New Round Innovation Voucher Applications Open

SERC is calling for applications from local businesses and entrepreneurs to avail of a £5,000 Innovation Voucher from Monday 22 January, closing at 3pm on Friday 9 February 2024.

This voucher will allow clients to work with a public sector knowledge provider for example, a University, College or Institute of Technology (NI and ROI) on an innovation project.  Karen McClure from SERC’s Business Services team said, “Typical projects we support include helping to create or improve products, services or processes; access to specialist expertise in new materials or tapping into research and scientific expertise.   Over the past couple of years we have supported a number of businesses to move their products online.”

Innovation Vouchers are open to Northern Ireland based small and medium sized enterprises, social enterprises and third sector organisations.   This includes sole traders, partnerships, limited companies, new start-ups and those business art pre-trading stage.

The current phase of the Innovation Vouchers Programme was launched in May 2020. It effectively started with a ‘clean slate’ so all applicants from May 2020 start afresh and can avail of three vouchers in the next five-year period (one voucher at a time). The first voucher is funded at 100% of the project cost to max £5000 and customers pay the VAT.

For more information contact Karen McClure: 078 8443 2445, kmcclure@serc.ac.uk