Mission:
VDI/VDE-ITs primary objective is to promote R&D in information technology, to assist governmental authorities in developing initiatives for the diffusion of technologies and to speed up product and process innovation by assisting particularly small and medium-sized enterprises in the exploitation and valorisation of R&D results. Its mission focuses not only on technology developments but also on related economic and social implications.

Budget:
120 m.

Activities:

• VDI/VDE-IT has been in charge of designing and managing the German programme on Microsystem Technologies on behalf of BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology) since 1990.
• VDI/VDE-IT manages a start-up programme for technology-based enterprises on behalf of BMWi and the innovation support programme in the new federal states, primarily for SMEs, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics, BMWi, as well as other regional and local support activities. At international level VDI/VDE-IT is working for the CEU in the field of dissemination of research results and awareness activities.
• VDI/VDE-IT is the host organisation for the INNOVATION RELAY CENTRE (IRC, formerly Value Relay Centre, VRC) in Northern Germany, which was established by the Commission, DG XIII, in 1993. The objectives of the IRC are to provide information on EU-funded R&D projects and results, to improve access to results in particular for SMEs and to assist in the process of exploitation. The IRC's activities at VDI/VDE-IT are mainly focused on the area of information technologies.

Staff:
Approximately 100 employees.

Contact:
Wolfgang Gessner. www.vdivde-it.de
VDI/VDE-IT, Rheinstrasse 10 B, D 14513 Teltow Germany
tel. +49 3328/435-173, fax +49 3328/435-126
e-mail