What you need to know about SME Instrument

You are a European, Swiss or Israeli SME, you have a right to a financial assistance: SME Instrument.

• SME Instrument is a tool dedicated to innovative SME who want to grow and get internationalized.

• It is dedicated to all kind of  innovation, included to non-technological innovations and services.

• SME Instrument is a financial assistance from the European Commission. It is a part of the Horizon 2020 program. But: for an accepted project, it has to be submitted by only one SME.

• SME Instrument will be able to support step by step according to the project maturity and to grant a subvention for the two first steps:

Phase 1: Funding is available for: Exploring and assessing the technical feasibility and commercial potential of a breakthrough innovation that a company wants to exploit and commercialize.

Activities funded could be: risk assessment, design or market studies, intellectual property exploration; the ultimate goal is to put a new product, service or process in the market, possibly through an innovative application of existing technologies, methodologies, or business processes.

The project should be aligned to the business strategy, helping internal growth or targeting a transnational business opportunity.

Phase 2: Funding is available for: innovation projects underpinned by a sound and strategic business plan (potentially elaborated and partially funded through phase 1 of the SME Instrument).

Activities funded in phase 2 can be of several types: prototyping, miniaturisation, scaling-up, design, performance verification, testing, demonstration, development of pilot lines, validation for market replication, including other activities aimed at bringing innovation to investment readiness and maturity for market take-up.

Phase 3: With the view of facilitating the commercial exploitation of the innovation activities resulting from phase 1 or phase 2, specific activities will be proposed. These can include support for further developing investment readiness, linking with private investors and customers through brokerage activities, assistance in applying for further EU risk finance, and a range of other innovation support activities and services offered via the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).

Remember that: Phases 1 and 2 are independently open to all SME: no obligation to go through phase 1 to submit a project in phase 2.