Innovation Support Measures

Innovation vouchers

Innovation voucher is a small credit (a fixed sum of money) that entitles SME’s to buy R&D expertise or knowledge from research and educational institutions. Having received an innovation voucher, a company prepares a concise technical specification and contacts the research institution by selecting the needed service from the approved list of possible services for the companies provided by the research institutions. Having provided services to business companies for innovation vouchers, research institutions receive a fixed sum of money – LTL 10 thousand or LTL 20 thousand. A voucher worth LTL 10 thousand is financed 100 percent, while a voucher worth LTL 20 thousand is financed 75 percent. One company may receive one voucher per year. Support in innovation vouchers is provided for acquisition of technological (applied) or basic research solutions, as well as for advice on the relevant innovation questions which businesses may obtain from research institutions.

Innovative public procurement and Pre-commercial procurement

Pre-commercial procurement (hereinafter – PCP) and innovative public procurement are the instruments to induce innovation in public sector and to encourage business to invest into R&D&I.
In 2014, Ministry of Economy and Innovation has published the Guidelines on innovative public procurement. These guidelines describe how public procurers can buy goods, services or works of better quality, more adapted to their needs, services or goods that could enhance performance of public procurers and quality of their services, and increase demand for innovation on the market. In 2015, Government has established Basis of Pre-commercial Procurement, which enables public sector to invest into the establishment of new, innovative products in the country. The Basis of Pre-commercial Procurement sets background for public procurers to recognise its demand to ask business for necessary solutions.
 Science, technology and innovation agency (hereinafter – MITA) is recognized as the coordinating agency for pre-commercial procurement and it is taking different actions for their promotion. MITA in cooperation with Lithuanian Innovation Centre is starting project (called Inogeb LT), which one of the activities is the consultancy on PCP for public procurers and business. What is more, the European Structural Fund’s instrument “Pre-commercial Procurement LT” creates optimum conditions for the wide commercialisation and take-up of the results of R&D, develop innovative solutions for the societal challenges of the future, and encourage companies to invest in highly qualified R&D in Lithuania. This instrument sets favourable conditions for public procurers to start using pre-commercial procurement widely. There is foreseen to dedicate some more activities: seminars, competence centre will be organized, the methodologies.

Tax incentives

Corporate profit tax incentives for R&D:

• Expenses incurred by companies carrying out R&D projects can be deducted from taxable income three times;
• Long-term assets used in the R&D activities can be depreciated within two years.

Corporate profit tax incentives for investments into new technologies:

• Companies carrying out investments into new technologies can reduce their taxable profit by up to 50%. Investment expenses exceeding this sum can be postponed to later, consecutive tax periods (up to five years).

Information/Consultations

Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA):

It is the main governmental institution, responsible for implementation of innovation policy in Lithuania. Briefly, it is a national innovation agency. MITA provides free of charge services for clients from business, science and public sectors, interested in possibilities to develop strong cooperation relations with international partners and get financial support for research and innovation projects. The main activity is the coordination of national (high-tech, industrial biotechnology) and international programmes (FP7, EUREKA, EUROSTARS, CIP) of research, technological development and innovation and other financial schemes (innovation vouchers, protection of industrial property rights). MITA provides national financial support for projects participants. MITA also promotes business and science cooperation, commercialization of research and protection of intellectual property rights. More...

Lithuanian Innovation Center:

• The Public Institution Lithuanian Innovation Centre (LIC) is a non-profit organisation, providing innovation support services to enterprises, research institutions, industry associations and business support organisations.
• Mission of Lithuanian Innovation Centre is provision of the innovation support services by implementing Lithuanian innovation policy. The main strategic goal of LIC is the increasing of Lithuanian international competitiveness by stimulating innovations in business. This goal is divided into the following objectives:
• To foster capabilities of the companies to develop and implement innovations.
• To accelerate commercialization of achievements of advanced sciences.
• To decrease the risk of innovation implementation.
• More...