SMEs are at the heart of EU Horizon 2020's programme for growth and innovation, but with a heavy application process is this becoming a pipedream? Our panelists discussed.

Forum: an Italian view - helping SMEs to 'Pass Go'

Hello and welcome  to this special programme, Forum,

Today we will be talking  about Horizon 2020.

Enrico, what is Horizon 2020?  Is it a futurist film?

It's the programme  for funding research and innovation

with the largest amount of resources  allocated for this purpose

since instruments of this kind  were first created.

Very good.  Now let me introduce our guests.

On my right is Carlo Corazza,  spokesperson for Commissioner Tajani,

who is responsible  for industry and enterprise.

On our left is Flavio Burlizzi,  director of Unioncamere's Brussels office.

And finally Andrea Cozzolino, an MEP  from the Socialists and Democrats Group.

Thank you for coming.  -Let's get to the heart of the matter.

how small and medium enterprises  can use these resources

Out of the overall budget  of 70 billion euros

which has been assigned  to the Horizon 2020 programme,

a significant amount  can be used by SMEs.

Let's start...  -Let's start with Carlo Corazza.

Let us into the secret  and tell us why Horizon 2020,

will be better than and different from  the Seventh Framework Programme.

What's new?  -There will be more funding from 2014.

The Seventh Framework Programme  only had 54 billion euros...

To spend in seven years.  -We proposed 80 billion.

70 or 71 billion euros  is a good compromise.

There are instruments for accessing  credit and for venture capital support,

an aspect that perhaps didn't feature  enough in the previous programme.

The main problem we have in Europe  is start-ups that fail.

They can't get past the launch phase  because of a shortage of capital

and even though they have  innovative ideas and patents,

Are you promoting them?  Do you have reservations?

Significant effort  has been put into the programme.

It's significant  but it's probably not enough.

We've been talking recently  to Italian colleagues about this issue.

because small and medium enterprises  probably need the kind of structure

that only represents a small part  of the new Horizon 2020 programme.

But this means  that with the SME instrument,

which is a great victory  for supporters of SMEs,

in seven years around 5,500 businesses  can get through the first phase

and 2,000 businesses  can have their projects funded.

Italian businesses?  -No, European businesses.

The SME instrument was specially devised  to speak the language of businesses

and it's important to comply with it  in the appropriate way.

Andrea Cozzolino, I'll come back to you, but  I'd like Carlo Corazza to explain something.

The big news is that part of the budget  is intended exclusively for SMEs.

Will they have direct access  to this funding

There's a line of credit  and venture capital

intended for start-ups,  new SMEs with innovative ideas

and can, if their idea takes off  in the market,

potentially become  very competitive businesses.

This is very interesting because it then  needs to be applied on a national level.

Mr Cozzolino,  how do we explain all this?

I'd like to point out  something positive

within a not very positive  European framework.

I was particularly opposed  to the budget line.

We've got fewer resources available  in the coming years.

For the first time  Europe is making a clear choice

to place a special focus  on the European manufacturing system.

where Europe actually puts emphasis  on the European manufacturing system.

How much use will Italy make of them  in terms of industrial policy choices?

We've already looked at the new features  and you all seem in agreement.

Later we'll look at the ways  of actually accessing this funding.

Let's look at what other MEPs have said  about Horizon 2020

It's not the title of the latest science  fiction film released at the cinema,

it's one of the EU's  most ambitious funding programmes.

Its goal is to boost research  and innovation in the EU

Horizon 2020 will not be limited  to the academic world.

It will also provide support  for businesses. How?

By allocating 4% of its budget -  more than 3 billion euros -

and by simplifying  funding application procedures.

One of the reasons: to help bring  European discovery into the marketplace

and move from frontier research  to economic opportunities.

We have many situations  where something - an idea, a concept -

is developed,  the research is developed in Europe.

This gives rise to a product that is  produced somewhere else in the world

even when the market is back in Europe,  and we want to avoid this.

Social innovation is also one of the  objectives included in the programme.