The Asia Invest Programme is a European Union initiative designed to promote and support business co-operation between the European Union Member States and South Asia, South-East Asia and China. The programme aims to facilitate opportunities for co-operation between European and Asian companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and increase capacity for long-term strategic alliances in the EU and China, as well as to strengthen framework conditions to increase trade and investment flows between the two regions. The objectives of the programme mainly focus on increasing awareness of business potential between the two regions, raising awareness of Europe in China (and vice versa), reinforcing Chinese private sector and new business development, and enhancing the export capabilities and foreign direct investment prospects of the less developed countries in Asia.

The Project Co-ordinator is C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V.
Project partners are EUBIA, European Biomass Industry Association, ;ISET, Institut für Solare Energieversorgungstechnik.
Special supporting partners are WIP - Energy and Environment and ETA - Renewable Energies ,

The objective of the specific project is to study the market conditions for EU bio-energy technologies (i.e. biogas generation, compactation, carbonisation, gasification, micro-distillation, small-scale combustion) for the energetic exploitation of the huge biomass potential in China of approx. 200 MTOE/year. The aim is to assist EU companies to internationalise their business strategies and facilitate business co-operation between enterprises in the European countries and China in these business fields. Milestones of the project are assessing of current specific market situation as e.g. raw material potential, technology availability, market potential and entry strategies, identifying of business opportunities for co-operation on bio-energy technologies, promoting of business co-operation un terms of technology sales, technology transfer or initiation of joint ventures.
The project focuses at addressing and satisfying the needs of both - European industry and Chinese customers to prepare durable and successful business co-operations.

During the Forum for International Cooperation on Bioenergy a business meeting was performed in Guangzhou, China, on September 28 - 30, 2003, to discuss fields of potential technologies for co-operation and market entry possibilities.

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The Asia-Invest Programme is part of a series of initiatives from the European Union designed to promote mutual benefits and understanding between the European Union and Asia. The Programme aims to facilitate opportunities for co-operation between European and Asian companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), towards strengthening trade and investment flows between the two regions, and to increase capacity for long-term strategic alliances by providing support to economic intermediary organisations.
This project has been realized with the financial assistance of the European Community within the Asia-Invest / Business Priming Fund - Market Place Monitoring Programme.
The contents of this publication is the sole responsibility of the co-ordinator C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. and the project partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

Further information: contact@carmen-ev.de