When Dr Carolin Schneider presented the idea behind INOQ on the TV show "Landpartie" in 2001, the scientist and entrepreneur had no idea how high the demand for her recently completed products would be. Her phone started already ringing that same evening. "It was chaos," Schneider recalls. "We had a name, a logo, packaging samples - but we weren't ready for this overnight market entry." The product that has triggered this large interest is called mycorrhiza. These are special soil fungi of natural origin that form a symbiosis with certain plants when added to the soil. The effect: the plant becomes more resistant to drought and lack of nutrients – in short: to stress. With INOQ's products, anyone can now buy the right fungi for their plants. The areas of application range from growing vegetables in private patches to gardening and landscaping to plant production.

Many ideas, big risks: time for innovation management

The products that INOQ sells are very research-intensive. This offers great potential for innovation –but also a high entrepreneurial risk. 15 years after the company was founded, it was time to further develop the structures. Through the EU funding programme “HORIZON 2020: SME Innovation Associate”, the team wanted to expand to include a specialist in innovation management. In order to receive the funding, INOQ brought experienced consultants on board: the Investment and Development Bank of Lower Saxony (NBank). NBank supports companies in the region and is part of the Enterprise Europe Network[KS1] , the world's largest service network for cross-border support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). "The advice from the team was simply great – helpful, constructive and friendly," says Schneider.

The funding application was successful: INOQ was able to recruit Dr Miguel Arato, who took innovation management to a completely new strategic and structured level. The funds from the EU programme financed the salary of the specialist in sustainable business models for one year. "Dr Arato came at the exact right time and is a real asset to the company," recalls Schneider. "It was not without reason that we took him on after the year was up."

Conquering the market with European funding

INOQ soon relied on the support of the Enterprise Europe Network again – this time to apply for the SME instrument. This EU funding instrument is aimed at SMEs with major growth opportunities and an idea with high market potential. Ulrich Dammeyer from the NBank, who works as an Enterprise Europe Network consultant, praises INOQ: "The company is making targeted use of European funding programmes to recruit new staff and implement innovation projects." In addition to the high demand from retailers and private customers, INOQ wants to significantly expand its product and customer portfolio taking the company to the next level. "We want to serve conventional agriculture," explains Schneider, "and to do that, we need to move into industrial production." The first phase of the SME instrument was successful for INOQ and a feasibility study was carried out. The application for phase two is underway – covering financial support for market entry.

INOQ has its sights set not only on Germany, but also on neighbouring European countries - especially Spain – for its planned expansion. Initial successes were already achieved. "INOQ GmbH has developed into an international champion and innovation leader in the industry," states Jörg Büsel from NBank, coordinator of the Enterprise Europe Network Niedersachsen. It is a development to which the network has been able to make a significant contribution - and will continue to do so in the future. "We will also be happy to support INOQ with further market development measures."

A profile for INOQ has already been created in the Enterprise Europe Network cooperation database. Carolin Schneider also draws a positive conclusion from the cooperation: "I can only encourage every SME to utilize the European funding opportunities. With the Enterprise Europe Network at your side, you can successfully master the applications!"