The project aim is to bring together the activities of various bodies in order to develop a virtual economy and innovation intelligence centre, based on the creation of a website designed to gather and disseminate information and technological services for innovation in the Atlantic Area. Small and medium businesses, who are both targets and recipients of project results, are classed into three groups: - A key group of six clusters of SMEs in the regions concerned by the project (Northern Portugal, Galicia, the Canaries, the Midlands, Brittany and Aquitaine), in which technological audits based on “InnovationQuest” methodology will be made, which will make it possible to benchmark New TIC development. This good practice will be disseminated to the two groups below, at a later date. - A groups of 200 SMEs from all the regions and countries involved, whose innovation management practices will be examined using data communication tools. - A larger group of 500 SMEs from all regions and countries involved, in which good practices from other networks and projects concerning CIEI project partners will be disseminated. Achievements: ✔ Selection of 10 clusters of SMEs to set in place economic intelligence services. A map of the scientific centres of excellence by region (CoE Mapping) has been developed after identifying 14 scientific areas on which to work. ✔ A tool developed by Coventry University Enterprises has facilitated the 71 technology audits carried out in the project. The tool proposed during the application process, "INNOVATIONQUEST" (this tool is already used by the European network of Innovation Centres) has been replaced by the tool developed by the British partner. ✔ A total of 12 good practice cases have been identified and disseminated by the partners. As the selection criteria were not very restrictive, they focussed on the participation of companies in R&D projects, for delivery of innovative solutions rather than processes and products. ✔ 203 SMEs have benefited from the project with various economic intelligence services (training in innovation, information and methodology to participate in the 6th EU R&D Framework Programme, support for companies). ✔ Support for centres of excellence and research centres through the development of technological mediation services, the submission of new R&D projects as part of the 6th EU Framework Programme. In total, 14 new trans-national projects have been submitted following the identification of 41 new ideas for projects. ✔ The website www.ciei.net, the distribution of flyers, the organisation of workshops and the creation of newsletters are part of the dissemination of the project outcomes which involved around 5,179 companies.