Funding to help innovate your business

Innovation Vouchers October 2012 call now open

Local businesses can apply for funding of up to £4,000 to access knowledge and expertise to develop innovative business solutions.

The Invest Northern Ireland Innovation Vouchers programme enables small and medium sized Northern Ireland businesses to apply for a voucher, worth up to £4,000, which they can redeem against the cost of specialist expertise from universities, colleges and publicly funded research institutes. The knowledge available can be applied to a broad range of product and process improvement and development activities.

Read more information about the Innovation Vouchers programme on the Innovation Vouchers website.

October call for applications

The current call for applications to the Innovation Vouchers programme is open from 01 October until midnight on 31 October 2012.

Eligibility criteria

The Innovation Voucher programme is open to:

  • All Northern Ireland small enterprises – ie the number of full-time employees is less than 50.
  • Those medium-sized enterprises (50 – 250 employees) that have not received assistance through Invest NI’s R&D programmes in the past 5 years.
  • Businesses must not have received De Minimis aid exceeding €200,000 in the past three years.

Exclusions

  • Businesses in the transportation and agricultural sectors are excluded in line with specific State Aid guidelines.
  • Due to continuing high demand for Innovation Vouchers, priority will be given to commercial enterprises and social enterprises that have most potential to further develop their business.

How to apply

You can download an application form from the Innovation Vouchers website (DOC, 126K).