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EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - Nov. 30, 2004
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To Subscribe: http://www.europeantechwire.com
o DTI Offers U.K. Companies £80 Million for Innovative R&D
o U.K. Unveils Blueprint for Future of EU Scientific Research
o mmO2 Signs i-mode Agreement with Japan's NTT DoCoMo
o Irish Fabless Firm Lightstorm Networks Raises 5 Million Euro
o Oracle to Set Up New Office in Belfast, Create Jobs in Ireland
o Scarlet Agrees to Acquire Tiscali Belgium for 19 Million Euro
o Briefly Noted: European Commission-Siemens AG-Bonus
Energy, Virgin Mobile-Indian MVNO, 3Touch-Funding Round,
Hewlett-Packard-Polish F&A Centre, Noblestar-Adam Wolf
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o DTI Offers U.K. Companies £80 Million for Innovative R&D
London -- The U.K. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
announced this week that it is offering £80 million to U.K. companies
for research and development (R&D) in innovative technologies. News
of the fund comes just after the DTI published a five-year programme
called "Creating Wealth from Knowledge", designed to change the
department's role as a national champion of science, innovation and
technology. The funding will be available for companies that carry out
Collaborative Research and Development in nine high-priority
technology areas: imaging technologies; opto-electronic and disruptive
electronic technologies; design, simulation and modelling; micro and
nanotechnology; pervasive computing; waste management and
minimisation; smart materials; bio-based industrial products; and
energy technologies. "We need to invest in these areas if we are to
successfully compete in the global knowledge economy," said U.K.
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L239127E9
http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/
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o U.K. Unveils Blueprint for Future of EU Scientific Research
London -- The U.K. government on Tuesday published its blueprint for
the future of scientific research, outlining how EU funding of research
could help boost competitiveness, increase Europe's global share of
world-class scientific research and improve EU policy making. "This is
a bold paper reflecting the needs of British scientists and industry," said
U.K. Science Minister Lord Sainsbury. "We want this … programme to
deliver significant results for the benefit of all." Sainsbury said the U.K.
would "argue strongly" for the following three things. Firstly, the U.K.
will push for world-leading basic research driven by scientific
excellence -- and delivered by the European Research Council -- to
secure Europe's place as a powerhouse of scientific study. Secondly, it
will advocate applied research driven by the needs of industry for more
innovative products and services that will fuel economic
competitiveness. And lastly, the U.K. will encourage applied research
driven by the needs of policy makers and disseminated effectively
across the EU.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X36A227E9
http://www.ost.gov.uk/ostinternational/fp7/
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o mmO2 Signs i-mode Agreement with Japan's NTT DoCoMo
London -- NTT DoCoMo, the largest mobile operator in Japan, and
U.K.-based mobile operator mmO2 Plc announced on Tuesday that
they have reached an agreement to offer DoCoMo's i-mode services in
the U.K., Germany and Ireland next year. i-mode is an "always-on"
Internet service that allows users to send e-mail, chat, play games,
download ring tones and access content. DoCoMo has been searching
for a European partner for i-mode since it severed ties with Hutchison
3G, the local subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, six
months ago. "Following the recent success of i-mode elsewhere in
Europe and its growing subscriber base, we have conducted a thorough
evaluation of the opportunities offered by licensing this technology,"
said mmO2 CEO Peter Erskine. Erskine also said the deal stood to
boost mmO2's average revenue per user (ARPU) significantly.
http://www.mmo2.com/media/pr_041129.asp
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o Irish Fabless Firm Lightstorm Networks Raises 5 Million Euro
Dublin -- Lightstorm Networks, an Ireland-based fabless
semiconductor design firm, announced on Tuesday that it has raised 5
million euro (£3.5 million) in venture capital. The company said that
Trinity Venture Capital and Delta Partners led the round, in which
existing investors Enterprise Ireland and the Western Development
Commission also participated. The investment will be used chiefly to
fund expansion and to speed up the release of the company's first
product next year, Lightstorm Networks said. Lightstorm, which has
offices in Galway, Dublin and the U.S., provides a range of
semiconductor technologies for the multi-service access network.
Fabless companies produce computer chips, but do not own their own
fabrication plants, or fabs.
http://www.lightstormnetworks.com/
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o Oracle to Set Up New Office in Belfast, Create Jobs in Ireland
Belfast, Northern Ireland -- Oracle, the second-largest software maker
in the world, announced on Tuesday that it plans to open a new office
in Belfast and create 50 new jobs in the Republic of Ireland. The new
positions will be located in the company' new Consulting Centre in
East Point Business Park in Dublin, Oracle said. "We will now be
looking for people with technical skills as before, but we will also want
people with a high degree of business acumen as well," said Oracle
Ireland Managing Director Nicky Sheridan. HP said the new centre in
Belfast would be a sales and support office to meet the needs of the
U.S.-based business software giant's customers in the region.
http://www.oracle.com/global/ie/index.html
_____________________________________________
o Scarlet Agrees to Acquire Tiscali Belgium for 19 Million Euro
Amsterdam -- Scarlet Belgie Holding B.V. announced on Tuesday that
it has agreed to acquire Tiscali Belgium N.V., the Belgian subsidiary of
Italy-based Internet service provider (ISP) Tiscali, for 19 million euro
in cash. Scarlet said it expected the deal to close within the next two
months, pending approval by the Belgian Competition Authority.
Tiscali, Europe's third-largest ISP, said its decision to offload its
Belgian unit came as part of its plan to re-focus its resources on just
five core markets. The Tiscali Belgium deal now brings the total
proceeds from its overall disposal plan to more than 100 million euro,
the company said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W20B327E9
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o Briefly Noted:
(Brussels) The European Commission on Tuesday granted clearance
under the EU Merger Regulation for the acquisition of Danish company
Bonus Energy by German IT and engineering giant Siemens AG.
Bonus is the world's fifth-largest wind turbine manufacturer, with
annual sales of more than 300 million euro. The EU said the proposed
acquisition was examined using the simplified merger review
procedure, which fast-tracks unopposed deals. Siemens Power
Generation, a division of Siemens, said it expected to close the deal by
the end of next month.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y50552DA8
(London) According to a report in Indian news daily The Financial
Express, Sir Richard Branson is in early-stage talks with four different
telecommunications companies in India over the possibility of leasing
network capacity for U.K.-based mobile operator Virgin Mobile.
Branson did not identify the companies involved, nor did he specify
whether the network would be CDMA or GSM. "Virgin would be glad
to have its own telecoms license in India, but we can suggest we ride
piggyback on existing networks," he told The Financial Express.
http://www.financialexpress.com/index.php
(Dublin) 3Touch, an Ireland-based audio-visual technology firm,
announced this week that it has closed a 2-million-euro (£1.4 million)
round of venture capital funding. The company also announced that it
has secured deals that could be worth more than 1.5 million euro (£1
million). 3Touch said the funding came primarily from Enterprise
Ireland and a number of private investors, and that it would use the
funds to develop and market its products.
http://www.3touch.com/aboutus.htm
(Warsaw) U.S.-based technology giant Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP)
announced on Tuesday that it is planning to open a new finance and
accounts centre in Poland. Although the company declined to provide a
specific timeline for the project, it did say the centre would eventually
employ more than 1,000 people. HP estimated it would spend as much
as 50 million euro (£35 million) on the centre during the first half of
next year alone. The centre is likely to be based in either Poznan or
Wroclaw, HP said.
http://www.hp.com/
(London) Noblestar, a U.K.-based professional services firm that
specialises in IT, announced the appointment of Adam Wolf as practice
manager for its RFID Solutions Division. With more than 15 years of
consulting and systems integration experience, especially in the area of
Supply Chain Management, Wolf's addition will considerably
strengthen the company's RFID practice, Noblestar said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q523157E9
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> RealNetworks - Lawyer - Digital Music Business
RealNetworks is looking to hire a lawyer in its London office to work
primarily on matters related to its digital music business, including
Rhapsody, RadioPass and mobile music services. The lawyer hired will
negotiate and draft content licensing agreements with record labels and
music publishers; distribution, marketing and promotion agreements
with broadband service providers, websites, retailers, mobile carriers
and handset providers. Require lawyer 3-7 years qualified, with a focus
in digital music/media, licensing and distribution, knowledge of
Internet law issues, excellent writing and negotiation skills, excellent
academic record, highly motivated and independent worker excited by
a fast-paced environment.
Please apply online: http://makeashorterlink.com/?X19A12ED9
Closing date for applications is Friday 3rd December
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