Innovation Vouchers – Technology Strategy Board

What are Innovation Vouchers?

The Technology Strategy Board’s national Innovation Voucher scheme is designed to help businesses gain the knowledge they need to innovate and grow.

An Innovation Voucher can help your business to work with an external expert for the first time by paying towards the cost of their services.

What will we fund?

The Innovation Voucher can enable your business to access knowledge for all types of innovation – for example:

• ideas for new or improved products, processes and services
• using design to improve your ideas
• managing your intellectual property.

However, you need to be clear that accessing this knowledge will help your business address a real challenge, not just a small improvement or change to what you currently do.

Innovation Vouchers help you to obtain expert advice from a knowledge supplier you haven’t worked with before, not to fund general business needs such as training or equipment.

We are providing Innovation Vouchers for start-up, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to work with ‘knowledge suppliers’ such as:

• universities and further education colleges
• research and technology organisations
• technical consultancies
• Catapult centres
• design advisers
• intellectual property advisers.

Initially, Innovation Vouchers will be available to businesses that are working on – or aiming to work on – ideas in the following three priority areas:

• agrifood – voucher value up to £5k
• built environment – voucher value up to £5k
• energy, water & waste – voucher up to £5k
• space – voucher value up to £8k (in association with the International Space Innovation Centre).

Batch allocation dates

The allocation dates for Innovation Vouchers are:

• 24th October 2012
• 23rd January 2013
• 10th April 2013
• 24th July 2013
• 23rd October 2013

To qualify:

• you need to be a start-up, micro or small and medium-sized business located in the UK*
• it should be the first time that you have worked with your selected knowledge supplier
• the idea that you want help with should be a challenge for your business that requires specialist help
• your idea must be applicable to the agrifood, built environment or space areas
• you should not have received an Innovation Voucher from the Technology Strategy Board before.

Is this for you – are you eligible to apply?

Applying is simple!

• apply via the Technology Strategy Board website at: www.innovateuk.org/Competitions
• provide details of your business and answer some simple questions about why you want an Innovation Voucher and what you plan to do
• apply any time for agrifood and built environment
• applications for Innovation Vouchers in the space area can be made up until 24 October
• Vouchers will be allocated by means of a draw from eligible applications. In the first round, starting in September 2012, around 400 vouchers will be issued. In later rounds around 100 will be issued every three months

to find out more information join the Innovation Vouchers group on _connect at: https://connect. innovateuk.org/web/guest/home

An Innovation Voucher will enable you to work with an external expert for the first time so you can move forward with a particular idea or innovation. It can also be used to help you think through an idea that might lead you to apply for other types of support offered by the Technology Strategy Board.

The online Guidance for Applicants will help you to decide if your project is eligible when the scheme opens on 24 September.

Competitions helpline: 0300 321 4357