Europe lags behind other regions in technology transfer and the commercialisation of R&I. Lack of early-stage investment is a major factor contributing to this situation. Facilitating the interaction of potential investors with innovative SMEs and small midcaps participating in FP7 or Horizon 2020, together with preparing firms and entrepreneurs to negotiate more effectively with such investors, can help address this problem. In a complementary manner, investors can be trained to better understand the technologies and applications developed through FP7 and Horizon 2020 projects and thus make sounder decisions about their commercialisation potential.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7204&lang=en&title=Boosting%2Dthe%2DInvestment%2DReadiness%2Dof%2DSMEs%2Dand%2DSmall%2DMidcaps
