Issue Industry and small businesses situated in the Atlantic seaboard regions are off-centre in relation to Europe's main economic areas. This creates disadvantages for these enterprises in gaining access to scientific and technological resources.

The ATLANTEC network, set up between 1997 and 1999, is primarily aimed at promoting transnational cooperation between those working in the scientific and industrial sectors in six regions of the southern part of the Atlantic Area: Aquitaine, Navarre, the Basque Country, Galicia, all of Portugal and Andalucia.

The network offers them tools to facilitate information dissemination, meetings, exchanges and initiatives within the scientific and technical communities in fields of common interest and to help them learn about areas of excellence and the application of key technologies which have an impact on the economy and society. In this way, the network encourages the development of regional potential.

To facilitate the launch of cooperation projects (technology transfers, research and development projects), their promoters within the ATLANTEC network can benefit from a system of direct financial aid and logistical and technical assistance to help researchers and industrialists when they have to travel.

ATLANTEC also organises technological exchanges between SMEs (products, hardware, software), exchanges of experiences and good practices in its members' fields of expertise and training seminars when outside expertise is needed.

It participates in events, such as the International Environmental Fair, PROMA 2001, in Bilbao, operates "technological watches" and is engaged in a number of other activities.

Among the joint actions carried out is the development of an Internet communication tool, especially intended for environment technologies (processing of industrial residues). Different sources of information, complementary but often scattered, are brought together.

New information (legislation, supply and demand of technologies, patents, publications, events) is e-mailed to the different communities of experts who are registered as users. A server of channels, together with a server of distribution lists, acts as a go-between for the users in the four available languages. It does systematic searches on a series of websites to find new information.

With e-mail, it is possible to automatically inform the users about topics of interest to them and to send comments to all the others on the distribution list. Electronic forums are also organised. The ATLANTEC Internet site also contains a regularly updated database for companies on the technological centres and facilities of the partner regions.

Cámara Navarra de Comercio e Industria
Phone: +34 948 07 70 70
cexteriorycoop@camaranavarra.com

//1997

case

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Research & innovation

Implementation & production