Brussels, 23/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted three loans totalling €227 million to the Institut Català de Finances (ICF). The largest, worth €115 million will be used to finance investment by ICF Equipments to build and maintain 54 pre-school, primary and secondary education and vocational training establishments and 13 primary healthcare centres throughout Catalonia. The second loan of €62 million will go towards financing the last phase of the construction of Barcelona's new trade fair centre. The final beneficiary of this loan will be FIRA 2000, the company set up in 1993 to develop the project. One of the positive aspects that persuaded the EIB to finance the project was the role played by trade fairs in fostering innovation by helping to bring the fruits of R&D investment in the different sectors to the market. The final loan, of €50 million, will help finance projects by SMEs, mainly in the industrial, tourism and service sectors. (A.D./transl.rt)