ASIA-ECOBEST ROUNDTABLE 
www.adi.pt/rtable <http://www.adi.pt/rtable>  
Asian Environmental needs, European advanced solutions: bridging the gap
through R&D collaboration
Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre -  LISBON, 12 + 13 MARCH 2001

ORGANISERS:

ADI (The Agency for Innovation), PORTUGAL
CDTI (Centre for the Technological Industrial Development), SPAIN
CPTTM (Macao Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre), CHINA

Sponsors:       RIET (The Regional Institute of Environmental Technology),
SINGAPORE
                ASIA-ECOBEST (DG AIDCO)

BACKGROUND:

As Asian economies have reached, during the last decades, unprecedented
levels of economic growth, so the need to improve environmental quality has
become a major issue. 
Many European SME's and R&D institutions have the technical skills and tools
which, when properly adapted to local conditions in Asia, could prove
adequate of solving the current environment problems. 
There is, therefore, a clear potential for the mutually beneficial matching
of problem-owners and solution -providers.
However, the both sides of the equation often appear in a fragmented way and
may lack both the resources and channels to identify and reach the
appropriate partners, a fact that highlights the need to develop matching
mechanisms that network interested organisations in the two regions.

OBJECTIVES:

*       To identify and assess the existing opportunities and current
support and networking mechanisms and how effective they are;
*       To identify the lessons to be learnt from actual collaboration
experiences, case studies including their results and difficulties;
*       To discuss ways of facilitating a more systematic gathering of
information about both the results of European R&D and specific Asian needs,
and to disseminate the former in Asia.
*       To discuss and develop an approach to enhance the effectiveness of
the European instruments and to analyse how the Asia-EcoBest project or
other similar EU programmes could synergise the actions taken by EU Member
States to strengthen environmental R&D co-operation between Asian and
European organisations.

TARGET ORGANISATIONS:

*       SME's and research organisations that own advanced R&D results in
the environmental area 
*       Policy-makers and S&T development and diffusion Agencies 
*       Research-industry interface organisations and national productivity
centres
*       Members of international research co-operation networks
*       Any organisation that might be interested in benefiting from an
enhanced dissemination of European environmental research results.

CONTACTS:

ADI - The Portuguese Agency for Innovation
Rita Silva
Tel. +351 21 7210910
Fax: + 351 21 727 17 33
e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  
For further information, on-line Registration and Preliminary Programme:
www.adi.pt/rtable <http://www.adi.pt/rtable>  


Agência de Inovação, S.A.
Av. Dos Combatentes nº 43, 10º C/D
1600-042 Lisboa
Portugal
Tel: + 351 21 722 05 48
Fax: + 351 21 722 05 41
e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  


Dr Ruth Hillary 
UK Expert to ISO TC 207 ES/1 WG2
Editor-in-Chief ([log in to unmask])
Corporate Environmental Strategy:
International Journal of Corporate Sustainability
www.corporate-env-strategy.com
Editorial Office
c/o NEMA
174 Trellick Tower
Golborne Road
London W10 5UU
UK
Tel/fax: +44 (0)20 8968 6950
Mobile Tel: +44 (0)771 471 8981
(e-mail: [log in to unmask])
Editor of the CBI Environmental Management Handbook
Editor Business and the Environment Practitioners Series