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SMART: SCOTLAND Grants in the UK

Deadline: Ongoing

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

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

What projects can SMART: SCOTLAND funding support?

  • They can support feasibility studies that help to show your idea could work in the real world.
  • Your business will need to own any intellectual property (IP) generated from your project.

Funding Information

  • They 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.

Eligibility Criteria

  • 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 the 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.

For more information, visit SMART: SCOTLAND Grants.