National Contact Point for small and medium sized enterprises (NCP SME)
The National Contact Point SME activities are shared equally by some regional partners of the former Innovation Relay Centre network covering all regions of Germany. The shared responsibility leads to high-standard consultancy services being offered to companies applying for funding all over the country. The activities are co-ordinated by ZENIT GmbH.
Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum is the regional contact point for companies located in Baden-Württemberg.
The tasks of the NCP have been defined by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi = Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie) and aim to stimulate company participation in the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development (which runs from 2007 - 2013). The regional contact points support companies in developing and submitting project proposals.
Particularly important for SME is the programme "Research for SME" (Co-operative Research), which allows companies with inadequate research resources to work with research performers to carry out innovative research. Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum offers advice and support for companies.
As part of the NCP SME, SEZ does also attend to the EU funding programme Eco-innovation. It supports the market penetration of environmentally friendly products, processes and services.