The Start-up Projects Initiative Workshop 2004 was a great success, with around seventy people attending the two-day event.
This year's workshop consisted of 21 presentations based on projects plus another from a project team which was unable to attend. Speakers from Europe and Canada came to meet and present their projects and give opinions on a wide array of topics. Additionally, Norbert Huebner, ESA Telecom's Coordinator of the Start-up Projects Initiative and host of the event, delivered an introductory presentation and another on future initiatives and support activities available from ESA Telecom.
"It had a very good and open atmosphere", said Norbert Huebner about the workshop. "I noticed a lively exchange of opinions and discussions during coffee breaks and dinner. I even witnessed the beginnings of collaboration between several companies. The demonstrations were also both lively and interesting. Feedback I got from not only the participating companies but also the delegations that were present was very positive. Overall, the foundation for another workshop next year has been set.
| ESA Telecom offers the Start-up Initiative as an open door for business innovation especially aimed at supporting a number of small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) through the early development stages of researching and refining a business proposition. The workshop included presentations from companies that had completed or had almost completed their projects in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Start-up Initiative. | 
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Alessandro Striuli from the Italian company Radiametrix said, "I thought the workshop was useful because it gave me the opportunity to hear about other projects. In particular there were three on the first day and three more on the second that are interesting for my activity. Especially for future development or even a possible product integration."
Held on 22 and 23 March 2004, the purpose of the workshop was for SME's that have or almost have completed their projects to exchange experiences with those companies that have begun or are in the middle of their projects. It was designed to help attendees learn from the experiences of satcom colleagues and entrepreneurs. Sharing ideas and exploring potential future areas of cooperation are often the most beneficial results of attending.
"I found it interesting to see how far other companies were progressing in their projects", said Jürgen Seybold of the German based company Telematica. "It was also beneficial to not only see what our competitors were doing but also to make synergies with other companies."
Another attendee was a fan of the Start-up Projects Initiative itself, saying: "The Start-up Projects Initiative helped us to organise our documentation more thoroughly. This has given us an advantage in marketing our service."
To view all of the presentations click on the link on the right of this page.
