19 January 2018

Northern Ireland – Innovation Vouchers

Businesses in Northern Ireland can apply online for up to £5,000 worth of Innovation Vouchers. The vouchers are available from Invest Northern Ireland (NI).

Call for applications opens Monday 22 January to Friday 9 February 2018.

What are Innovation Vouchers?

Innovation Vouchers provide funding to businesses to work with knowledge providers - i.e. universities, colleges and technical institutes - to create or improve their products, services or processes.

There are currently 39 registered knowledge providers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The vouchers allow you to access skills and expertise of these providers for many different kinds of innovation projects.

Types of projects eligible for Innovation Vouchers

Typical projects Innovation Vouchers may support include:

• ideas for new and improved products, processes and services
• access to specialist expertise on new materials
• tapping into research and scientific expertise

You can use vouchers to resolve a specific business issue, particularly if you don't have the expertise, technology or facilities to deal with it.

Apply online

Applications open on Monday 22 January 2018. To apply for Innovation Vouchers, you should complete an online application form on the Invest NI website. Further information is available on the Invest NI website on the link below.

You can apply for Innovation Vouchers if you are:

• a small business with fewer than 50 employees
• a medium-sized business with fewer than 250 employees, provided that you haven't received assistance through Invest NI's R&D programme in the past five years

Deadline for applications is 15:00 on Friday 9 February 2018.