SMEs represent 99% of all enterprises in Europe, they contribute to more than two thirds of the European GDP and provide 75 million jobs in the private sector. Therefore, they are key to implementation of the renewed Lisbon strategy for economic growth and employment.

The ‘Research for the benefit of SMEs’ instrument on the one hand will support SMEs or SME associations in outsourcing their research activities to providers of research services (‘RTD performers’) such as universities, research centres or other, more specialised SMEs.

There are two different schemes under this topic:

• Research for SMEs - targeting mainly low to medium technology SMEs with little or no research capability, but also high-tech SMEs who need to outsource research to complement their core research capability. The projects under this scheme shall have the objective of creating new knowledge or producing results with clear potential to improve or develop new products, processes or services for the participating SMEs.

• Research for SME associations - targeting associations which act on behalf of their SME members to identify
  and address common technical problems and to promote the effective dissemination and take-up of results.
  Projects in this activity may address topics such as pre-normative research issues, technological problems
  related to the development and implementation of legislation, and technological problems of whole industrial sectors.

Further information can be found on CORDIS.

Source: Europa Media Newsletter (November 2008)