STOP4Business - Blog

Only two more days until the matchmaking event on Consense 2011 and the final preparations are running at full speed!

The STOP4Business partners and the other partners from within the Enterprise Europe Network that are co-organizing the event are looking forward to two interesting days.

So far, 110 participants from 18 countries have registered for the matchmaking and about 270 meetings between trade fair visitors, exhibitors and congress participants have already been booked.

Programme of the matchmaking:

June 29.:

09:00 – 10:00 h Registration/pick up updated time schedules (STOP4Business stand, hall C2, stand 2D40)

10:00 – 16:00 h Meetings (STOP4Business stand, hall C2, stand 2D40 or at the exhibitor’s booth)

18:15 h             Social evening event/”Get together” for companies (Atrium, trade fair center)

June 30:

09:00 – 10:00 h  Registration/pick up time schedules (STOP4Business stand, hall C2, stand 2D40)

10:00 – 17:00 h  Meetings (STOP4Business stand, hall C2, stand 2D40 or at the exhibitor’s booth)

Besides making new business contacts, participants of the STOP4Business Matchmaking Event have the opportunity to participate in the STOP4Business Final Best Practice Conference / Workshop “Creation and Construction: Europe sets the standards”, which will take place on June 29, 16:00-17:30 (International Congress Centre ICS, room C6.1, free of charge).

We wish all participants and partners a successful event and are looking forward to meeting you!

For many centuries, wine has been very important in Baden-Wuerttemberg, shaping not only the culture but as well the landscape.

The cultivation of wine in the area of south-west Germany, which is today called Baden-Wuerttemberg, started in the first centuries AD. Today Baden is the third and Wuerttemberg the fourth biggest between the 13 German wine regions. In the year 2009, 2,3 million hectolitres wine were produced in the 35.000 wineries of both regions. The greater part of the wines from these regions are not being exported, but are consumed there.

Typical for the wine regions of Baden-Wuerttemberg are special wine restaurants, called “Besenwirtschaft” in Wuerttemberg and “Straußenwirtschaft” in Baden. Here, visitors can enjoy the wines of the regional winemakers and regional gastronomic specialties. The restaurants are only open during a few months every year. Whether a “Besen-“ or “Straußenwirtschaft” is open, can easily be recognized by the brushwood broom standing besides the front door, meaning “We’re open, please come in!”.

The great diversity of landscapes in Baden-Wuerttemberg as well as the different microclimatic conditions make it possible to cultivate a big variety of grapes. Whereas in the region of  Baden more white wines are produced, in Wuerttemberg the red wines are more popular.

The most typical wines from these two region are the red “Trollinger” and the white “Riesling”. Other popular grape varieties are (besides others) “Müller-Thurgau” (white), “Grauburgunder” (white), “Spätburgunder” (red) and “Lemberger” (red).

You should not miss tasting some wines from within this great variety during your visit to Baden-Wuerttemberg!

One the main objectives of the STOP4Business project is to bring SMEs and research organisations together and initiate partnership agreements. But what gets in the way of bringing both parties together, often are structural obstacles: Besides other “problems”, they usually don’t speak the same “language”, research organizations tend to be characterized by a supply-driven behaviour, and SMEs are often unable to specify their R&D demands or needs.

In order to facilitate agreements between those two groups, a special R&D Workshop “Initiating development partnership” will be realized by the STOP4Business project team during Consense, on June 30 (9:30 – 12:00 h, congress centre ICS, room C3.2).

In this workshop, technology oriented companies and representatives of research organisations from the area of (sustainable) construction will have the opportunity to meet one another. After a short introduction, containing the presentation of the companies and research institutions and their motivation for the participation in the workshop, the participants will describe their specific need/demand for R&D services or what they can offer in the area of research and development.

In the following discussion, research ideas can be discussed, interesting contacts can be made and potential cooperation partners might even be identified.

For more information on the registration procedure for companies and research organisations, please see www.b2fair.com/consense2011 > “Programme”

The Consense 2011 in Stuttgart is approaching and the preparations for the matchmaking event are going into the final round. 70 participants from 14 countries, including Germany, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy or Belgium, have registered so far. The participating companies’ profiles range from architects and planners, over manufactures and distributors of construction elements and materials, interior furnishing, lighting systems, to service providers in the area of sustainable construction, research institutions and other protagonists from the field of sustainable construction.

Besides being granted free admission to the exhibition, participants of the STOP4Business matchmaking event also have the opportunity to participate in two workshops (the R&D workshop “Initiating development partnerships” and the workshop “Creation and Construction: Europe sets the standards”) and to purchase tickets to the Congress at a reduced special rate (240 EUR/1 day, 360 EUR/2 days).

Interested companies are welcome to register until June 15!

For more information on the event and the programme, please see www.b2fair.com/consense2011

The greatest energy-saving potential in Germany lies in the building sector. Savings of up to 80 percent are possible through proper renovation measures and modern technical building facilities.

Considerable expansion of passive or low energy buildings is being promoted in the private sector as well as on the federal, regional and local government level. As buildings account for 40% of total final energy use in Germany, effective promotion of passive standard buildings could produce very high energy savings.

50% of the  German capital stock consists of residential building (€ 3.5 trillion), another € 2.3 trillion is tied in non-residential buildings. Within the next 10-15 years major parts of the overall Germany capital stock will have to be modernised and rebuild due to decreasing net investments during the past 20 years. These figures indicate high investment demands as well as very high market potential for sustainable construction in Germany.

For these reasons, building modernization with the aim of energy saving is an essential element of German energy policy. The goal is to achieve a 20 percent reduction in the heating requirements in buildings by 2020.

7.1 billion euros of subsidies were provided for energy-efficient building and renovation measures between 2006 and 2010 through the federal government’s CO2 Building Modernization Programme.

This support is given primarily through low-interest loans and investment subsidies. In this way, it has been possible to renovate or newly construct 2.4 million homes and around 880 community institutions in a particularly energy efficient manner since 2006.

The awarding of a further 936 million euros of subsidies is scheduled for 2011.

The theme of sustainability is changing the international building and property landscape. Innovative concepts, products and materials are inspiring new strategies. Visions are coming to life – Welcome to Consense 2011 on June 29-30!

From architects and planners to project developers, construction companies, investors, users and operators: The trade fair and congress will be providing the entire building and property industry with up-to-date information. Discover the many possibilities for implementing sustainable solutions during special shows and project presentations. Learn something new about sustainability in construction as a congress participant at the plenary sessions or workshops. Professional and promotional supporter of Consense 2011 is the German Sustainable Building Council (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen e.V. – DGNB).

This year’s congress has turned the spotlight on a central theme within the building and property industry: sustainable building in existing structures. Benefit here from the knowledge of experienced professionals. Speakers from both Germany and abroad will be highlighting the challenges and opportunities for sustainable building in existing structures, explaining its global importance, presenting alternative solutions and demonstrating its implementation using practical examples.
Numerous workshops will be taking a more detailed look at individual aspects from the building, investment and operating sectors

The trade fair and the congress will be where interesting discoveries are made, information is gathered and new contacts are forged. Meet with congress speakers and participants, visitors and exhibitors, find out about new products and services and start building your network of sustainability experts.

More information about the trade fair and congress are available on www.messe-stuttgart.de/cms/index.php?id=104866&L=1

Today’s demands on the building industry – for thermal insulation and ecological construction, for example – are sometimes something of a throwback to older technology. Earthen houses, to choose a random example, were built more than three thousand years ago, and certain indigenous tribes still use this “technology” to this day. Buildings made of wood, earth and straw have, however, now been joined by buildings made in part of recycled plastics and other modified or recycled natural and manmade materials. Today, buildings may be designed, for example, from a combination of wood and straw blocks or from unfired earthen blocks. The use of cement-chipboard panels, for example, is a combination of modern and natural materials. We should also mention buildings protected by earth. All the above terms can be categorised under the joint title Green Building.

Green building is not just a return to nature
Green construction aims not merely for a return to natural materials, but most importantly for the application of the principles of sustainable development in ordinary life, with the aim of increasing the standard of living without increasing consumption of energy, drinking water or other natural resources. The basic properties of these buildings include not merely excellent thermal insulation, rapid construction and compatibility with their surroundings, but first and foremost the biodegradability of the materials used after the lifecycle of the work has come to an end.

Not forgetting the interior
Architects and construction companies also have to consider the interior furnishings of these buildings along with the construction of the buildings themselves. The aim is to ensure they deserve the status of passive houses. This can be achieved by, for example, the combination of new heating and ventilation systems. This involves recuperation – a self-regulating system for the intake of fresh air from the outside, without ventilation or, therefore, heat loss. This makes the air much cleaner, without the presence of allergens, while another advantage is a reduction of noise and dust. Another step in “green building” is achieving energy self-sufficiency by means of additional technologies, such as the application of photovoltaic, geothermal or wind sources.

A comprehensive look at the issues
These topics are to be presented, at a single time and place, at the spring festival of construction in Brno – The Brno Building Fairs 2011. It is certain to be interesting to be at the very centre of goings-on in the European building industry on these days. The 16th IBF International Building Fair, the 12th international trade fair SHK, URBIS INVEST, URBIS TECHNOLOGY and MOBITEX are to open their gates to visitors on 12 April 2011, and are to run until 16 April.

Taste Czech cuisine
You have a great opportunity to taste Czech cuisine in Brno. Typical Czech dish is roast pork with dumplings and cabbage or fried cheese with potatoes or chips. There are lots of restaurants which offer food and drink for €6, even those situated in the Brno centre. At midday, the bulk of restaurants provide their customers with menus for more attractive prices.

Drink – beer, wine and Kofola

To eat well you have to drink well. Traditional Brno’s beer brand is called Starobrno; however restaurants also offer other brands such as Pilsner Urquel and Gambrinus. A pint of beer usually costs about €1, even in the city centre restaurants.
Another traditional Czech drink is Kofola, whose taste is similar to Cola, but due to natural ingredients and liquorice it has an unmistakable and captivating taste.

Aside from beer and kofola, Czechs also produce a high-quality wine, sometimes called as “blood of Moravia”. Wine should be served in an unbeatable atmosphere of a wine cellar where a good-natured mood always prevails.

Taken from: http://www.brno.me/

Brno holds a significant position in the area of science and research. Brno’s advanced R&D base corresponds to its broad educational base and rich industrial tradition. Individual faculties at 6 Brno public universities boast a number of workshops and institutes which take advantage of the research potential of professors and teaching staff as well as students for the realization of a number of research and development programs and projects.

Certain institutes of the Czech Academy of Science are located in Brno as well as a number of outstanding research institutes covering a wide range of fields in civil engineering, chemistry, engineering, electrical engineering, textile, food industry, agriculture, military and others.

European centre of excellence project (Central European Institute of Technology CEITEC) will significantly increase the research and innovation potential and will contribute to the development of the city of Brno, South Moravian Region and the Czech Republic. Development of state-of-the-art technology.

For the companies involved in the match-making event held in Brno we can offer a targeted workshop in order to specifically match research institutions and SMEs. More information you can get from the local project partner of the STOP4Business project.

Brno, the Czech Republic‘s second largest city, has a population of nearly 370,000 people. It lies in the central part of Europe and within its two hundred-kilometre radius there are other important European capitals: Prague, Vienna and Bratislava. The international airport in Brno serves regular flights.

The city has a diversified economic base with a high proportion of employment in the tertiary sector. There is a long tradition of electrical and mechanical engineering in the city. The importance of Brno as a centre of information technology businesses is growing. Thanks to outstanding universities and various research institutions operating in Brno the existing and potential investors have a unique opportunity to draw on the advanced knowledge base which will enable them to develop thein competitiveness on the global scale. Renowned international companies doing business in high added value sectors have already settled in the city. Some of them have established new development centres or relocated existing ones to Brno in order to benefi t from its excellent knowledge base.

Brno is the metropolis of Moravia and an important business and tourist centre for all who want to get new contacts and explore the natural and cultural beauties of the South-Moravian region. The Brno Exhibition Centre with its eighty-year tradition is a venue of many international trade fairs, exhibitions and congresses (Building Fairs incl.), and as such plays a significant role in the social and economic life of the whole city. You have now the posibility to optimize your participation in this international fair by exhibiting or visiting – take part in the »b2fair-match making event« at one from the most important fairs held there that belong to the most important events in Central and Eastern Europe:

http://www.b2fair.com/IBF2011/