Funding Logic of the European Union

European funding programs offer small and medium-sized enterprises enormous opportunities-but at the same time present them with complex legal, organizational, and strategic challenges. This reference book provides a systematic overview of the European funding landscape, specifically from the perspective of SMEs. The work not only explains which funding programs exist at the European level, but above all how they work, under what conditions they can actually be used, and when it is worthwhile to use them. From the legal basis of EU state aid law to key programs such as research, digitization, and structural funds to financing instruments outside of traditional grants, the funding architecture of Europe is broken down in a comprehensible and practical manner. Particular attention is paid to strategic classification: subsidies are not presented as an end in themselves, but as instruments within a long-term corporate development strategy. The book shows which company profiles have realistic chances of receiving subsidies, what risks and obligations are associated with subsidies, and how subsidy programs can be combined effectively with private financing. A guide for all SMEs that do not want to leave European funding programs to chance, but want to use them strategically. Bremen University Press has published over 5,000 specialist books in various languages since 2005. January 2026