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EUROPEAN COMPANIES TO INCREASE R&D INVESTMENT
A recent survey of European companies on their R&D investment shows that they expect their global investments in R&D to grow by roughly 5 percent a year over the next three years.
This contrasts with growth of just 0.7 percent for R&D investment reported in the 2005 Scoreboard. The European Commission questioned more than 400 companies in ten major industrial sectors about their R&D investment intentions. The survey also gives an insight into other aspects of private companies' decisions about their R&D activities, suc
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ALUMINIUM MERGER CREATES WORLD LEADER
Russia's leading aluminium firm, RUSAL, will take over its main competitor SUAL and the aluminium industry assets of Glencore to create the world market leader.
The transaction, which may be finalised by October and create a company worth around $30bn, would confirm Russia's renaissance as a world powerhouse in energy and strategic commodities after the post-Soviet economic collapse.
"The new company will be the world's number one aluminium producer with output of four million tonnes per year, and also the top alum
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UK CITIES GET WIMAX COVERAGE
A British city known for its concrete cows is set to become one of the most technologically advanced in Britain after it said it would be the first UK town to boast a high-speed WiMax wireless broadband network.
Telecoms firm Pipex, in a joint venture with chip maker Intel, is to blanket parts of Milton Keynes with WiMax, a medium-range sibling of the popular Wi-Fi technology covering kilometres rather than metres. Both use radio frequency rather than conventional wires to beam the Internet.
Steven Jewell, head o
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ATTEMPTS AT ENHANCING SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY CRITICISED
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has 'hit out' at a European Union draft Regulation on enhancing supply chain security.
The proposal, should it be approved, will cost small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all sectors ?Ñ55bn without any clear benefits. The European Commission's proposal aims to protect freight transport by road, rail and inland waterways against terrorist attacks.
The proposal is that member states should be obliged to create a 'quality label' for security. Firms can subsequently b
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FORD PUMP ¬£1BN INTO ?´GREEN?? CARS
Ford Motor has announced it is to spend £1bn over the next six years on British research and development projects designed to improve the fuel efficiency of its vehicles.
The investment is a significant chunk of the US company's $8bn-a-year global R&D budget and is mostly re-allocated from other projects. Executives said some planned investments - including new models based on existing vehicles - had been delayed or scrapped to free cash for environmental spending.
The investment follows a rethink of Ford's approach
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SMALLER MANUFACTURERS ENJOY EXPORT GROWTH
Export orders for small and medium sized manufacturers have grown for the first time in over a decade, and are expected to continue rising, according to CBI research published recently.
The latest SME Trends Survey also showed that the volume of total new orders, which includes domestic orders, has been growing at its strongest rate for nine years. Medium sized firms are faring particularly well and expect significant increases in orders over the next three months.
Optimism about the general business situation has
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UK SUBSCRIBES 31M EUROS TOWARDS GALILEO
The Government will subscribe a further E31 million to the European Space Agency's development of the Galileo programme, Europe's future civil satellite navigation system, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Alistair Darling confirmed today.
Mr Darling said:
"This investment is good news for British jobs, British technology and science.
"The Galileo project has real potential to develop groundbreaking technology leading to more accurate in-car navigation and new systems for the emergency services to locate
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UPDATED PATENTS LAW TO ENCOURAGE INNOVATION
The Patents Bill, designed to update, modernise and improve patents law, was published. The Bill proposals will provide a more supportive framework, particularly for small businesses, to enforce patent rights and ensure that UK patent law continues to underpin and promote innovation.
The Bill includes measures which would help those trying to resolve disputes over patent rights, and provisions to ensure compliance with international commitments that help UK businesses.
Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science & Innovatio
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CAR MAKERS WARNED OVER SLACK CO2 EMISSIONS CUTS
European and Asian auto makers must do more to meet voluntary targets to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars or face possible legislative action, the European Union's executive has announced.
The European Commission said average CO2 emissions from new cars in the 15 ?´old?? EU member states in 2004 were down 12.4 percent from 1995 levels, far off the target of a roughly 25 percent cut by 2008/09. "The current situation is by no means satisfactory," Commission spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber told a daily bri
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EU FIRMS CONFIDENT ABOUT CHINA DESPITE OBSTACLES
Most European firms operating in China are profitable and are optimistic about the market outlook, and more of them are investing in poorer inland parts of the country, a recent survey has shown.
The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, presenting its 2006/07 Position Paper, said its annual poll of member firms found 83 percent of respondents expect to be profitable this year, up from 61 percent in last year's survey.
Seven percent of firms expect to generate a loss in 2006, down from 23 percent of responde
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Supposedly the construction
materials of the future, composites are increasingly seen in
applications where optimum efficiency is paramount including
aircraft construction and renewable energy. As two research
examples show in this video, composites really are the future
for efficiency.
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