Assessment of the potential for RTD activities by European SMEs in the context of Community programmes
The European Commission (DG XXIII) has published a call for expressions of interest in the assessment of the potential for RTD of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of Community RTD programmes. A pilot project will be carried out by consultancy bodies for SMEs who will be financed by the Commission for 50% of the costs of their activities. It will have the following objectives: - To assess, using accounting methods, the resources available to a sample of European industrial or industrial service SMEs which create or use new technologies, for entering into transnational technological cooperation schemes; - In the light of the results of these assessments, to advise the SMEs on the most appropriate national and/or Community forms of aid to innovation and research; - To identify and support the SMEs whose RTD projects are likely to lead to suitable proposals for submission in response to invitations to tender issued under the Community RTD programmes in question or, where appropriate, under EUREKA or national programmes. The project will concentrate on four areas covered by the Fourth Framework Programme for Community RTD (1994-1998): - Industrial technologies, including the CRAFT programme; - Information technologies; - Life technologies; - Dissemination and exploitation of RTD results. The award procedure comprises several phases: Business organizations and institutions must express their interest in writing, enclosing full documentary evidence of their ability to perform a task of this nature and details of their experience in industrial studies and advisory work in the RTD technology transfer fields. The Commission will then send out to selected bodies the contract specifications enabling them to prepare their requests for aid. It will select applicants on the basis of these requests and will communicate to the successful candidates by letter of intent the amount of aid to be granted and the conditions under which the aid is given. The final agreement will be on the basis of a contract. Requests to participate should be sent in duplicate by registered post, marked "EUROMANAGEMENT - R & TD II" and addressed to: European Commission DG XXIII, "Enterprise policy, Commerce, Tourism and Cooperatives" Unit B/3 Attn. Mrs. Lucia Pitisci (ARLN 4/44) 200 rue de la Loi B-1049 Brussels