Support Measures and Initiatives for Enterprises (SMIE) - financed by the Enterprise Directorate-General to provide an integrated information resource on business support measures.

PAXIS (Pilot Action of eXcellence on Innovative Start-ups) - launched in 1999 and promotes the setting-up and development of innovative companies across Europe.

Innova - aims to encourage enterprise creation and growth, has developed a Modular Training Programme (including online training) and has an interactive database on SME support measures and services.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) - the financing institution of the EU, whose shareholders are the 25 member states. Activities:

• Innovation 2010 Initiative (i2i) to further the Lisbon EU Summits’ guidelines for developing a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation.
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• Global loans (credit lines made available to banks, leasing companies or financial institutions, which then lend on the proceeds for small or medium-scale investment projects that meet the Bank's criteria)
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• Direct loans (individual loans given to promoters in both the public and private sectors, including banks)
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• Structured Finance Facility (funds high-risk projects and favours large-scale infrastructure schemes)
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• Venture Capital (to strengthen the equity base of high-technology SMEs and those with strong growth potential)

The European Investment Fund (EIF) - the EU’s specialised vehicle providing venture capital and guarantee instruments for SMEs. Activities:

• European Technology Facility (ETF) Start-up Facility (part of the EC's Growth and Employment Initiative and aims to provide risk capital to innovative SMEs through investment in relevant specialised venture capital funds)
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• EUCIST (European Coaching Innovation Standard, aims to build a network of incubators and an associated accreditation system, which EIF will help to design, in order to benchmark incubators and candidate enterprises)

The European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) - has over 380 European venture capital operators from more than 30 countries. Its mission is to globally promote and to facilitate European venture capital and private equity.

European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance (ENTA) - represents the interests of nanotechnology businesses across Europe, and acts to bridge gaps between governments, science and industry policy makers and business.

European NanoBusiness Association (ENA) - a non profit organization dedicated to promoting a strong and competitive European nanotechnology based industry.

MINATUSE - network which aims to assist the transfer of emerging micro-nano technologies knowledge to European SMEs, through its participating research centres and technology transfer organizations.

EBN - the European BIC Network - consists of 160 Business and Innovation centres (BICs) and similar organizations such as incubators, innovation centres and entrepreneurship centres.

European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME) -employer's organization representing the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs at EU level.

eBSN - the European e-Business Support Network for SMEs - on-line environment for all European e-business initiatives, aimed at promoting the adoption of ICT and e-business among SMEs.

b2europe - alliance of European business support networks assisting companies, in particular SMEs, and potential entrepreneurs to compete and succeed.

The Eurocentre Network - a network of Latin American organizations responsible for the AL-INVEST programme (network of European and Latin American organizations which set-up meetings between companies active in the same sector on both sides of the Atlantic).

The COOPECO Network - a European network of institutions supporting industrial cooperation and investment promotion in Latin America.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)-Helpdesk - the first line assistance service providing support for current and potential EU-RTD contractors with Intellectual Property issues.

Dialogue with Business - an EC initiative to help those involved in business to utilise the internet.

RINNO - catalogues the skills and experiences that are built up during the process of innovation and has a comprehensive store of validated details on innovation activities that it makes electronically available to others.

The SME TechWeb - provides all the general information needed to understand the SME Specific Measures to participate and to submit a research proposal.

• EMINENT (European micro-nanotechnology business accelerator for SMEs)
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• NanoRoad SME (has developed technology roadmaps to facilitate the transfer of European research results from the nanotechnological field to SMEs)
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• NanoRoadMap (has provided 10 year technological roadmaps for nanoscience and nanotechnology in materials, health and medical systems, energy)
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• NAoMITEC (supports SMEs which are developing and/or interested in micro and nanotechnologies to join R&D projects in order to improve or to maintain their competitiveness)