Workshop B – ICT Innovation Vouchers:
The Case of Baden-Württemberg
Corinna Voss
Unit ICT and Knowledge Networks, MFG Innovation Agency
Digital Innovation for Regional Growth
Thessaloniki, Greece
29th April 2014
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MFG Baden-Württemberg
Public Innovation Agency for ICT, Creative Industries
and Knowledge based Services
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
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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
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Voucher A
all sectors
all sectors
preparatory:
Research /Studies,
e.g.
• technology and
market research
• feasibility studies
• materials studies
• design studies
implementationorientated, e.g.
• market or
production maturity,
• design engineering
• service engineering
• prototype
construction
• product testing for
quality assurance.
Funding max 2.500 €
funding quota 80%
Eligible: research
and technology
services
Voucher B
Hightech
Voucher B
max. 5.000 €,
funding quota 50%
Eligible: research
and technology
services
Combinable with
Voucher A
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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
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Accompanying consultancy services by MFG
Baden-Württemberg
Student and
Research
Entrepreneurship
Scholarships for
Students and
Researchers
Projects with an
high innovation
potential
Business Idea
Generation
Incubation
Training- and
Coaching
Programmes
Commercialisation
of Technologies via
Matching with
market experts in
early stages
Rising Awareness:
Initiate Entpreneurial
Thinking
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Internationalisation
Acceleration
Business
Coaching,
Business Plan
Challenge
Support the
access to
international
markets
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What happens after the Voucher?
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
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Examples of SMEs having received the Voucher
NOTION SYSTEMS
PICCURE
Foto correction/ high definition pictures
Innovation Voucher B Hightech
Winner of the innovation prize 2013
→ Product and software development
Printer for hightech surfaces such as
solar cells
Innovation Voucher B Hightech
Winner of the CyberOne Award 2013
→ Prototype built
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Examples of SMEs having received the Voucher
IPO.PLAN
WEIGHT WORKS
Robot ipo.eye creates 3D models in realtime
Rapid mold making within seconds
Voucher A for feasibility study
Innovation Voucher A for market, material and
technology research
Voucher B Hightech for prototype
→ 2nd place Innovation Price 2013
Innovation Voucher B Hightech for building mold
machine
→ Selected for Heidelberg Innovation Forum
→ Finalist CyberOne Award
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Thank You
Corinna Voss
Unit ICT and Knowledge Networks, European Projects
voss@mfg.de