Brussels, 17 January 2019 – The European Parliament voted today to mobilize almost EUR 700 billion for additional investments across the continent and boost the growth of a new generation of innovative enterprises and SMEs.

The InvestEU programme, which is part of the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial (MFF) Framework 2021-2027, brings together the various EU financial instruments currently available in order to benefit from economies of scale and to expand the Juncker Plan model.

Ruben Bonet, Fractus CEO and IP Europe SME Chair, said: “It is essential to have intellectual property at the core of InvestEU program for SMEs. IP and access to finance are fundamental for any SME, startup or scaleup that relies on R&D to foster competitiveness and growth. Competition is global and in Europe we need to be prepared for the next economic revolution where IP development and protection will play a key role.”

IP Europe welcomes today’s plenary vote and congratulates the co-rapporteurs, MEP Roberto Gualtieri (S&D) and MEP José Manuel Fernandes (EPP), for successfully steering InvestEU through the European Parliament.

IP and access to finance are fundamental in sustaining entrepreneurs through the challenges of the start-up and scale-up phases and creating the ‘unicorns’ of tomorrow. InvestEU will help to ensure that SMEs will be supported in using their IP to raise capital to support their development and sustain growth, without being forced to sell either the company or equity to larger, potentially non-European entities.

About IP Europe

IP Europe brings together R&D intensive European companies and research institutes committed to innovation, from SMEs to global enterprises and non-profit research entities operating in a variety of industrial sectors. They all share a common goal: to maintain, at all policy levels, strong patent protection for innovators and support recognized fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory standardization policies adopted by consensus that preserve fair compensation for innovators. IP Europe supports the use of Injunctive Relief against patent infringers and free riders that rely on R&D investments made by others to earn higher profits.