SMARTS


		SMARTS

SMARTS, an electronic market place for small and medium sized enterprises (SME)

Smarts is part of the ACTS-programm of the EU and is aiming at supporting the Internet-activities of European enterprises. The electronic market place combines the advantages of network based communication and trade. Furthermore Smarts is not depending on national boundaries, trade zones, hours of business, storekeeping or costs for transport and is faciliating a worldwide unlimited exchange of goods. Smarts is the first Web-Site focusing the economical demands of European enterprises in the Internet.

Companies of all different areas of business can join Smarts. Internet access is the only precondition for participation. Every company will get its own homepage and internet adress and will have access to all the modern communication technologies the Internet provides. And because participation is free of charge there's no risk involved.

What does Smarts offer?

Smarts is open to every supplying and demanding company, institution and so on. The system is easy to use and every country participating offers a Web-site in its national language. The search is not restircted to one country, it is carried out Europe-wide. To say it more frankly: it doesn't matter which language you are speaking the whole European market is at your disposal in your mother tongue.

The forums of Smarts
The market place - service and trade center
This is where products can be searched and purchased and where offers can be made. Furthermore it provides the possibility to offer and search for jobs.

Information
In the area "information" you find a variety of links refering to different topics, which could be of interest for enterprises. The subjects are varying from "call for tender", "fairs", "standards" up to "travel agencies".

Solutioncenter
The "solutioncenter" is the information-pool and the forum of the "information- and communication technology sector". This is where companies, researchers, universities and research instituts can introduce the results of their research. The Smarts solutioncenter is where ideas and products get a first feedback. This is how enterprises and researchers can support each other in order to put innovations on the market in a shorter period of time. Another service of the solutioncenter is a practical help for solving problems. Here you find juridical support for contract negotiations and financial advice, Europe-wide.

Contacts
The search functions are subdivided into "area of business", "company" or "product" while a text-search-function is provided as well. The result of a search is a list of all the "relevant" companies and products, the important data and contacts.

Smarts - the futures market place

Due to the variety of functions and the efficient use of the Internet-technology Smarts has become a unique and dynamic business platform. It is the participant himself who delivers the ideas, the content and the informations. And it is the easy to use technology that is making Smarts an efficient, cost-saving and time-saving instrument.

Considering all those facts, Smarts could help European companies with their "every day" communication and distribution. Already eight weeks after the start of Smarts (at the end of September 1997) 500 companies from 28 different areas of business got registered. Smarts is still at the beginning and it will be the dynamic of telecommunication and economy that will put current news, companies, products and possibilities on the market place "daily".

Smarts is supported by the EC and 17 companies based in nine European countries. The two German consortium partners are Teleport Sachsen-Anhalt and Ponton.

To enter the market please turn to http://www.smarts.org.