Important efforts are done to organize collective research at the earlier stages of research, while similar efforts are not organized for the innovation stage, just when the market reality is harder
The national and regional RTD programmes are currently promoting collective research activities, thus contributing to minimize the risks of research and provoking that the cooperation among researchers make more important results. This is very good in principle, but it does provoke that consortiums conducting research are larger. When there is a large consortium, the role of SME is more diluted; this does not mean that large consortium are bad, but it is a fact that SMEs contributions in large consortium become lighter. Similarly, at the time an innovative idea is becoming more reality, as a result of the research effort, the national and european RTD programmes do not continue providing such support: the gap between research and innovation.
In Europe, the CIP is providing important results, although it is a limited programme. No similar programmes are widely implemented at national levels.
An SME, always closer to the market requirements, has a demand for support at the level of applying science and technology to products, services in the market. SMEs engagement in early stages or research are seen by SMEs as extremely long processes disencouraging SME involvement. Possible measures, visibly, supporting the conversion of research and technology to market propositions would attract many new SMEs to the innovation cycles.