SMEs play an important role in innovation. There are concerns that the recent economic crisis may have affected them disproportionally in terms of securing funding for R&D and other innovation-related activities. In some countries governments play a key role in funding R&D activities of SMEs. In most, between 40% and 80% of government-financed business expenditures in research and development (BERD) goes to SMEs, a figure that reaches over 90% in Estonia and Hungary. However, in larger countries such as the United Kingdom, France and the United States, the bulk of public support goes to large firms.