Innovation chequeFunding your development
Do you run a limited liability company or an economic association and are in a phase of renewal? Perhaps you are thinking of developing a new product or service that would strengthen your core business? Maybe you want to test new materials in an existing product that have a lower climate impact? Or maybe you want to test whether your technology could be applied to another area of use?
Now is the chance to take part in innovation checks of up to SEK 100,000 and infrastructure checks of up to SEK 400,000.
We at BizMaker convey innovation checks to companies in Västernorrland and companies linked to us. The aim is to strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. These checks are financed by Vinnova and are thus NOT the same as the checks distributed by Region Västernorrland.
Below you can read more about how to proceed, what conditions exist and what you can use the checks for.
About innovation vouchers
WHAT IS AN INNOVATION VOUCHER?
An innovation voucher is used to strengthen your company's innovation capacity and thus its competitiveness. Up to the ceiling amount, it is possible to combine efforts of different types of cheques, for example, to first use an infrastructure cheque and then a business development cheque if they relate to the same project in the company.
The cheques pay for external expertise in three different areas:
Business development: Validate and verify the commercial and technical conditions for the development and exploitation of an innovation idea that the company has.
Infrastructure: Access to labs, test beds, test and demo facilities, production facilities and similar infrastructure needed to verify and validate various production and development-critical properties. This also includes computing capacity, major IT infrastructure.
Intangible assets (IP): Develop a strategy for the company's intangible assets with a focus on improving sustainable competitiveness and new value creation in the company.
WHO CAN ACCESS CHEQUES?
In order to be a suitable check candidate, the following criteria must be met:
Meets the EU definition of small and medium-sized enterprises:
Medium-sized enterprises are enterprises with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding SEK 500 million or a balance sheet total not exceeding SEK 430 million.
Small enterprises are enterprises with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding SEK 100 million. You can read more about the definition of an SME here.
Your company must be a limited liability company or an economic association. Grants are only awarded to Swedish companies. Foreign companies that have a branch or place of business in Sweden where the costs of the project are booked can also qualify.
Your company is in an innovation phase or will use the innovation check to initiate an innovation development that develops the company's value creation and competitiveness.
The check project must include activities that drive sustainability and Agenda 2030 in the company's processes, operations and value creation.
The company contributes to equal social development.
Both women and men have equal influence over the company. Influence refers to representation on the board and management. The second perspective involves analyzing and taking a position on whether there are gender equality aspects (sex and/or gender) that are relevant in the area where the check is intended to be used. You can read about Gender Equal Financing of Innovations here.
HOW DO YOU BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR AN INNOVATION VOUCHER?
1. You who run a company or economic association in Västernorrland or have your company in one of our programs submit your interest to us at BizMaker. A link to the form can be found here or below. If you run a company in another region, you can find a link to your intermediary via SISP's website.
2. Representatives from BizMaker and Peak Innovation will evaluate whether your company meets the criteria for receiving a check and has a clear need for innovation in the company. The need for innovation must be described in a project description.
3. BizMaker and Peak Innovation will make an evaluation of your need where the project description serves as a basis for decision. Together with us at BizMaker, you decide on the type of external competence that is best suited for execution, after which we procure the external competence.
4. As a company, a certificate of negligible support, de minimis, must be signed by the company signatory, before a check can be conveyed.
5. At the end of the project, a debriefing takes place to us at BizMaker and completion of a mandatory questionnaire from Vinnova. Failure to complete the survey can lead to a repayment requirement.
MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT INNOVATION VOUCHERS
The Business Development Check allows companies to determine the potential of an innovation idea. This may involve, for example, investigating and validating customer demand, market size, business model and other commercial uncertainties. It can also be about business renewal, for example testing new materials in existing products that have a lower climate impact and thus contribute to achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 or developing a circular business model.
The business development check should be used to purchase external knowledge from research institutes, universities, colleges or private actors.
The infrastructure check gives companies the opportunity to test, for example, upscaling or technical validation through access to labs, test beds, test and demo facilities, production facilities, etc. This includes computing capacity, database. The infrastructure check should be used to buy the opportunity to investigate and test technology and upscaling, etc. that the infrastructures provide.
The IP check is intended to enable companies to develop a strategy for managing their intangible assets.The development of an IP strategy should include, but does not have to include, all the steps in Vinnova's process description for the development of an IP strategy.
Step A: Identification of ownership issues, B: Business environment analysis and C: Development of strategy and implementation plan.
The IP cheque will thus be used to purchase external expertise to develop an IP strategy. Before a company is granted an IP cheque, the company must also complete PRV's course "Business strategy management of intangible assets". The course fee may be paid for via the IP check.
EXAMPLES OF WHAT CANNOT BE FUNDED BY AN INNOVATION VOUCHER
- Costs that are deemed to be part of the organization's ordinary work, such as outreach activities towards companies and dialogue with other actors
- Ongoing ordinary activities, R&D or similar
- Projects where the main focus is on patents or a freedom to operate (FTO)
- Costs for working with a patent application, including registration of patents, fees for e.g. trademark, design, etc.
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