Innovation Voucher initiative to benefit SMEs in Finland

Starting in October 2016, Small and medium-sized enterprises in Finland will be able to benefit from the Innovation Voucher scheme. Introduced as a pilot venture by Tekes financial services, the Innovation Voucher is worth 5 000 € and is meant for micro-enterprises and SME’s. A company that receives the voucher can purchase professional innovation services from a service provider, that has a special know-how or expertise that the voucher recipient does not have. The Innovation Voucher is a part of the Enterprise Package that the Finnish government announced in April 2016. The package aims to promote entrepreneurship by providing SMEs with access to tools they may require to realise their innovation potential.

Typically SMEs have countless innovative ideas, yet they often lack the knowledge and the expertise to translate those ideas into a market success. Thus, by financing the costs of external experts, Innovation Voucher scheme seeks to provide SMEs with access to  knowledge providers such as research institutes, universities and consultants.

Spinverse has signed up to participate in the Innovation Voucher initiative as a knowledge provider.

The number of innovation voucher schemes in Europe has virtually skyrocketed in the past few years. Micro-enterprises and SME’s are using these publicly funded vouchers to address the challenges ranging from technical problems to business modelling and new product development. While the monetary value of support may not sound like a big deal, it is nonetheless a great contribution, encouraging innovation activities of SMEs.

For details on the Innovation Voucher scheme read more (in Finnish) or contact us