Voucher system to promote digital media among SMEs

Last September, the European ImMediaTe project was launched. The objective is to support SMEs in the digital media sector with new market entry, internationalization, and other growth strategies. Many companies in the sector lack the knowledge/skills and contacts to take such steps independently. For example, there is venture capital available, but companies in need struggle to make the right connections or present themselves in the right way. ImMediaTe aims to break this pattern by assisting SMEs with knowledge, services, and tools. This is where Dialogic comes in. To make the developed (and other useful) services and tools as accessible as possible, a voucher system is being developed. Dialogic has a lot of experience with the characteristics and workings of such a system, partly due to the evaluation of the Dutch innovation voucher. Within the ImMediaTe project, we are tasked with adapting this system to the characteristics of the digital media sector and the needs of the SMEs involved. This international project involves various other (foreign) parties, starting with representatives from a number of European digital media clusters: Filas (Lazio), IIP Create (Amsterdam), 22@Barcelona (Barcelona), Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (Malta), and Cap Digital (Paris). Additionally, two knowledge institutions: Institute of Electronic Business (Berlin) and Media Business School (Madrid). And finally, three service providers: Innova (Rome), Living Labs Global (Copenhagen), and Media-deals (Paris).