An advisory voucher is a form of support in which a company does not receive cash but a reimbursed professional service from an external provider – analysis, a study, testing, or legal or technological consulting. The applicant generally chooses the provider from an approved list or the provider must meet set qualification conditions. The amounts range from thousands to tens of thousands of euros, and co-financing tends to be lower than for investment calls. The purpose of the instrument is to remove the barrier that arises when a small business needs expertise it cannot afford to pay for or build internally. Vouchers occur most often in the fields of innovation, digitalisation, intellectual property protection, and export. The weakness is the short drawdown period, which may not be enough for a more demanding output. The output should therefore be commissioned with a specific scope and deadline, so that it can be delivered and paid for within the eligible period.
See also: Innovation voucher, Testing before investment, Grants for Export and Trade Fairs.
