Innovation Vouchers

Innovation Vouchers are designed to help Northwest businesses owners, entrepreneurs and social enterprises to purchase a knowledge provider's expertise to develop innovation and enhance business

- There will be no Innovation Vouchers issued beyond August 2010

The University of York is a member of the regional innovation vouchers scheme.

The key message: Innovation vouchers worth £3000 or £7000 will deliver a knowledge solution to an innovation project.

This project should either:

  • Build internal capacity.
  • Explore specific business issues relating to the exploitation of new ideas.
  • Address product, process or service innovation issues.

The key benefits:

Solutions for Business is a suite of publicly funded business support products and services designed to help businesses start, grow and succeed

  • Increased profitability
  • Better informed business decisions
  • Improved processes
  • Business model development
  • Improved service delivery
  • Efficiency savings
  • Increased market share
  • A fresh source of ideas

Eligibility

Yorkshire and Humber based companies, classed as an SME under the EU definition, from any sector will be eligible to apply for an innovation voucher.
(EU definition: up to 250 employees, annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro or annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro).

The voucher can be supported by a range of knowledge base institutions across the region.

Types of projects that could be supported

  • Research into a company’s markets and identification of new materials and products, and also alternative uses for their production skills
  • Testing the performance of the CAD model against that of the physical product
  • Research to find a solution to a problem e.g. sustainable, environmentally-friendly, easy to open yet protective packaging
  • Use of specialist facilities e.g. specialist analysis of products
  • Business process design e.g. new customer interface process
  • Exploiting new web technologies for the region and/or industry

Ineligible costs

  • Achieving compliance with statutory regulations or legislation.
  • Training courses
  • Software purchases
  • Aid that would promote / subsidise the cost of exports
  • Internships for students of knowledge institutions
  • Design and production of advertising materials
  • Sales and marketing activities (except for the exploitation of new web technology for the region and/or industry).
  • Accreditations
  • Capital items
  • Travel costs
  • 'Live' and existing projects with the knowledge providers

Related documents

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