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Access to risk finance

Under the 'Industrial Leadership' pillar, this specific objective will help companies and other types of organisation engaged in research and innovation (R&I) to gain easier access, via financial instruments, to loans, guarantees, counter-guarantees and hybrid, mezzanine and equity finance, which will now be most importantly boosted under the new Commission initiative VentureEU.

One of the key factors constraining the implementation of research and innovation (R&I) activities is the lack of available financing at acceptable terms to innovative businesses due to their complex products and technologies, unproven markets and intangible assets.

Through its actions under ‘Access to Risk Finance’, Horizon 2020  supports companies and other types of organisations engaged in R&I such as research centres, universities, public-private partnerships, special-purpose companies or projects, and joint ventures, to gain easier access to debt and equity financing.

Particular support is required for innovative SMEs (and in some sectors microenterprises), especially in the start-up phase or after diversifying into new markets. The availability of early-stage and growth-stage equity finance for innovative firms is being improved thanks to VentureEU, which will help to provide better access to finance to support the concept and proof-of-concept stage of the innovation process, as well as the later stages of development where relevant.

Source: Access to risk finance. European Commission. 

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