The Policy Learning Platform is organising a webinar on the topic of innovation vouchersfor strengthen regional innovation ecosystems.

It is taking place on 8 March 2023, from 14:00 to 15:30. 

In this webinar, you can learn about the following:

• How regional policymakers can use innovation vouchers
• How innovation vouchers can support the strengthening of regional innovation ecosystems 
• Good practices using innovation vouchers at the regional level 

Innovation vouchers are small lines of credit (usually ranging from €2000 to €20,000) provided by regional or national governments to Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to purchase services from knowledge providers such as universities, research centres, or consulting firms with a view to introducing new products, processes, or services in their business operations.

Innovation vouchers have three main objectives:

1. To stimulate the introduction of product, process, organisational or service innovation in SMEs, which tend to lack leading-edge knowledge compared to large companies or innovative start-ups.
2. To promote science-industry collaboration and stimulate knowledge transfer. Indeed, SMEs tend to have limited exchanges with universities and research centres due to information asymmetries such as the cost linked to the identification of relevant information providers.  Moreover, universities and research centres tend to have difficulties in finding users of their research.
3. To foster the formation of networks between SMEs and other academic, research and private partners. Innovation vouchers can be the catalysts for longer-term relationships and collaboration.

What you can expect

• Presentation by Jukka Reunavuori from Tampere, Finland, on Tampere Region Innovation Voucher (INNOBRIDGE project)
• Presentation by Susana Larrea from SPRI - Basque Business Development Agency, on Basque Digital Innovation Hub KONEXIO (S34GROWTH project) 
• Presentation by Dorota Skwarek from Marshall Office of Lubelskie Voivodeship, Poland, on voucher for innovation (BRIDGES project) 

Registration

Source: Interreg Europe