EU funding worth €7.75 million will be given to 155 small and medium-sized enterprises from 21 countries, including Israel and Turkey, for innovation studies, it was announced yesterday (24 July).
2,666 businesses applied for the first round of grants under the EU's SME Instrument, submitting a business plan. Spain was the most successful, with 39 proposals selected, followed by the UK with 26, Italy with 20, Germany with 11, and Ireland with ten. Eight non-EU businesses will receive a total of €400,000 in EU money. While Israel (four proposals), Norway (two proposals), and Turkey (two) are not in the EU, they are part of the Horizon 2020 programme.
Image: Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn hailed the first wave of grants to SMEs. 5 March, 2010. (Lisbon Council/Flickr)
