Innovative Process
A firm’s innovation process includes a wide range of activities implemented from the genesis of the initial idea through its realization. This therefore involves research and development, industrial-legal protection, launch of production and ultimately use of innovations in practice.
This following chart is a simple illustration of this, including the focus of individual programmes of support for the innovation process.
The development phase of the innovation process is supported within the research and development programmes as well as within the new Potential programme, which is focused on support for establishment and development of internal research and development departments. Within the Potential programme, projects that will be supported are those focused on building up capacities for research, development and innovation of products and technologies, including the specific software and applications that are components thereof. In particular, this programme enables firms to acquire equipment serving for the purposes of research and development, thus laboratories, testing equipment, etc. Applicants must demonstrate that the prerequisites exist for incorporating the results of research and development into production.
The production phase of the innovation process and protection of industrial property rights are supported by the Innovation programme. This programme is intended to support the introduction of R&D results into production and to the market, whether this concerns the results of the firm’s own research and development or those acquired through the transfer of technologies. Technology transfer represents a situation where companies do not conduct their own research and development, but acquire R&D results on the market and introduce them directly into production.
The programme will support the introduction of new or substantially improved products, more effective production processes and provision of services, new organisational methods and sales channels. Within the programme, companies will be able to acquire, in particular, modern machinery, equipment, know-how and licenses necessary to realize innovations. Projects involving the protection of industrial property rights will also be supported, leading to the acquisition of patents, protected trademarks, utility models and industrial designs.
The utilisation of new financial instruments represents another possibility for financing the innovation projects of firms in the initial and growth phases of business that have not received financial resources from structural-funds grants.
