PROJECT DESCRIPTION

OBJETIVES

Overall Objetives

The project is designed to:

• contribute to the development of the technology, productive and export capabilities of the targeted lesser developed countries in Asia by fostering intra-regional exchange of trade opportunities and business information;
• provide ready access to the EC-supported programmes promoting business cooperation between European companies and those in the target countries (e.g. Asia Invest and European Business Information Centres - EBIC)
• · help enhance Europe's profile in the target countries.

Inmediate Objetives

The specif objetives of the project are to:

• strengthen the Tips Regional Centre in Manila in order to make it fully operational and business/profit oriented,
• establish National Bureaus in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka
• establish a Sub-regional Centre in Sri Lanka to provide support for the regional centre,
• establish effective linkages among all the TIPS Bureaus in Asia and the EC supported business co-operation programmes, including the European Business Information Centres in Asia and Asia Invest.

Background and Justification

In keeping with its goal of promoting mutually beneficial economic co-operation between Europe and her partner countries in Asia (established by Council Regulation 443/92) and in response to the European Council's endorsement of its 1994 Communication "Towards a New Strategy for Asia" (COM 94/314), the European Commission is supporting a series of initiatives to facilitate business linkages, to increase availability of information on technology exchange and trade opportunities, and to raise awareness of Asia in Europe and vice-versa.The Commission is also -again in accordance with the Council Regulation already cited- concerned with developing instruments to promote intra-regional trade to improve the institutional structure within partner countries, and, in particular for the least developed countries, to help in efforts related to the transition to market economies.

The European Commission, through its support, has facilitated the establishment of several European Business Information Centres (EBICs) and Technology Windows in Asia. EBICs -set up wherever possible in collaboration with the locally-based bi-lateral Chamber of Commerce and Business Associations of the EU Member States- provide commercially relevant information and value-added services to European and Asian companies, focusing particularly on issues related with the European Union, and on partnership facilitation. Technology Windows are sector-specific, and concentrate on identifying opportunities in Asia for European companies (e.g. technology supplies), while at the same assisting in seeking solutions for technological challenges.EBICs are established in Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai. Technology Windows are operational in Singapore (Regional Institute of Environmental Technology - RIET) and Bangkok (COGEN Project - working to promote opportunities for electricity generation biomass).In order to facilitate links between EBICs, Technology Windows, and other structures in Asia and counterpart organizations in Europe (e.g. Chamber of Commerce and Trade/Industrial Federations/Associations), and in order to make available a number of instruments to promote business-to-business co-operation, the Commission will shortly launch an Asia-Invest programme, which will be operated by a Brussels-based secretariat.

The Asia Invest Instruments are the Business Priming Fund, for activities designed to help prepare groups of European and Asian economic operators for business co-operation; Asia Interprise and Asia -Partenariat for the preparation, carrying out, and follow-up of sector-specific business encounters for companies; and the Asia Investment Facility, for the identification, evaluation, and promotion of investment opportunities. Certain elements of Asia-Invest -notably the technical assistance component of the Business Priming Fund and the Asia Investment Facility- are targeted primarily at the lesser developed Asian countries: They are designed, inter alia, to help companies to upgrade product quality and marketing methods, for example, to enable them to attract European partners, and to promote European Investments.

The Technological and Trade Information Promotion System (TIPS) is an international network providing for the exchange of trade and technology opportunities. Its main objective has been to develop a "South-South" Network for the exchange of information on trade and investment opportunities between companies in developing countries. This has recently been expanded to include a "North-South" dimension.

TIPS was established as a result of the conclusion of various United Nations conferences held in 1978 and 1979.
Development of the system began in 1984 under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in co-operation with the United Nations Fund for Science and Technology Development (UNFSTD).
These organizations entered into an agreement with the Inter Press Service in Rome which resulted in the foundation of DEVNET, a non-governmental organization also based in Rome, whose role continues to be the management and development of TIPS.
UNDP no longer has any significant role in the financing or direction of TIPS.

The TIPS service became operational in 1986 with the support of the Italian government, and with nine countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America tacking part in an initial pilot phase. It has been expanded over the past eight years to include all the countries of Latin America, five in Asia (India, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, and Indonesia) two in Africa, and three in Eastern and Central Europe. Its establishment in Latin America has been, and continues to be, supported by the European Community within the framework of the Al-Invest programme. The Government of Austria is currently supporting the opening of three new TIPS bureaus, in Africa and two in Asia (Thailand and Indonesia).

DEVNET has requested EC support for the extension of TIPS into five of the lesser developed South and South-East Asian countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Vietnam). The feasibility of request extension has been investigated for the Commission by two independent experts.

The target countries are at a relatively low level of economic development. Their companies will benefit from access to technology transfer and trade co-operation opportunities and from access to information on doing business with European counterparts.

The TIPS Asia Extension will enhance opportunities for the target countries to participate in EC-supported business co-operation programmes and other EU programmes. It will also raise awareness concerning the European Union and the European Commission among local business people, and will provide a much needed boost to Europe's image as a partner in the area.

Description of the Project

Services to be provided

Products

The main service provided by TIPS is the distribution of regular bulletins covering the 14 sectors listed below, plus a general Business Opportunities bulletin which encompasses those items falling outside the 14 sectors.

Agro-Industry, Food Processing, Biotechnology, Machinery, Building Materials, Metallurgy; Chemicals, Mining, Electronics, Packaging, Energy, Pharmaceuticals, Fisheries, Textiles, Business Opportunities.

Each sectorial bulletin contains 3 to 15 abstracts detailing the commercial or technical offers and demands submitted by subscribers to the service. Each bulletin may also contain information on tenders, conferences, trade regulations and market information.

In addition to these standard bulletins, the National Bureaus or Regional Centres may develop special products for specific clients or for sectors with specific needs or which are particularly dominant in the country or region.

The central database from which the information for the bulletins is drawn currently contains approximately 50,000 abstracts with an estimated 1,000 abstracts being added every month. The number of active offers/demands (allowing a six-month life span) in the system at any given time is estimated at 6,000 to 8,000.

Other Services

In addition to the standard TIPS service (which focuses on the bulletins/subscriptions described above) the new TIPS Asia National Bureaus will offer:

• a query / response service for local and European clients with specific trade and co-operation requests;
  
• on-line access to the TIPS database;
  
• links to Chambers of Commerce, Trade Federations and other organizations in Europe;
  
• Information on EC-supported business co-operation programmes, focusing particularly on how local companies can participate;
  
• Assistance, through Asia-Invest, to companies and organizations based in the EU which are interested in obtaining information on local markets, conditions of doing business, and potential partners.