User's guide for SMEs in biotechnology
A user's guide for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of biotechnology has recently been published by the European Commission, DG III. The aim is to provide industry with practical views on funding available from various sources in the field of biotechnology, such as the Fifth RTD Framework Programme, and on the relevant responsible authorities. The user's guide is based on a number of key factors which have been highlighted in the Commission's Green Paper on innovation and aims to contribute to the implementation of the Commission's First Action Plan for Innovation in Europe. The Green Paper identified the biotechnology sector as one of dynamic growth and emphasised the importance of innovative SMEs within the sector. It recognised the difficulties faced by SMEs in obtaining finance and underlined the problem of the lack of awareness of support programmes. The overall objective of the guide is to provide SMES with a comprehensive and easy to understand guide which: - Identifies and explains the various European and national programmes which could be of assistance to SMEs in biotechnology; - Identifies and explains sources of funding both in the programmes and from commercial sources; - Provides a comprehensive and detailed listing of competent authorities, useful contacts and trade associations. The guide contains the following sections: - Section I on European programmes covering the Fourth and Fifth RTD Framework Programmes, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund; - Section II covers a wide range of potential sources of finance, such as venture capital, "business angels", Eurotech and the Seed Capital Pilot Action, the Commission's Innovation and Technology Equity Capital (I-TEC) scheme, stock markets, the Growth and Employment Initiative and the Third Multiannual Programme for SMEs; - Section III gives a country by country overview of national programmes of interest to SMEs in the biotechnology sector.