EN
In the article reference is made to "Lisbon Strategy" and Barcelona summit of the Council of the European Union which defined strategy how to close economic gap between USA and the European Union. Comparison has been done between EU and non-EU countries in their investments in research and development. The reasons for lags in innovation performance towards USA, cited in literature have been summarized and policy of EU explained. Importance of participation of Small and Medium Enterprises in research and development has been stressed. The aims of Sixth and Seventh Framework Programme and basic information on the programmes are given, justifying participation of SME's in the projects. It is indicated that the National Control Point (NCP) plays an important role in promotion of participation in the EU grants available and that it supports potential partners and project participants in fulfilling requirements of the European Commission.