The European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) intends to launch a study to assess the effects the support provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) had on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This study will take stock of the different types of SME support investments co-financed by the ERDF in the 2014-20 period. It will assess their rationale and the evidence of their effectiveness, efficiency and impact, their coherence with other policies, their relevance and the EU added value. It will seek to identify factors contributing to the success or failure of these investments under different socio-economic conditions, good practice and their contribution to growth, sustainable development and job creation. The lessons learned from both successes and failures shall be presented as part of the conclusions.

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) intends to launch a study to assess the effects the support provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) had on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This study will take stock of the different types of SME support investments co-financed by the ERDF in the 2014-20 period. It will assess their rationale and the evidence of their effectiveness, efficiency and impact, their coherence with other policies, their relevance and the EU added value. It will seek to identify factors contributing to the success or failure of these investments under different socio-economic conditions, good practice and their contribution to growth, sustainable development and job creation. The lessons learned from both successes and failures shall be presented as part of the conclusions.