The EU Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) has published the results for the final 2016 cut-off (25 October 2016) of the Fast Track to Innovation Pilot programme under Horizon 2020. A total of 17 projects have been selected, involving 80 partners from 19 countries. The European Commission will allocate a total of €33.5 million to the selected projects.

Among the 6 Italian entities involved in 5 of the projects funded in this round is a Lombardy-based company, ML Engraving (BG), acting as coordinator for the project "SOFTSLIDE - Industrialisation and commercialisation of mass production processes for the texturing during moulding of dynamic seals in order to increase industrial equipment energy efficiency and durability”.

Since the launch of the Fast Track to Innovation pilot phase in January 2015, the Commission has funded 94 projects involving 426 entities from 27 different countries, with a total financial contribution of approximately €200 million.

Regarding the overall figures across all cut-offs, Italy ranks fourth in terms of the total number of beneficiaries (48), following Spain (63), Germany (70) and Great Britain (110).

The full list of funded projects, along with further information, is available on the EASME website .