Dear Global Network members,

I look forward to seeing you at infoDev’s 3rd Global Forum on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which will be held in Florianopolis, Brazil, from October 26 – 30, 2009. Over the past several months, infoDev and its partners, Anprotec and SEBRAE, have worked hard to develop a meaningful program for you. After two successful Global Forums hosted in India in 2004 and 2006, the agenda of this year’s Global Forum will extend beyond business incubation to broader issues of how to foster innovation & entrepreneurship as tools for economic, social and environmental development, particularly at the SME level. We also hope to launch a number of exciting new initiatives that will contribute to the continued growth and development of the infoDev global network, and to shared learning and knowledge on issues of technology-based entrepreneurship and innovation.

Thank you once more for the input you sent for shaping this important agenda! I am excited to share the 3rd Global Forum program with you and invite you to send your further comments to us as we move ahead with preparations. The program is available on the Global Forum website: please click here to access the latest version of the Global Forum program.

The program is built around three core sections:

1. To provide capacity-building for incubator managers through an intensive training menu developed around the needs and suggestions from the global network;
2. To explore best practices and hold strategic dialogue on key issues on the innovation & entrepreneurship agenda, through a range of plenary and break-out sessions ; and
3. To get hands-on experience of Brazilian best practice in technology parks and business incubators by visiting various sites in and around the flourishing city of Florianopolis.

I will also be holding meetings with each of infoDev’s regional networks, to hear firsthand from you about your activities and accomplishments to date, as well as your plans for the future of the networks. 

I am also glad to announce the launch of a dedicated Global Forum website at: www.gf-bns.net. Please take a moment to register your participation online and become acquainted with some of the practical arrangements for the event. For any questions related to general event management and logistics, please do not hesitate to contact our Global Forum Task Manager, Ms. Felicia Haladner, at fhaladner@worldbank.org.

Sincerely,

Valerie D’Costa
infoDev Program Manager