SMART: SCOTLAND grants

Key Features

Are you a small or medium-sized business seeking to develop a new product, process or service? A SMART: SCOTLAND grant can support technically focused feasibility studies to help discover if your idea will work in the real world.

Programme:     Scottish Enterprise

Award:     Share of up to £100,000

Opens: 9th Nov 2023

Closes: 9th Nov 2024

Overview

The SMART: SCOTLAND grant is one of our research and development (R&D) grants that aims to support high-risk, highly ambitious projects.

It coversconducting feasibility studies. It’s only available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based in Scotland and supports activities that have a commercial endpoint.

Scope

SMART:SCOTLAND is a research and development (R&D) grant for small and medium-sized businesses that aims to support high risk, highly ambitious projects. It covers conducting feasibility studies to show how ideas could work in the real world and supports activities that have a commercial endpoint.

Any foreground intellectual property (IP) developed from the project must be owned by the applicant business.

The grant is only available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based in Scotland and supports the activities of commercially focused R&D projects.

Eligibility

You may be eligible if:
  • You’re a small or medium sized business, university spin-out or an individual
  • You’re based, or planning to set up, in Scotland
  • Your project represents an advance in technological innovation for the UK industry or sector concerned
  • There are technical risks and challenges associated with defining and developing the technology
  • You own, or have rights to use, the intellectual property required to undertake the project
  • You’ll own all intellectual property developed throughout the project
  • You have the necessary management and technical expertise and resources (either in-house or brought-in) to make the project a success
  • Both the project and the business are financially viable
  • Financial assistance from SMART:Scotland is essential for the project to go ahead

All companies which are awarded a SMART: SCOTLAND grant will have the opportunity to work with our specialist teams to review their approach to Fair Work. This will include:

  • Appropriate channels for effective voice and employee engagement, such as trade union recognition
  • Investment in workforce development
  • Action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace
  • No inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts
  • Payment of the Real Living Wage

Funding Costs

The Scottish Enterprise has been awarded funding from the European Commission’s European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) to contribute towards the support we provide to eligible SMEs. This applies across all SMART: SCOTLAND awards.

If you’re awarded a SMART: SCOTLAND grant and meet ESIF eligibility criteria, the grant offer letter will confirm this. This won’t affect how much support you’re eligible for, it just means your grant will come from two different sources.

The Scottish Enterprise can support up to 70% of the eligible costs for a small enterprise and up to 60% of the eligible costs for a medium enterprise.

Studies must last between 6 and 18 months, and the maximum grant is £100,000.

Feasibility is paid with a third of the grant in an upfront instalment and the rest is quarterly in arrears.

Application Process

  • Submit your initial enquiry form
  • Submit an application form and other relevant documents. You’ll be assigned a case officer who will take you through the whole process

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.