Over 160 SMEs to benefit from key H2020 tool
The European Commission has announced the latest firms to benefit from the specialised Horizon 2020 SME Instrument.
A total of 161 SMEs are to receive funding under phase 1 of the tool in this latest announcement. Participants from 23 different countries will obtain financing worth €50,000 over six months to help draft an initial business proposal along with securing up to three days of coaching from the European Commission.
In this round, Spain is home to the most successful proposals, numbering 34 in total, followed by 25 in Italy, 18 in the UK and 12 in Germany. The result of this latest support announcement follows the deadline of 18 March 2015, when the EU institution received a total of 1,569 proposals under phase 1. 251 applications were judged to have an evaluation score above the application threshold.
There have been three previous cut-off dates for applications for funding under Phase 1 of the SME Instrument, namely in June, September and December 2014. Overall, Spain has had the most success, numbering 163 SMEs benefitting, followed by the Italy at 133, and the UK with 99.
