'Inno-SMEs' campaign to support innovative small businesses

Under the programme which is expected to generate at least Bt400 million in investment in three years, qualified SMEs are enti-tled to zero-interest loans worth up to 75 per cent of their innova-tion investment.

Interested SMEs should contact the agency and the result of any proposals would be known within a day.

In the past four and a half years, the agency has supported 285 innovation projects, entailing a total investment of over Bt7 billion. - The Nation

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'Clean Hands, Zero Bird Flu' campaign to be extended at 24,000 schools

Colgate-Palmolive (Thailand), in collaboration with the ministries of Public Health and Education, USAID and the Kenan Institute Asia, is continuing the "Clean Hands, Zero Bird Flu" campaign in which 24,000 schools will receive Protex cleaning materials to pre-vent bird flu and other contagious diseases.

Now into its eighth year, the campaign will also host competi-tions. - The Nation

SecureSite launched to boost public faith in online retail business deals

Trend Micro has launched Worry-Free SecureSite, a solution that assures consumers of the safety and integrity of the Web servers behind small business online retail sites.

According to the US Department of Commerce, total online retail sales for 2007 were estimated at US$136.4 billion (Bt4.5 trillion), an increase of 19 per cent from 2006. However, small businesses have a low share in the market due to consumers' concerns about safety. - The Nation

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Samsung launches touch-screen mobiles

Samsung is spearheading a new trend of touch screen mobile-phones with the

introduction of "Samsung F480".

The phone features a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD screen that responds

to touch. With a slim 11.6mm body, the phone has a five megapixel camera and targets the tech-savvy, said Thai Samsung Electronics

executive Manop Maneechawakajone. - The Nation

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Ceva wins two awards at regional transport, logistics event

Ceva Logistics was honoured with two awards - Best Automotive and Best IT/Electronics logistics service provider in Thailand - at the recent Frost & Sullivan Asean Transportation & Logistics Awards.

The awards are held annually to recognise outstanding perform-ances by companies in the transportation and logistics industry in Southeast Asia.

Award winners are selected on the basis of satisfaction levels of their customers, as compiled by Frost and Sullivan through in-depth analysis and interviews with the customers of short-listed compa-nies. - The Nation

Mahaphant Group to spend Bt50m on shop renovation project

Cement-manufacturer Mahaphant Group has set a budget of Bt50 million for a shop renovation project called Mahaphant Creative Living.

Executive director Ong-Art Techamahaphant said dealers who want a more modern concept for their shops to compete with hypermarkets can apply.

"We believe the new concept will drive our sales growth as dis-tributors will now develop their outlets into a one-stop-shopping service for customers who want to buy construction raw materials," he said. - The Nation