Innovation Impact Challenges

What is an Innovation Impact Challenge?

The Innovation Impact Challenge (formerly SBIR) is an innovation competition in which the government challenges companies to come up with solutions to societal issues.

Companies develop solutions to societal issues in the form of new products or services.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) runs Innovation Impact Challenges on behalf of various government organisations. This approach allows the government to tap into the innovative power of businesses.

How does a challenge work?

The Innovation Impact Challenge is a phased innovation competition. Companies with the strongest proposals move on to the next phase.

It's also a way of procuring research and development. It helps the government develop a market it can later buy into.

Phases

Phase 1: feasibility study
The best entries receive a paid assignment to test whether their idea is feasible (technically, legally, financially and commercially).
The client then decides which projects move on to phase 2.

Phase 2: development
The best projects from phase 1 develop a prototype and test it in practice.
RVO and the client work together with the entrepreneur to help the project succeed.

What do you get out of taking part?

For entrepreneurs:

• an R&D assignment from the government (not a grant)
• revenue and a clear assignment
• faster innovation and development
• a chance to land your first customer (the government)
• collaboration with other companies and knowledge institutions
• help with obstacles such as regulations or certification
• access to new markets
• intellectual property usually stays with the entrepreneur

For government bodies:

• access to innovative solutions
• collaboration with companies
• testing prototypes in practice
• faster contact with the market
• room for experimentation and innovation
• opportunities for (young) innovative companies

How to get started

Are you a public organisation with a challenge? Get in touch with Dominique van Ratingen, Project Lead Innovation & Scaling at CIIIC. She'll help you think through whether your challenge is a good fit for IIC and how to put together a strong proposal.

Are you a maker or developer? Drop by the IIC office hours or find consortium partners on community.ciiic.nl.

Our Innovation Agenda shows which themes CIIIC will prioritise over the coming years, handy for working out whether your challenge fits.

Interested as a testbed? An IIC is perfectly suited to a phased testbed approach. Want to explore your options as a testbed? Get in touch with Dominique van Ratingen, Project Lead Innovation & Scaling at CIIIC.

Want to know more?

RVO runs the IICs. For current open challenges and the application procedure: www.rvo.nl.