives would help SSI units link up with the Web, and thus
source the latest technology, and scout for markets across the globe.
MALAYSIA Malaysian Technology Development
Corporation (MTDC) and Gemrusa Capital Sdn Bhd signed a memorandum of
understanding to set up a joint venture (JV) company to manage a Malaysian
investment fund. For further information
on the investment fund, please contact: 43400 Serdang, Selangor,
Malaysia http://www.mtdc.com.my/wn/news/n0032.html MTDC Iaunches technology index The index allows investors to observe movements of technology stocks in the market as compared to industrial production, changes in money supply and corporate profits. At the same time, in vestors can study the rates of return of the index as it progresses to help judge their investment portfolio. MTDC, as a government agency in charge of overseeing technological development in Malaysia, believes it is appropriate that a technology index be formed as a benchmark for all technology companies. The MTDC Technology Index
starts with 30 technology based companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock
Exchange (KLSE) and Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing & Automated
Quotation (MESDAQ). MTDC has narrowed down the definition of "technology"
for the purpose of the index to 11 technology related sectors as follows:
An advisory panel comprising corporate leaders and academicians has been set up to monitor the index. The base period for the MTDC Technology Index was set at 30 April 1999, the day the MESDAQ was launched. The index and its components will be revised half-yearly to ensure that it conforms to market changes. MTDC Technology Index is carried live by BERNAMA and will be linked to MTDC and MTDC Capital & Technology Research Sdn Bhd's websites. MTDC is negotiating with local print media to publish the index on a daily basis. For further information,
please contact: PHILIPPINES In the past, many private
companies refrained from pursuing renewable energy projects in the country
because of the costs imposed by existing regulations the same regulations
that applied of fossil fuel plants. The new policy changes eliminate many
prohibitive regulations and make renewable energy more attractive to private
investment and international donor communities. A mountainous country of
more than 7000 islands, the Philippines is an excellent candidate for
using renewable energy systems that tap energy from the sun, wind and
moving water. SINGAPORE Warburg Pincus, the global private equity investment leader, will work closely with NSTB to identity and promote the development of IP based technology businesses in Singapore and through out the Asia Pacific region. In addition, they will provide additional support to nurture appropriate companies for further funding. The formation of Asia Alliance
Capital was announced at a media briefing in Singapore by Mr. John Vogelstein,
President of Warburg Pincus & Co, and Mr. Teo Ming Kian, Chairman
of the NSTB. Capitalized at S$ 43 million fund (US$ 25 million), iAsia
Alliance Capital will focus on seed and early stage start ups in the areas
of software technology, wire less communications, e-commerce and IT services.
Its geographical coverage will be the Asia Pacific region, with strong
linkages to Singapore. The investment size per company is expected to
be in the range of US$ 0.5 to 2.5 million. The National Science & Technology Board (NSTB) is the lead government agency providing focus and direction to Singapore's "technopreneurship" drive and is spearheading the nation's capability development. Participation in iAsia Alliance Capital is consistent with one of NSTB's main goals: to promote and develop a technopreneurial environment in Singapore which will lead to a vibrant and thriving sector of high growth technology oriented companies. The investment criteria
for iAsia Alliance Capital focusses on companies with strong business
fundamentals that intend to address sizeable markets. These companies
would have a solid business plan to take a major share of the market,
and a strong management team that can execute the plan. The fund will
focus exclusively on opportunities that are directly related to or enabled
by the information technology industry, with particular emphasis on Internet,
wireless communication and E-Com-merce driven companies. Some examples
of investment targets include companies providing. Contact: Frank Pizzurro THAILAND Established last year after approval from NSTDA's Board of Committees, NIC initially plans joint investment focussing on local software development projects. In addition to local and foreign venture capitalists and private funding sources, NIC will provide an alternative for local software development companies seeking funding support. NIC acting director Abhisak
Chulya said that in the first year, the Center had set a budget of around
Bt 20 million for new joint investment in software project. He said, however,
that any NIC supported projects would eventually have to be run commercially.
"We will consider providing support or taking a risk in local software
research and development projects that will help boost the development
of science and technology in the country as a whole. Importantly, those
projects must also have potential for commercial use", Abhisak said.
As an investor, Abhisak said NIC would participate in each company's management to help ensure the success of the project. However, NIC may withdraw its investment from any company if it considers the company can be self reliant. On the other hand, it a project is successful, it is possible that NIC will further expand its investment in that company through a joint venture (JV) model. In order to create a new JV, a project will have to be approved by NSTDA's capital and revenue sub committee, in addition to the agency's main Board of Committees. Apart from joint investments, NSTDA also has a plan to provide soft loans to local software companies soft loans to local software companies through a company directed Technology Development Program. Bt 80 million is being budgeted this year to support the program. Each project seeking a soft loan must not exceed Bt 20 million in value, said NSTDA technical officer Arunsri Sritan-atipol. She added that the agency would consider lending local software companies a maximum of 50 per cent of the total project value. Borrowers will have to pay annual interest at one half of the deposit interest rate, plus 2.25 per cent. The soft loans will be 75 per cent funded by the government financial fund, with the remainder coming from financial institutions such as Bangkok Bank, Thai Military Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, the Small Industry Finance Corporation, and the Industrial Finance corporation of Thailand, all of which will join the program. For more information, contact:
EUROPE The information provided is designed to facilitate follow up research and direct contact with potential joint venture partners, licensors, know how providers, or technical facilities. Hosted by CORDIS (the Community Research and Development Information Service), The Technology Marketplace is just one click away from the CORDIS homepage (www.cordis.lu). under interactive Services or directly (at www.cordis.lu/marketplace ) One of the most exciting
features of the Technology Marketplace is the new multimedia format of
the technology offers. This will present the most promising new results
of shraed cost research and development projects, and will invite enquiries
for collaboration and exploitation. Technology offers cover biotechnology
and medicine, energy, the environment, information technology and telecommunications,
and industrial research. Financing innovation The I-TEC (Innovation and Technology Equity Capital ) pilot scheme aims to increase the proportion of venture capital investment directed to early stage and high technology projects, by strengthening the capacity of the funds to appraise these investment opportunities. The 28 funds now participating in the scheme manage a total of 1.3 billion of which 0.5 billion is earmarked for technologically innovative companies less than three year old. To date, the funds have made 143 investments, worth 135 million, primarily in start up companies in the IT and biotech sectors leading to the creation of over 1500 high quality new jobs. FIT (Finance, Innovation, Technology) policy exchange projects support a series of workshops brining together research centres, business incubators and investors to address topics such as guarantee mechanisms, technology ratings and the role of micro financing in research spin-offs. It aims to improve mutual understanding and establish durable links between the world of finance and the innovation and technology community. Innovation & Technology Transfer GERMANY The most important markets for German printing and paper technology have always been located in western Europe and North America. The member states of the EU alone, the new, domestic market, accounted for 42 per cent of the overall exports. The top buyers are in the USA with a 16 per cent share in 1998, followed by U. K. With 7.3 per cent and France 6.6 per cent. But German suppliers are also successful in the important Asian and Latin American markets and were able to defend their position despite local economic turbulence. Exports to China have markedly in creased, where 5.5 per cent of the German exports make it number four among the top list of import sources. This strong position underlines the role German technology leaders play in the world market. Germany holds a major share of export to 24 leading industrial nations, where paper making and paper finishing machinery takes up 24 per cent, paper converting machinery 36 per cent and printing machinery 40 per cent. In 1999, India imported
German paper and printing machinery worth DM 41.2 million. Which was less
than half of the previous year's figures (DM 80.8mil). At the same time,
Indian exports of such machinery during 1999 increased from DM 5 million
to DM 7.5 million indicating an increase of 50 per cent. NORTH AMERICA Said EPRI president and CEO, Kurt Yeager, "Technology provides the critical edge for improving productivity, in creasing reliability, reducing costs, and providing greater customer value. It also enables the benefits of increased global electrification, economic expansion, improved health and safety, and better stewardship of our natural resources to accrue to our members and clients". Employing a business case approach, the new portfolio is designed to offer technology based business and marketing solutions for EPRI's customers in existing and emerging markets. Customers now have even greater flexibility to choose what works for them: real time application service assistance, problem solving guidelines. Market information, technical fixes, scientific knowledge to support a regulatory requirement or a full scale development effort. Mark Gabriel, EPRI's Director of Global Marketing, said, "Participants can choose from more than 100 program areas of business critical technology to build a portfolio that addresses their specific needs. Work in these technical areas is leveraged by collaborative funding and risk sharing, and is enriched by data and experience from across the country". Working through EPRI's subsidiary, EPRI Solutions, customers can also fund proprietary R&D or participate in commercialization ventures. EPRI Solutions customizes applications of EPRI technology and offers customers potential for new income streams from licensing fees, royalties, and equity share, EPRI's offerings also include technical services, such as operations trouble shooting and training in inspection tech niques, off the shelf software and manuals, and strategic research. For more information about
EPRI's technology development program. Visit the EPRI Destinations Website,
http://www.epri.com/corporate/prod-ucts_services/destinations/2001/index.html
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