Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress which has been made on the provision of knowledge acquisitions grants and innovation vouchers to small and medium businesses. [23945/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The introduction of Knowledge Acquisition Grants and Innovation Vouchers were recommended by the Small Business Forum in its report submitted to me last month. I set up the Forum last year to consider the environment in which small businesses operate and to advise on the appropriateness and adequacy of the public policy responses in the context of that environment.

Since publishing the report last month my Department has been pursuing the recommendation concerned with the relevant agencies and initial consultations have already taken place with Enterprise Ireland in relation to the proposal for the provision of knowledge acquisition grants. We will be developing an appropriate response to this recommendation over the coming months.

The proposal to introduce innovation vouchers is based primarily on a similar scheme which has recently been put in place by the Dutch Innovation Agency. The proposal is intended primarily as a means of promoting innovation amongst the small business community. This is a novel concept and it will require detailed consideration to establish how exactly it would work. My Department has initiated this examination and hopes to be in a position to respond to the recommendation over the coming months also.