The automotive industry, in Europe is responsible for about ten million jobs (direct and indirect) and one out of ten European automotive workers lives in the new Member States. Although the automotive production of the new Member States occupies a rather small share in the overall European production, at national level this industry is a major driver of the economy in those new Member States. In Europe 99% of the enterprises are SMEs and in particularly the automotive Industry is characterised by a high number of small and medium sized companies spread by the whole continent as component suppliers for the large internationally owned manufacturers.

However, due to structural shifts in the automotive industry, the need for RTD investment for those small and medium sized suppliers increased markedly. This initiative aimed to increment the Research and Innovation potential in automotive SMEs, mainly from the New Member States and Candidate Countries by providing instruments to assist the SMEs to take advantage of the European Research opportunities to carry on their Research and Innovation projects to non-profit organisations from those countries.

This Specific Support Action was implemented within time frame of 12 months and it covered the period of the final definition of the FP7, the opening of the first calls (November 2006) and also the closing of the first calls (March/April 2007).

This timing was very suitable for the project objective as it provided support to the SMEs at a moment where the awareness raising about new rules, definitions, instruments, priorities, contract models and Technology Platforms was specially needed. The activities undertaken in this initiative resulted in a fruitful co-operation in RTD between New, Old and Future Member States and stimulated the generation of innovative projects in the field of Surface Transport.