WARSAW, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The European Investment Bank (EIB) has awarded Poland a 675-million-euro (945 million U.S. dollars) loan for the financing of research conducted by institutes and universities, the bank has announced.

    The bank also granted two loans of the total value of 250 million euros for the support of projects implemented by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Polish news agency PAP quoted the bank as saying on Sunday.

    The funds are to help Poland invest in a society based on knowledge and improve access of SMEs, suffering most from the present economic crisis, to medium- and long-term financing.

    The 675-million-euro loan is addressed to the Ministry of Science, state scientific institutes and universities. The funds are earmarked, among others, for research infrastructure and the co-financing of wages of scholars implementing government scientific programs.