Mission:

The Brussels Enterprise Agency is a merger of the two main economic institutions (Technopol and Ecobru) in a single organization. At the BEA the Brussels SME’s, start-ups, self-employed persons, as well as foreign investors will find the answers to all their questions concerning the creation or development of an economic or innovative activity in the Brussels-Capital Region. It is the first-line contact for enterprises in Brussels, a guide and a platform for access to other institutions in Brussels directed to enterprises as it combines and optimizes their services for the benefit of entrepreneurs’ projects.

Budget:
Their budget for 2003 is €3.7 million

Activities:
The Brussels Enterprise Agency is structured around four pillars or departments, offering a panoply of very concrete services.

Economy and Starters

• information and advice on public aid and on public and private services available in the Brussels-Capital Region
• useful economic, legal, statistical and regulatory information that helps enterprises with the creation and expansion of an activity
• guidance through the Brussels institutional landscape; identification of the institutional or private sources of information that will make the entrepreneurs’ project a success.
• assistance on “crucial” files for the Brussels Region (social or economic)

Innovative Technology & Projects

• Identification of technology needs
• Technological validation of projects
• Analysis of business plans
• Search for financing sources and available public aid
• Promotion of intercompany partnership and alliances.
• Strategic information in order to help the Brussels companies develop their activities (market, technologies, competitors, patents, intellectual property rights...)
• Guidance and assistance to the sources of technological expertise (research centers, universities etc..).

Five areas of activity are the focus of particular attention: new information and communication technologies (NICT), urban industries, food processing, health and environment.

Town Planning and Environment

• information and advice on the many urban planning and environmental regulations which govern most economic activities
• step by step guidance through all procedures involving municipal or regional administrations
• information on public aid available in this area
• information on professionals that can resolve environmental problems.

International Relations

• information about, introduction into and access to European research and innovation programs and funding opportunities (National Contact Point for the EU’s 6th Research and Development Framework Program; NCP Innovation)
• identification of European partners with technical skills or know-how via the world’s largest technology export/import network (BIRC – Brussels Innovation Relay Centre).
• Introduction of Brussels companies in transnational network-partnerships.
• identification and attraction of foreign investors who wish to or might be persuaded to set up in the Brussels-Capital region (www.investinbrussels.com).

Staff:
35 people.

Contact:
Jacques Evrard
The Brussels Entreprise Agency (BEA),
Rue Gabrielle Petit, 4 Box 12, 1080 Brussels, Belgium
tel.+32 2 422 00 25, fax +32 2 422 00 43
E-mail:
Website: www.bea.irisnet.be
Website foreign investors: www.investinbrussels.com