Innovative SMEs are most likely to create new markets, achieve rapid growth, and help the economy recover. External finance may be particularly important for innovative SMEs, as they usually lack the internal resources to successfully commercialise innovations. However, innovative SMEs often find it the hardest to obtain finance because they tend to have riskier business models, which are important to create new markets but are also difficult for banks to value. Innovative SMEs are often more reliant on intangible assets, rather than physical property, but intangibles are difficult to value as they are context specific, and thus hard to use as collateral for lending. AccesSME project is dedicated to contribute tackling this issue. The objective of the project is to enable the participating innovation agencies to cooperate in a tangible and cost-effective manner so as to improve existing or create new concepts, methodologies and tools for SMEs on access to finance through mutual learning and exchange of good practices. The project aims to cover three kinds of access to finance options: 1) Business to business (B2B) matching for partnerships and investments 2) Horizon 2020 SME Instrument 3) crowdfunding platforms.

The project procure2innovate aims at improving institutional support for public procurers of information and communication technologies (ICT) and other product groups implementing innovation procurement by establishing or expanding competence centres for innovation procurement in ten EU Member States.

The main ambition of IMPACTOUR project is to create an innovative and easy-to-use methodology and tool to measure and assess the impact of Cultural Tourism (CT) on European economic and social development and to improve Europe’s policies and practices on CT, strengthening its role as a sustainable driving force in the growth and economic development of European regions. CT has been recognized as one of the drivers of growth, jobs and economic development, as well intercultural understanding and social development in Europe regions and urban areas.However, there is still a knowledge gap on methods to measure different types of CT impacts and to assess multilevel and cross-border strategies, policies and practices contribution to sustainable development.IMPACTOUR proposes to bring together CT-related stakeholders and researchers to achieve new approaches taking advantage of the large amounts of information that confront policy-makers. By identifying and comparing quantitative/qualitative pan-European information on CT forms and promotion, and by providing quantifiable evidence of CT strategies and their effect on European regions’ development and Europeanisation, IMPACTOUR will deliver an innovative methodology and tool (combining data analytics algorithms with artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies) providing CT stakeholders with strategic guidance so that policies and practices on CT can be improved. IMPACTOUR will encompass a sustainable ecosystem by engaging Cultural Tourism stakeholders and following a participatory approach. IMPACTOUR tools and methods will lead to reinforcing the commitment with Europe CT, increasing citizens sense of belonging, valorisation of minority cultures, strengthening of identities and Europeanisation. IMPACTOUR Methodology will be completed and tested with data coming from 15 Data Information Pilots and the IMPACTOUR tool will be validated in 5 Validation Pilots, with distinct characteristics spread around Europe.