The Enterprise and Industry Directorate General of the European Commission and EIM signed a contract entitled "Economic Studies in support of SME Policy" at the end of May. This contract is a  so-called framework contract within which studies will be carried out to support  Small and Medium-sized Enterprises policy. The objective of these studies is to provide insight into the structure of small and medium-sized enterprises and their business performance and also into developments within their business environment.This contract, therefore, offers a framework for studies on a large variety of subjects such as entrepreneurship, internationalisation, co-operation, innovation and R&D,  standardisation, financing and labour. All Directorates General of the European Commission are entitled to submit requests for studies to be carried out. The contract covers 50  countries  i.e. the 27 members of the European Union, the EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), the countries that are candidate members and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries - neighbouring countries to the South and East of the European Union.This contract will run from 2008 to 2010 and the total budget available amounts to 8 million euros. EIM was one of seven institutes that tendered for the award of this contract.