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On Monday 20th October, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) organised an international workshop in London. NESTA is an independent organisation from Great Britain with the aim of stimulating innovation. Besides having a signaling function, NESTA intervenes directly in the British innovation system by investing in emerging companies and developing innovation programmes. The organisation is also involved in the development of national innovation policies. The international workshop focused on bringing together researchers and policymakers to exchange ideas about innovation vouchers. Specific attention was given to measuring the effects of such policy interventions. Bram Kaashoek, researcher and advisor at Dialogic, attended the workshop.
In 2007/2008, Dialogic evaluated the Dutch innovation voucher scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The evaluation provides an answer to whether the main objective of the vouchers - promoting the use of available knowledge at knowledge institutions by SMEs for the purpose of innovation - is being achieved. A significant part of the evaluation study is measuring the additionality of the voucher scheme. In other words, does the voucher lead to research assignments from SMEs to knowledge institutions that would not have been granted otherwise (or later)?
For more information about the NESTA workshop, evaluation of the innovation voucher scheme or impact assessments of policy instruments in a broader sense, please contact Bram Kaashoek via email or phone on 030-2150598.