MFG - Enabling Innovation with ICT and Media © MFG Baden-Württemberg | 1 Workshop B – ICT...

MFG - Enabling Innovation with ICT and Media © MFG Baden-Württemberg | 1

Workshop B – ICT Innovation Vouchers: The Case of Baden-Württemberg

Corinna VossUnit ICT and Knowledge Networks, MFG Innovation Agency

Digital Innovation for Regional Growth

Thessaloniki, Greece

29th April 2014

MFG – Enabling Innovation with ICT and Media © MFG Baden-Württemberg | 2

MFG Baden-Württemberg

Objectives: Driving forward innovation and enhancing the

competitiveness of Baden-Württemberg

Strengthening Baden-Württemberg as a business location for IT media and creative industries

Supporting entrepreneurship especially among SMEs and connect them with application oriented research and public funding programs

Promoting of regional national and international cooperations

Public Innovation Agency for ICT, Creative Industries and Knowledge based Services


Innovation Vouchers in Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg was the first state in Germany to award innovation vouchers to small and medium-sized enterprises

The scheme was launched in 2008

central aim: support the design engineering, development and implementation of new products, services or processes or a substantial qualitative improvement of existing products, services or production processes -> mainly R&D cooperation vouchers

eligible for SMEs (< 100 empl., < 20 Mio € turnover)

open to all sectors, specific provisions for ICT provided:

Voucher B Hightech

Voucher C


Voucher A

all sectors

preparatory: Research /Studies, e.g. • technology and

market research• feasibility studies• materials studies• design studies

Funding max 2.500 € funding quota 80%

Eligible: research and technology services

Voucher B

all sectors

implementation-orientated, e.g.• market or

production maturity, • design engineering• service engineering• prototype

construction• product testing for

quality assurance.

max. 5.000 €, funding quota 50%

Eligible: research and technology services

Combinable with Voucher A

Voucher B Hightech

4 key areas:

• ICT, Green IT, smart products

• Sustainable mobility

• Green Tech: Renewable energies

• Life Sciences, Health

Early stage Support for Hightech-startups

max. 20.000 €. Max. funding quota 50%

Eligible costs: research and technology services and material costs (for own prototype construction) early stages

Voucher C

Creative Industries (including Software/Games)

Commercialisation / Marketing of new products

Micro companies of the CI (< 9 employ., turnover < 2 mio. €)

Eligible costs: external costs, service providers


Scholarships for Students and Researchers

Projects with an high innovation potential

Training- and Coaching Programmes

Rising Awareness: Initiate Entpreneurial Thinking

Commercialisation of Technologies via Matching with market experts in early stages

Business Coaching, Business Plan Challenge

Support the access to international markets

Accompanying consultancy services by MFG Baden-Württemberg

Student and Research Entrepreneurship

Business Idea Generation

Incubation Acceleration Internationalisation

Innovation voucher

H2020 Projects

MFG – Enabling Innovation with ICT and Media

What happens after the Voucher?

29.10.2008 © MFG Baden-Württemberg | 6

Matchmaking event for early innovation phases, connecting researchers, start-ups and investors

The CyberOne Award is one of the most important business plan competitions for the high-tech sector in Baden-Württemberg

Exi founding vouchers offer support for founders: a first check-up and later intensive coaching for hightech start-ups

The Innovation Prize of Baden-Württemberg was given to the 5 most successful start-ups having received the innovation voucher – the winner receives 10.000 Euro


Examples of SMEs having received the Voucher

NOTION SYSTEMS PICCURE

Printer for hightech surfaces such as solar cells

Innovation Voucher B Hightech

Winner of the CyberOne Award 2013

→ Prototype built

Foto correction/ high definition pictures

Innovation Voucher B Hightech

Winner of the innovation prize 2013

→ Product and software development

© MFG Baden-Württemberg | 7


Examples of SMEs having received the Voucher

IPO.PLAN WEIGHT WORKS

Robot ipo.eye creates 3D models in realtime

Voucher A for feasibility study

Voucher B Hightech for prototype

→ 2nd place Innovation Price 2013

Rapid mold making within seconds

Innovation Voucher A for market, material and technology research

Innovation Voucher B Hightech for building mold machine

→ Selected for Heidelberg Innovation Forum→ Finalist CyberOne Award

© MFG Baden-Württemberg | 8


Follow-up

Coaching Programmes

Business Plan Competitions – Open Innovation Awards

Pitching events and matchmaking, access to equity financing

Access to loans and grants

IPR consulting

Find first clients and customers


Evaluation by Centre for European Economic Research

2.525 applications for innovation vouchers - 1.900 granted(2008 to December 2012); Approval rate: 85 %

Most of the applicants are micro companies: 62 % SMEs up to 10 employees

The vouchers help supporting cooperation:

70 % have no previous experience in cooperating with an R&D institution

30 % of all corporate again with an R&D institution within a year The SMEs favor local service providers: 78 % of the service

providers are from BW


Evaluation by Centre for European Economic Research

The vouchers are mostly used for product diversification (49 %) or optimization of products (31 %) – only 8 % develop total new products.

More than 50 % of projects are in the market after one year

Experience shows: Companies who get accompanying consultancy are more successful


Lessons Learned

Vouchers per theme/sector or free ? do not restrict to a technical topic

Size: High-Tech innovation where infrastructure is needed requires bigger vouchers

Vouchers are a good concept. Embedding vouchers into an overall innovation process is a key success factor


Conclusion

Innovation Vouchers at the European level are a good idea, but some conditions need to be taken into account:

Innovation vouchers need to be embedded in a global context

The vouchers have to be connected to other complementary initiatives and programmes

A continuous and integrated approach taking into account the European and the regional level needs to be developed

Participants in EU research projects at the early stage of entrepreneurship could be integrated

Thank YouCorinna Voss

Unit ICT and Knowledge Networks, European [email protected]

MFG - Enabling Innovation with ICT and Media © MFG Baden-Württemberg | 1 Workshop B – ICT...

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