This Guide is intended to provide Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), as well as Universities, Institutes and other Research Technology Development organisations (RTDs) with practical, useful and easy to follow advice on how to maximize the impact of Research and Development projects involving SMEs by ensuring that the results are effectively used and disseminated.

The Guide has been produced as part of Coordination and Support Activities being carried in the “USEandDIFFUSE” Project (Support of dissemination and exploitation of results obtained in research projects realized with the participation of the SME sector), that is funded under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme (FP7), and more specifically under “Research for the Benefit of SMEs”.

Input for the manual has been based on an analysis carried out in 2008 of Research and Development projects from the Health and ICT sectors. It is likely that these findings are equally applicable for other sectors too. Neither the authors nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Source: Foreword.