INNOVATION VOUCHER AWARD
[BIZ: Maastricht, May 10] The Province of Limburg, the regional development company LIOF and DSM Research developed this voucher together in 1997 in the context of the Limburg Regional Technology Plan at that time. The Innovation Voucher appeared and still appears to be a simple but efficient instrument to remove the barrier between SMEs and research institutions. Over the years, the initiative has been used in practice with great success and is now used outside Limburg with success across borders. Innovative Regions in Europe is a network of European regions selected by the European Commission to strengthen and promote a platform for regions to cooperate together by means of innovation policy.
The concept of Innovation Vouchers, which is originally an idea from Limburg, reached the finals of the Innovation Regions in Europe Award (IRE). The IRE Award is being presented this year for the first time to a European region for an idea that encourages innovation in SMEs in the region. The Innovation Voucher is one of four candidates to emerge from a field of 23 for the European award. The winner will be announced in Ireland on May 24. The Innovation Voucher (Knowledge Voucher or Research Voucher) is a voucher for which an SME can acquire a certain amount of knowledge and advice from a knowledge or research institution.
http://www.liof.nl/