Horizon2020 funds high-potential innovation through a dedicated SME instrument. This instrument supports close-to-market activities, with the aim to give a strong boost to breakthrough innovation.

50 SMEs from 14 countries have been selected for the Phase 2 of Horizon2020 SME Instrument. In total 47 projects will receive up to €2.5 million each (up to €5 million for health projects) to enable them to bring their product from pilot-phase to the market. The 3 most successful countries are: Spain with 14 projects selected, Germany with 8 projects and France with 6 projects. The fields with the most funded projects are: ICT (9 projects), transport (7 projects) and energy efficiency and sustainable food production (6 projects for both). For Phase 2 in 2016, the European Commission received 553 project proposals involving 689 participants. The next cut-off for SME Instrument Phase 2 is 14 April 2016.