Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands; SMEs and International co-operation

This is the seventh edition of the series 'Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands'. The series started in 1997 and is a joint publication of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and EIM Business & Policy Research. This edition deals with international cooperation of SMEs. The first Chapter by EIM describes characteristics of international cooperation: why, how and with what type of effects? Thereafter staff members of the Ministry sketch the aims and the ambition of policy instruments in the field. As practical illustrations three enterprises haven been portrayed. In addition to authors from EIM and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, three staff members working on internationalisation and entrepreneurship at the Nottingham University Business school in UK, reflect on the issues covered in this publication by presenting and commenting on ten myths that surround the internationalisation of smaller private firms.

Sustainable seabed mining: guidelines and a new concept for Atlantis II Deep

The feasibility of exploiting seabed resources is subject to the engineering solutions, and economic prospects. Due to rising metal prices, predicted mineral scarcities and unequal allocations of resources in the world, vast research programmes on the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals are presented in 1970s. Very few studies have been published after the 1980s, when predictions were not fulfilled. The attention grew back in the last decade with marine mineral mining being in research and commercial focus again and the first seabed mining license for massive sulphides being granted in Papua New Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone.Research on seabed exploitation and seabed mining is a complex transdisciplinary field that demands for further attention and development. Since the field links engineering, economics, environmental, legal and supply chain research, it demands for research from a systems point of view. This implies the application of a holistic sustainability framework of to analyse the feasibility of engineering systems. The research at hand aims to close this gap by developing such a framework and providing a review of seabed resources. Based on this review it identifies a significant potential for massive sulphides in inactive hydrothermal vents and sediments to solve global resource scarcities. The research aims to provide background on seabed exploitation and to apply a holistic systems engineering approach to develop general guidelines for sustainable seabed mining of polymetallic sulphides and a new concept and solutions for the Atlantis II Deep deposit in the Red Sea.The research methodology will start with acquiring a broader academic and industrial view on sustainable seabed mining through an online survey and expert interviews on seabed mining. In addition, the Nautilus Minerals case is reviewed for lessons learned and identification of challenges. Thereafter, a new concept for Atlantis II Deep is developed that based on a site specific assessment.The research undertaken in this study provides a new perspective regarding sustainable seabed mining. The main contributions of this research are the development of extensive guidelines for key issues in sustainable seabed mining as well as a new concept for seabed mining involving engineering systems, environmental risk mitigation, economic feasibility, logistics and legal aspects

MODES OF INNOVATION & UNCERTAINTIES IN THE CAPITAL GOODS INDUSTRY

Product innovation is a subtle process, frequently leading to shifts in the competitiveness of firms. Developing products in an environment undergoing technological change is given to frequent failure, even in well-established and sophisticated organizations. In order to tackle competitiveness and to deal with innovation uncertainty, firms develop diverse innovation processes. Two modes of innovation are suggested in recent literature: 1) Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) mode, which is based on the production and use of codified scientific and technical knowledge; and 2) Doing, Using and Interacting (DUI) mode, which relies on informal processes of learning and experience-based know-how. In this paper we analyse product innovation at firm level. We perform an exploratory analysis in four leading equipment and machinery producers from the Aveiro region, in Portugal. Doing so, we explore the main features of the capital goods’ industry with implications for innovation, and analyse the dominant uncertainties associated to the innovation process. and modes of innovation. Key findings include the complete absence of DUI mode in the cases studied, and even a low learning characteristic in one company. The paper concludes by considering the implications for firms’ competitiveness and for innovation policy.modes of innovation, uncertainties, R&D, capital goods, SME

Biocontrol Agents and Plant Inoculants: Implications for Strengthening the BTWC

Ye

Fundamental of cryogenics (for superconducting RF technology)

This review briefly illustrates a few fundamental concepts of cryogenic engineering, the technological practice that allows reaching and maintaining the low-temperature operating conditions of the superconducting devices needed in particle accelerators. To limit the scope of the task, and not to duplicate coverage of cryogenic engineering concepts particularly relevant to superconducting magnets that can be found in previous CAS editions, the overview presented in this course focuses on superconducting radio-frequency cavities.Comment: 20 pages, contribution to the CAS - CERN Accelerator School: Course on High Power Hadron Machines; 24 May - 2 Jun 2011, Bilbao, Spai

Identification of heat exchange process in the evaporators of absorption refrigerating units under conditions of uncertainty

Проведено аналіз функціонування випарників абсорбційно-холодильних установок блоку вторинної конденсації типового для України агрегату синтезу аміаку. Обґрунтована необхідність мінімізації температури вторинної конденсації за рахунок створення автоматизованої адаптивної системи оптимального програмного управління. Встановлені рівняння для чисельної оцінки невизначеності теплового навантаження випарника та коефіцієнту теплопередачі. Розроблено алгоритмічне забезпечення щодо розв’язання задач ідентифікації та створення математичної моделі. Визначена технічна структура автоматизованої системи для їх реалізації

Розробка технології збагачення розсипних титанових руд в умовах ТОВ ВКФ «Велта»

Об’єктом дослідження є технологія збагачення розсипних ільменітових руд. Предметом досліджень є ільменітові руди розсипного родовища. Метою дипломної роботи є зменшення втрат ільменіту з відходами магнітного збагачення розсипних руд Берзулівського родовища в умовах ТОВ ВКФ «Велта». В дипломній роботі запропоновано оригінальне рішення, яке полягає у застосуванні високоградієнтної магнітної сепарації з попереднім розділенням їх живлення на класи крупності -0,8+0,25 та -0,25 мм. Перший клас збагачується на роликовому сепараторі зі стрічкою, а другий – на сепараторі відхиляючого типу. Таке рішення дозволило підвищити ефективність схеми збагачення в цілому

The maison europeenne des procedes innovants (MEPI),an example of piloting and industrial demonstration facility for the green process engineering

Abstract. Economical, energy savings and environmental challenges require an actual technological breakthrough in process engineering, aiming with productivity, product quality, safety and reliability objectives. This explains the present growth of interest in innovative technologies (intensified devices for reaction, mixing and separation) and methods (multifunctionality, hybrid separation, batch to continuous methodology, new media …), the whole being recognized as Process Intensification. Up to now, a few of innovations has been successfully industrialized, probably due to the lack of experience and retrofitting in front of a breakthrough that always represents a technical and financial risk. There is now clearly a need for industrial demonstrations of successful PI experiments avoiding the questions of confidentiality. Consequently, a piloting and demonstration facility has been created in Toulouse in order to accelerate the implementation of PI technology in industry and the development of the Green Process Engineering. The idea is to build a data bank of success stories. The principle of this industrial technical platform lies on the association of 3 types of partners: university, equipment providers and industrial end-users