Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2009
210 Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if innovation vouchers are available to small and medium enterprises in every sector; if innovation vouchers are available to indigenous SME’s that are not export orientated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38522/09]
View answerThe objective of the Innovation Voucher Initiative is to facilitate and encourage enterprises, in particular small enterprise, to avail of the support available from research institutions.
Under the Initiative vouchers worth €5,000 are allocated to small businesses whose proposals, to work with public knowledge providers on specific innovation questions, meet basic criteria. Companies can apply for more than one voucher and up to ten companies may pool their vouchers for a single project.
All small companies, in every sector of the Irish economy are eligible to apply for an innovation voucher. The only exclusions, in line with State Aid guidelines, are small enterprises in the transportation and agricultural sectors. Applications are restricted to registered limited companies only.
The Innovation Voucher Initiative is therefore available to all eligible sectors and is available to indigenous SME's that are not export orientated. The initiative has already played a role in drive on-going innovation by promoting and encouraging a transfer of knowledge between Ireland's third level educational institutions or research providers and the small business community and creating greater synergies between the two.
Innovation vouchers can be used for any kind of innovation such as:
new business model development;
new service delivery and customer interface;
new service development; or
tailored training in innovation management.
Small companies have redeemed 292 vouchers worth €1.46 million to date in 2009 with applications received from all 26 counties, covering a wide range of sectors, with the areas of eCommerce, Digital Mechanisms and Communications Technologies prominent.
Northern Ireland also launched an innovation voucher initiative in May 2008. This move by Invest Northern Ireland, means that innovation vouchers are now acceptable in third level institutions or ‘knowledge providers' on both sides of the border. This means that companies North and South have the same level of choice when it comes to selecting the most suitable research team and to date 14 southern Irish companies have completed projects with Northern Irish knowledge providers and eight Northern Irish companies have completed projects with knowledge providers in the South to deliver solutions to their knowledge questions.
