Product or process innovation

Innovation is the process by which businesses improve their competitiveness and profitability through the continuing adoption of relevant new products and ideas.

A key objective for HIE is the support of innovation in its many forms. In conjunction with the European Union, HIE offers support and specialist advice to assist companies to:

• Research and develop products and processes
• Enhance product packaging or presentation
• Obtain technical help to overcome a problem
• Use consultancy support to review business systems
• Obtain specialist advice on commercialisation and intellectual property rights issues
• Update equipment to produce new products or increase their efficiency
• Identify ways of minimising waste as well as the processing of by-products
• Access specialist networks to actively seek licensing, joint ventures and technology partnerships
• Provide information and advice on accessing funding

HIE, in conjunction with the European Union, is introducing a new form of support for early stage, applied research and development activity. Access our Research Challenge Fund information to find out more.

Eligible applicants are small to medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees, and either an annual turnover of less than €40 million (£24.8 million) or a balance sheet total not exceeding €37 million (£26.74 million). Some eligibility restrictions apply.

Contact your Local Enterprise Company to discuss how the HIE Network can help you realise the potential of your business.

To see how innovation support has helped many businesses in the Highlands and Islands area already, download our Innovation Newsletter and our Innovation Brochure, which incorporates a number of case studies presented in PDF below.

The Innovation Relay Centre for Scotland, through its Tech Alert service, can provide you with a list of all the technology offers and requests received through their European network over 300 offices in the European Union and Eastern Europe.

The technology offers cover novel products or processes developed in Europe that your organisation could use in its markets. Technology requests provide market and sales development opportunities as other organisations seek technologies you may be able to provide or jointly develop.

Published fortnightly, more than 1,000 technologies can be available for license or exploitation.  Alternatively, HIE's Norma MacDonald norma.macdonald@hient.co.uk can advise with further details of any of the opportunities appearing in the ‘technology exchange’.

To subscribe to Tech Alert http://www.ircscotland.net