Extend Your Startup’s R&D Capability With Enterprise Ireland Innovation Vouchers

Irish startups looking for help with research and innovation can now access expertise worth up to €40,000 (part of which must be co-funded) thanks to Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Vouchers. The vouchers allow you to develop a product, service, or solution that requires expertise currently outside of your existing R&D capacity.

Innovation Vouchers are used to explore a challenge or opportunity with a registered knowledge provider across the island of Ireland. Technology Gateways are among those knowledge providers and to date have worked with over 4,900 Irish companies, completing more than 7,700 innovation projects.

The Technology Gateway network

The Technology Gateway network is composed of 17 specialist centres based at five Technological Universities and DKIT. Each one focusses on a key technology area aligned to industry needs, for example polymers, photonics, mobile, coatings, industrial design, mechatronics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, wireless technologies, or precision engineering. Each centre works with industry to aid the research and development of innovative products and services through a dedicated team of specialised engineers.

To further boost the level of collaboration within the Technology Gateway Network, three industry-focused research & development clusters specialise in the Internet of Things (Applied IoT), engineering, materials & design (EMD), and food & beverage technologies (Irish Food Tech). All three clusters work to consolidate the considerable amount of expertise and technologies available throughout the network and deliver market-led innovation solutions in a collaborative and responsive manner.

Enterprise Ireland Innovation Vouchers

The Innovation Voucher programme helps SMEs to build connections with publicly funded knowledge providers – higher education institutes and public research bodies – in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is open to SMEs that are CRO-registered in Ireland, with fewer than 250 employees and not exceeding an annual turnover of €50 million.

Standard vouchers give the company €10,000 worth of time with an expert, third-level researcher to explore business problems, uncover opportunities, or develop an idea or product. In addition, a 50-50 co-funded voucher covers project costs of up to €20,000. Innovation Vouchers are exclusive of VAT, meaning you will be charged VAT by the knowledge provider and must settle this cost separately.

The programme is open for applications all year round. A company can apply for up to four vouchers (3 standard vouchers and 1 co-funded voucher) but can have only one active voucher at a time.

For standard vouchers, which are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, you don’t need to identify your knowledge provider in advance. For co-funded vouchers, the company and the knowledge provider jointly agree on the work programme for the project in advance of the application.

Any intellectual property (IP) developed as a result of an Innovation Voucher project belongs to the company unless the company and the knowledge provider have agreed otherwise.

How can Technology Gateways and Innovation Vouchers help your company?

For a complete overview of this programme, including the full list of registered knowledge providers (including contact details), visit the Enterprise Ireland website.

Technology Gateways have been collaborating with SMEs on Innovation Voucher projects since 2013 and can help with the application process too. If you’re considering an Innovation Voucher to address a need within your business, you can reach out to Gráinne Foley, the Network Marketing Manager, for an initial chat at gfoley@technologygateway.ie or via technologygateway.ie.

New Frontiers and Innovation Vouchers

Many New Frontiers founders have availed of Innovation Vouchers to work on R&D projects, receiving valuable support in areas such as prototype production, business model development, process optimisation, customer interface, technical specification, new service development, and technology audits. Below are just three such examples.

Case study: Bánór

Bánór was co-founded by New Frontiers alumna Nicola Lyons. The company manufactures natural body care products using Tipperary sheep milk, which has nourishing and revitalising properties. Bánór collaborated with CABR (formerly Shannon ABC) to perform antioxidant and anti-aging testing of their products to scientifically validate their efficacy and differentiate them from competitors  The results of this study provided vital scientific data to Bánór regarding the positive impact of their sheep milk-based products on skin health, including increased collagen production and skin barrier protection, which could similarly benefit consumers.

“We were professionally guided through the process and would recommend CABR’s expertise to any business looking to scientifically validate their offering. The team at CABR provided invaluable expertise and support, making the entire experience seamless and rewarding.”

Case study: Hibra Design

Founded by alumnus Mike Keane, Hibra Design is an automotive engineering development company that delivers sustainable and bespoke vehicle solutions. The company approached the Nimbus Gateway to access their 3D scanning and editing expertise for a pilot exercise involving a tractor engine cavity supplied to them by Bord na Móna. The result of this project was a complete 3D model of the tractor chassis, an animation of which is used on the company’s website. In addition, the company featured on the RTE science programme Heated, giving them great exposure and recognition.

“This project was such a success in so many ways. We got serious exposure from it underpinned by a quality job delivered by the excellent Nimbus Gateway. We will be back.”

Case study: Offset Fashion

Founded by alumna Jenny Thornton, Offset Fashion is a sustainable, circular, and ethical fashion startup aspiring to discourage the throw away culture of fast fashion. It needed a more seamless way to manage the clothing for sale through its preloved marketplace. Offset Fashion approached Walton Institute to provide a technical roadmap of applications and solutions capable of non-contact, real-time clothing measurement, matching the size of clothing to clients. The project involved a technical roadmap to explore the use of Lidar solutions and technology that could be deployed; access to expertise in mobile application development and AI; and investigation of the market and application requirements to ensure a sign-posted path for development.

“[Walton Institute’s] expertise and insights not only streamlined our processes but also sparked innovation within our organisation. The roadmap they crafted has provided a clear path forward, aligning our technological advancements seamlessly with our business objectives. Thanks to the Walton Institute, we are now equipped with the tools and strategies to stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry.”