Overview
With small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as its main target, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) supports innovation activities (including eco-innovation), provides better access to finance and delivers business support services in the regions.
It encourages a better take-up and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), it helps to develop the information society and it promotes the increased use of renewable energies and energy efficiency.
The overall objective of CIP is to improve access to finance for the start-up and growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to invest in innovation activities, including eco-innovation. The CIP is divided into three operational programmes:
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP). The EIP seeks to support innovation and SMEs in the EU, focusing on:
- Access to finance
- Enterprise Europe Network
- Innovation policy, and
- Eco-innovation.
The Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP) aims at stimulating a wider uptake of innovative ICT based services and the exploitation of digital content across Europe by citizens, governments and businesses, in particular SMEs, focusing on:
- Better environment for developing ICT based services;
- Driving this uptake in areas of public interest while addressing EU challenges.
The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE) will help deliver on the ambitious climate change and energy targets that the EU has set for itself, focusing on:
- Supporting concrete projects, initiatives and best practices via annual calls for proposals.