"Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs or, in German, "KMUs") are at the forefront of technological progress in many areas but they often have difficulty coping with the risks cutting-edge research entails. With this in mind, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) introduced the "KMU-innovativ" funding programme to promote high-risk R&D projects and thus foster SME innovation in Germany." Quelle: KMU-innovativ.de