LifetecZONe assists with IPC application 2011

LifetecZONe plans to assist its members for a third time with the application for an IPC. In the case that your company wants to execute innovation projects in the next two years and you expect to make quite some external costs, participation in an IPC might be attractive! The financial support amounts to 50% of the realised budget, with a maximum of € 30.000.

A new application by LifetecZONe is planned by the end of April 2011, so if you want to participate you should step forward now.

The "IPC" was designed with the objective to stimulate innovation amongst the so-called SME’s (small and medium size enterprises) with a minimal administrative burden. To achieve that, Agentschap NL created a role for existing network organisations like LifetecZONe as organiser and representative.

Once an "Innovation Prestatie Contract" has been accepted by Agentschap NL, each of the participating companies will execute an innovation plan, aiming at growth of turnover and/or R&D through product and/or process innovation. Although the focus is with the individual company (80% of the costs), companies are also taking part in so-called partnership projects: a partnership project is executed and financed by two or three partners.

How can you decide whether the IPC suits you? In fact you only have to answer the following questions:

1)     Do you have firm plans to invest manpower and money in the development of one or two innovative products or services in the coming two years?

2)     do you expect to hire R&D services and/or make (external) costs for parts and components amounting to at least € 36.000? In addition, you may add at maximum 400 hours (rated at € 60/hour) to the budget

3)     can you identify another SME who wants to act as a development partner for and invest in the development of at least one of your products/services/technologies as mentioned sub 1).

To clarify this, you can take a look at left side of the diagram below:

-       the diagram shows that you and your development partner are both investing in the development of product/technology/component “A”. The investment of each company in this development amounts to at least € 12.000.

-       your company is also developing product or service “B”. You are executing this project individually, the other company is not (necessarily) involved

-       the other company is developing product or service “C”. Your company is not involved.

-       If the development of product/technology “A” requires a lot of resources, maybe even consuming the whole budget of € 60.000 (for each company), your innovation plan might consist of just this project (products “B” and “C” won’t exist in the innovation plans in that case).

Interested? Contact our IPC Nick Sassen, at: nsassen@lifeteczone.com