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Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF)

Objectives of RSFF

Investment in Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) has been identified as a key factor to improve competitiveness and ensure long term economic growth and employment in Europe. Under the Lisbon Strategy established in 2000, Europe has set itself the goal to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.

Finding private funding sources for RDI projects can be difficult due to their nature:

  • complex products and technologies
  • unproven markets
  • intangible assets
  • information difficult to evaluate by the financial sector.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have joined forces to set up the Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF). RSFF is an innovative scheme to improve access to debt financing for private companies or public institutions promoting activities in the field of:

  • Research, Technological Development Demonstration, and
  • Innovation investments.

  • RSFF is built on the principle of credit risk sharing between the European Community and the EIB and extends therefore the ability of the Bank to provide loans or guarantees with a low and sub-investment grade risk profile (involving financial risks above those normally accepted by investors). The scheme also provides a wealth of opportunities for new and innovative EIB financing solutions directed at the private sector and the research community as a whole.