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We depart from the results obtained in the previous Chapter with two DEA models, specifically the Slack Based-Measure (SBM) and the Weighted Russel Directional Distance (WRDD) model. Firstly, we adjust the input and output factors through the SFA by removing the influence of environmental factors and statistical noise. Secondly, we instantiate the previous DEA models with adjusted factors, to compute new efficiency factors. All in all, we observed that by removing these contextual effects, nearly 27% of the OPs (14) vs. 30% of the OPs (16) using the SBM and the WRDD approaches, respectively, achieved efficient procedural outcomes, compared to 20 percent (10) without the consideration of these factors. The OP \u201cMulti-regional Spain - ERDF\u201d is commonly considered a benchmark regardless of the model and contextual environment. The \u2018number of operations supported\u2019 is the measure that necessitates more consideration, with or without the elimination of environmental factors, irrespective of the DEA model used. Our findings imply that more developed areas with a higher number of ICT specialists tend to have lower use of ERDF funds committed to promoting ICT adoption in SMEs. These findings might be attributable to administrative practices and SMEs\u2019 failure to manage the complicated technicalities involved in submitting and executing European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project proposals. As a result, it is critical to provide the extra help that reduces managerial requirements while also meeting the demands of SMEs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-18161-0_3","type":"book-chapter","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,29]],"date-time":"2022-11-29T15:04:43Z","timestamp":1669734283000},"page":"43-57","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Are ERDF Devoted to Boosting ICT in SMEs Inefficient? 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