SI seminar with Andrea Mina

Innovation and entrepreneurship policies have gained momentum as means to foster economic growth. Much attention has recently been dedicated to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) with high-growth potential. In order to lower the barriers to SMEs growth, in 2014 the European Commission introduced the SME Instrument (SMEi) with the specific aim to support innovative SMEs in need of external finance. By exploiting the availability of information not only on grant awards but also on applications, we present the first study to date that examines which types of firms apply to the scheme and which ones are selected for the two main rounds of funding. Moreover, after evaluating the instrument’s attractiveness, we apply a regression discontinuity design to produce a preliminary assessment of the performance of the scheme in terms of firm growth and access to additional finance.

The seminar takes place in Kilen, 2.53.