Councillor raises concerns over Irish H2020 SME participation

In a meeting with Guy Verhofstadt, president of the European Parliament’s Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (ALDE), the leader of Dublin City Council’s Fianna Fáil Group has raised concerns regarding the low level of application by SMEs when applying for EU funding, specifically Horizon 2020.

Councillor Mary Fitzpatrick, who is also Fianna Fáil’s candidate for Dublin in the European Parliament elections, said: “Under Horizon 2020 there is no specific allocation of the €80bn investment funding per region. This is a massive opportunity for Ireland to achieve up to €1.5bn in funding for SMEs per year that would contribute to economic stimulus for Ireland.”

Speaking about Irish opportunities, Fitzpatrick said: “The challenge for Ireland is to ensure, at a European level, that SMEs can be supported in the application process to ensure that they enjoy the maximum benefit under Horizon 2020. In this regard, simplifying the application process at a European level and reducing the time to grant, which is currently averaging at eight months, is crucial.”

Adding his thoughts, Verhofstadt said: “In 2011 just 2% of Europe’s GDP was invested in R&D. This year, Ireland has assigned just 1.17% of its GDP to research and innovation. Whilst Ireland is committed to a revised R&D investment target of…2.0% GDP for 2020, Ireland will need to commit to continued growth in GDP to be competitive with the USA and developing countries. Investment from Horizon 2020, if supported and managed correctly, will have a significant and positive impact on future GDP growth and job creation for Ireland.”