Press Release: Facilitating SMEs’ access to EU programmes

Increasing the participation of small and medium-sized companies in EU-funded programmes was the topic of a SME stakeholder conference held on 11 October 2006 in Brussels. The conference took place at the eve of the start of new major EU funding programmes in January 2007 on promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and research (CIP and Framework Programme 7 on research and development) and of the new programming period for the structural and cohesion funds with greater emphasis on the creation of growth and jobs in line with the renewed growth and jobs strategy. Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Commissioners Danuta Hübner and Janez Potocnik gave details on recent Commission action to facilitate SMEs’ participation in these EU programmes. This includes the simplified rules and procedures to help SMEs to access funding for research and development from the 7th framework programme for research.