Technology4SME.com
A new Generation Business Portal for Technology-led SMEs in Asia and the Pacific

 Introduction and Invitation to Stakeholders - Managing Partners of Local Web-Portals
"I do not believe you can do today's job with yesterday's methods and be in business tomorrow" (Nelson Jackson)

What is Technology4SME.com?
ITechnology4SME is a four-in-one business service tool: business coach × business information source × business communication media × project development workspace. All these make the portal the most friendly, convenient and effective online business office.

The portal is being develop by the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), in cooperation with other partner institutions in Asia and the Pacific.

What is Technology4SME.com?
We are leaving in the era of globalization and systemic innovation where new products and services are increasingly emerging from complex interactions of and cross-pollination of ideas among many individuals, organizations and environmental factors. Innovation is not divisible any more - 'good in parts" is no good at all.

Though Internet can play a crucial role in this new era, its potential is largely underutilized, however. Internet is a good library, but a poor librarian, though it has everything to become so. It can play much more proactive role than that of a searchable depository of information. Internet deserved promotion and can assume the role of an inspiring guide to the minds open to innovative ideas. Why it is not happening?

The first main barrier is strict division of jobs between the content providers and the information technology (IT) specialists. There is no continuous cross-pollination of ideas among them. Content providers have poor knowledge about the range of IT and Web design instruments that could be employed to add value to their material. IT professionals, on their part, have insufficient understanding of the content to suggest innovative IT and web design solutions that would enhance the message.

The second barrier is the lack of cross-pollination of ideas among the content providers themselves. They are great experts in their respective sectors. There is no systematic cross-sectoral exchanges among these experts, however, that would enable them to synergize their ideas and generate systemic solutions on a continuous basis.

How Technology4SME.com Managed to Overcome these Barriers?
There is no simple answer to this question. The portal development belongs to the era of systemic innovation where knowledge, technology, people, and processes are integral parts of a unique winning combination. The underlying secret of Technology4SME success is that the prototype of the Web portal - its concept, architectural design and linkages - was not outsourced to professional Web designers, as it is usually the case. Remember the motto of systemic innovation: "good in parts is no good at all"? The prototype was developed by multi-talented business experts who have good knowledge of the information technology and learnt the basics of Web design for the purpose. The communication gap between business experts and web designers was thus significantly narrowed to allow cross-pollination of their ideas. The working prototype is ready now to be upgraded by IT professionals to the state-of-the-art stage.

Major Benefits of Technology4SME.com

• Time is more critical then money in this era of rapid changes. Technology4SME from a single source, thanks to its global partnerships, provides fast and convenient access to all information required for rapid business development.
  
  
• Technology4SME goes far beyond a pure information service. It serves not only as a good library, but as a good librarian too. It's business coach guides both entrepreneurs and investors through the venture financing process, helps them to understand each other better, and find most suitable innovative solutions.
  
  
• Cross-pollination of ideas among different venture development stakeholders is the key to success in the era of systemic innovation. Technology4SME facilitates effective and focused communication and interaction among entrepreneurs, investors, technologists, business development experts, and policy makers through its business coach and business communities.
  
  
• Stakeholders can do more than just generating new ideas at Technology4SME. They can implement them too. Private and secure project development workspaces having multiple access levels and equipped with various business support tools can be used by prospective partners for rapid project development online, however remote they could be.
  

 Partnership Opportunities with Technology4SME
A limited number of local managing partners (sub-regional, country-, state-, or municipal- level, or sector-specific) are invited to joint the pilot stage of the Technology4SME Asian network. The partners, guided by APCTT, would develop their own portals following the Technology4SME structure and tailored to the needs of enterprises in their targeted area.

Major partner selection criteria:

• Ability to finance all activities related to the local portal development and networking
• Strong commitment and active involvement of top managers in the network operations .
• Internal environment encouraging continuous innovation .
• Existing or fast developing market for the Web-based business services in their targeted are

Technology4SME Current Development Status (as of September 2002)
Product Stage: Working prototype Working prototype can be visited at http://www.technology4sme.com
Contact person: Vadim Kotelnikov