Irish Regions Office Website

July 01, 2008

Makign SME Funding Opportunities Understood

The European Commission has launched a new website and announced a series of national events designed to spread awareness of and ease access to EU financial instruments in support of the activities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Enterprise Finance Index (EFI) website aims to provide data about access to finance to SMEs in a clear and user-friendly manner. This includes but is not restricted to the EU’s main funding mechanisms: the Competitiveness & Innovation Framework Programme (offering €1.1 billion specifically towards SME growth); the Seventh Research and Development Framework Programme (FP7); and the Structural Funds. The EU Finance Days for SMEs roadshow will reach each Member State’s capital over the next 18 months as an exercise in reaching out to SMEs and multipliers such as incubators and financial intermediaries to explain how they can avail of the money earmarked for them through these financial instruments. Issues such as being investment-ready; the concerns and goals of investors; and building an EU-wide venture capital market to ensure that investments are not limited by borders will also be addressed. Enterprise Finance Index: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/financing/enterprise_finance_index/index_en.htm ‘EU Finance Days for SMEs’: www.sme-finance-day.eu/

Posted by iroronan at July 1, 2008 03:31 PM