Commissioner Cresson encourages SME participation in Community research
Mrs. Edith Cresson, European Commissioner responsible for research policy, gave the closing address at the "First SME Technology Days", held in Brussels on 30 and 31 October 1996. The SME Technology Days, organized by the Commission, were designed to increase awareness of the measures taken to encourage SMEs to participate in Community RTD programmes. Commissioner Cresson emphasized that the main aim of Community policy towards SMEs was to create employment. SMEs, she said, could create jobs both by taking on employees and, more generally, from the impact of their activities on the economy and competitiveness. The Commissioner noted that new markets are being created and developed in areas such as the environment, health, food and culture, and demand for a whole range of new products and services is emerging. She stressed that SMEs can take advantage of these new opportunities, but only if they have strong technological capabilities and an international dimension. The objective of the measures taken to assist SMEs to participate in Community RTD and innovation support programmes is to help SMEs in these two areas. Comparing the environment of enterprises in Europe with the USA, Mrs. Cresson noted that there are cultural differences which mean that fewer Europeans attempt to start their own businesses. In addition, the financial, legal and regulatory environment in the US is more favourable to small enterprises, which means that a greater number survive. Whilst public authorities face difficulties in changing mentalities, they can nevertheless improve the operating environment for SMEs through a number of specific measures. Recognizing that SMEs operate with a short-term view, Mrs. Cresson underlined that actions to improve their operating environment should bring results quickly. She recognized, however, that actions in this area should be taken at the appropriate level - European, national, regional, or even local - with action only taken at European level where it had added value and complemented action at other levels. Turning to the EU's actions in favour of SMEs' participation in research programmes, Mrs. Cresson noted that results were, on the whole, positive. As a result of the introduction of the Technology Stimulation Measures for SMEs under the Fourth RTD Framework Programme, SME involvement had increased greatly. Some 3,500 SMEs participated in projects in the first year of the Programme, the same number as participated in all four years of the previous Framework Programme. SMEs had also benefited from other initiatives, including demonstration projects and technology transfer and technology validation actions, which were not aimed specifically at SMEs. Commissioner Cresson presented two major actions which the Commission is preparing. Firstly, the Action Plan on Innovation, resulting from the consultations on the Green Paper on Innovation, will be presented very shortly. The Action Plan will include measures to improve the environment for enterprises, encourage a culture of innovation and reinforce cooperation between universities, research institutes and industry. All of these will be of major importance to SMEs. Secondly, in its proposals for the development of the Fifth RTD Framework Programme, the Commission will take account of the needs of SMEs and the problems of innovation using a two-pronged approach: a horizontal action for SMEs will encourage demonstration projects and improve access to risk capital; complementing this, actions within the generic programmes will offer SMEs the possibility of establishing contacts, within cooperative projects, with other types of participants such as large companies, research centres and universities. Mrs. Cresson said that although the prospects for SMEs were promising, more needs to be done. The specific needs of SMEs have to be better understood and taken into account. Actions at European level should be coordinated, using other initiatives, including the Structural Funds. She recognized, however, that action at European level would not be enough to resolve the problems of innovation in SMEs. Cooperative efforts involving SMEs themselves, large companies and national, regional and European authorities would be needed. In concluding, the Commissioner stressed that, although this would neither be easy or quick, the gains to be made justify the investment.