Press Release: European Commission, EIB and EIF launch new scheme to help SMEs get loans for research and innovation

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group launch a new guarantee facility for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help them access finance from banks on 5 December 2011.

This builds on the success of the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF), launched in 2007, that has so far helped 75 companies benefit from over €7 billion in EIB loans to projects enhancing European growth and competitiveness. The new risk-sharing instrument for SMEs will be managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF). In addition, the EIB and the European Commission are to provide extra resources for research infrastructures.

European Commission: Memo/11/875: President Barroso and Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn launch the first Innovation Convention in Brussels http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/875&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Memo/11/872: State of the Innovation Union – Progress report issued by the European Commission http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/872&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Speech/11/847: José Manuel Durão Barroso: The Innovation Union one year on http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/847&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Speech/11/846: Máire GEOGHEGAN-QUINN: Opening of the exhibition and signature of the RSFF agreement http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/846&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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