The October 2014 round of the SME instrument funding saw two Phase 2 grants being given to Finnish companies. The SME instrument, launched under the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union, aims to support innovative Small- or Medium-sized Enterprises to gain competitive edge in their aspirations to accelerate the exploitation of their innovations, and to expand their business. According to the EU, the SME instrument is a simpler and more easily accessible funding scheme for SMEs in the Horizon 2020 programme. However, the competition is tight: less than 15 % of all the proposals get funded. “A successful application requires a strong focus on the business opportunity, high level of innovation, and a well written application”, says Dr. Pirjo Pasanen, a certified EU consultant from Spinverse.