What is an innovation check?
An innovation check is used to strengthen your company's ability to innovate and thus competitiveness. Up to the ceiling amount, it is possible to combine efforts of different check types, for example to first use an infrastructure check and then a business development check if they refer to the same project in the company. The checks have been initiated by the authority Vinnova to strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies.
The checks pay for external expertise in three different areas:
- Business development: Validate and verify the commercial and technical prerequisites for development and exploitation of an innovation idea that the company has.
- Infrastructure: Access to labs, testbeds, test and demo facilities, production facilities and similar infrastructure, needed to verify and validate various production and development critical features. This also includes computing capacity, larger IT infrastructure.
- Intangible assets (IP): Develop a strategy for the company's intangible assets with a focus on improving sustainable competitiveness and new value creation in the company.
Who can take part in the innovation checks?
To be a suitable check candidate, the following criteria must be met:
- Meets the EU definition of SMEs:
a. Medium-sized companies refer to companies with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover that does not exceed SEK 500 million or a balance sheet total that does not exceed SEK 430 million.
b. Small companies refer to companies with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total that does not exceed SEK 100 million. - Your company needs to be a limited liability company or an economic association. Grants are only granted to Swedish companies. Foreign companies that have a branch or place of business in Sweden where the costs in the project are booked.
- Your company is in an innovation phase or, with the help of the innovation check, is to start an innovation development that develops the company's value creation and competitiveness.
- The check project must include activities that drive sustainability and Agenda 2030 in the company's processes, operations and value creation.
- The company contributes to equal societal development, where both women and men have equal influence over the company.
Examples of what can NOT be financed by an innovation check:
- Costs that are deemed to be part of the organisation's regular work, for example outreach to companies and dialogue with other actors
- Ongoing regular operations, R&D or similar
- Projects where the main focus is on patents or a freedom to operate (FTO)
- Costs of working with a patent application, including registration of patents, fees for e.g. brand, design etc.
To the expression of interest form
For more information contact Anders Solberg.
Contact details can be found at the bottom of the page.