The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, which operated from 2007 to 2013, aimed to improve the

competitiveness Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, individ ...

of European companies facing the challenges of

globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

. The programme was mainly aimed at

small and medium-sized enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organiza ...

(SMEs), which could receive support for

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...

activities, better

access to finance Access to finance is the ability of individuals or enterprises to obtain financial services, including credit, deposit, payment, insurance, and other risk management services.Demirgüç-Kunt, A., Beck, T., & Honohan, P. (2008). ''Finance for All?: ...

and business support services. The programme sought to encourage the usage of

information and communications technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

(ICT),

renewable energies Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...

and to promote

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...

History

The CIP was based on Decision No 1639/2006/EC of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

and of the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

of 24 October 2006 establishing a ''Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme'' (2007 to 2013). The CIP is complementary to the 7th Framework Programme (FP7); the two programmes were to be "mutually-reinforcing" and "each designed to contribute to the success of the other". The Commission noted during the recession which occurred from 2007 onwards that small businesses needed additional support and so the implementation of the programme's financial instruments was speeded up and its approval procedures were simplified. A further programme, COSME, followed up CIP and ran 2014 to 2020.

Operational programmes

The CIP consisted of three programmes: * Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) * Information Communication Technologies Policy support Programme (ICT PSP) * Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE). All three programmes were managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), an EU government body established by the European Commission to operate and oversee the various activities of CIP.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)

The EIP aimed to facilitate access to finance for the start-up and growth of SMEs and to encourage investment in innovation activities and to create an environment favourable to

SME ''Sme'' (stylized as ''SME'') or ''Denník Sme'' () is one of the widely-read mainstream broadsheets in Slovakia. Its website is one of the most-visited internet portals in Slovakia. Ownership status In June 2016, the Antimonopoly Office appro ...

cooperation, particularly in the field of cross-border cooperation, thereby promoting and assisting in all forms of innovation in enterprises. It specifically supported innovation efforts in the

ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

sector. It also had a broader ambition to promote an entrepreneurship and innovation culture and related economic and administrative reform. To help achieve these objectives the Commission has funded a number of actions. One of these was the formation of the

Enterprise Europe Network The Enterprise Europe Network is a cross-border business network that provides support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to innovate and grow internationally. It is co-funded by the European Union's COSME and Horizon 2020 programmes. The ...

, which started to form during January 2008. This network has been established by integrating two former networks: the Euro Info Centres (EIC) and the Innovation Relay Centres (IRC). There were over 500 regional teams across Europe and beyond in 40 countries, making it the world's largest business and innovation support network. The objective of integrating the two networks is to offer businesses a one-stop-shop of integrated services under one roof to better assist companies in addressing their business and innovation need. The type of services offered by many of the regional teams comprises: * business partnering such as supplier, distribution and joint venture partner searches * Online tools for tracking European public sector tenders * Online facilities for assistance in finance and grant searches * Advise on IPR and legal matters * Advice on finance including grants, debt and risk * Assist businesses in accessing research programmes and apply for R&D grants * Advice and assistance on accessing EU programmes and funds * Access to information on EU policies, regulations and support programmes * Technology and R&D partnering * Assistance for accessing Seventh Framework Programme ( FP7) Each of the Enterprise Europe Network Centres also offer a channel for passing feedback from businesses to the Commission on policies. All the Centres are also required to help engage businesses in EU policy-making by promoting consultations opened by the EC. The Network is essentially the front line for business and innovation support offered by Directorate General Enterprise and Industry, one of the various divisions or Directorate Generals comprising the European Commission. In addition to the new Network, DG Enterprise & Industry have established other initiatives such as the

European Investment Fund The European Investment Fund (EIF), established in 1994, is a financial institution for the provision of finance to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), headquartered in Luxembourg. It is part of the European Investment Bank Group. It ...

(EIF), which provisions for venture capital aimed at SMEs - in particular high-tech early-stage companies.

References

External links

*
FPCIP Consultation

SME Circle's view on CIP

* ttp://ec.europa.eu/cip/index_en.htm Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme
An example of innovation-support services provided within the ICT District in Piedmont
{{DEFAULTSORT:Competitiveness And Innovation Framework Programme European Commission projects Innovation organizations

History

Operational programmes

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)

See also

References

External links