Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant
Minimum grant considered GBP 250,000; SMEs may receive 35%–50% and large companies 25%–40% of eligible project costs; no universal maximum published · Scottish Enterprise · rolling applications
Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant is a grant programme from Scottish Enterprise for Companies operating or planning an R&D project that creates economic benefit and jobs in Scotland, UK Current lifecycle: rolling. Real economics: Minimum grant considered GBP 250,000; SMEs may receive 35%–50% and large companies 25%–40% of eligible project costs; no universal maximum published.
Tier 3governmentscotlandgrantnon-dilutive
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Key facts
| Funder | Scottish Enterprise |
| Amount | Minimum grant considered GBP 250,000; SMEs may receive 35%–50% and large companies 25%–40% of eligible project costs; no universal maximum published |
| Deadline | Rolling — apply anytime |
| Decision time | Scottish Enterprise reviews a seven-page enquiry, provides feedback and may arrange a meeting with an appraisal specialist. No fixed submission-to-decision duration is published. |
| Eligibility | A financially viable company based in or planning to locate in the Scottish Enterprise area, proposing significant, commercially credible and genuinely new R&D with management/technical capacity and a demonstrated need for public support. Sole traders, charities, already-started work, routine updates and projects mostly delivered by third parties are excluded. |
| Restrictions | The public application page does not publish a complete claims/reporting schedule; award terms govern. Companies must meet Scottish Fair Work conditions and have a credible operational net-zero plan to 2045. Supports new and innovative company R&D; excludes work already started, routine/periodic changes, projects mostly delivered by third parties and products with known adverse environmental or social effects. Public support is discretionary and must be additional. |
| Status | rolling |
Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.
Application process
- Complete the seven-page R&D enquiry form
- Email it to enquiries@scotent.co.uk
- Receive initial review and feedback
- If appropriate, meet an appraisal specialist
- Provide technical, financial, IP, additionality and economic-impact evidence
- Undergo external technical, financial and IP due diligence
- If approved, sign award terms before starting the project
Background
Scottish Enterprise operates Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant. The official-source pass records the actual access gate, economics, constraints, application burden and current lifecycle instead of treating the umbrella headline as an unrestricted grant. The live route targets projects with at least GBP 1 million of company spend Assessment explicitly values R&D jobs paying the Real Living Wage, Scottish supply-chain links, global market opportunity and economic impact
How the application really works
Complete the seven-page R&D enquiry form → Email it to enquiries@scotent.co.uk → Receive initial review and feedback → If appropriate, meet an appraisal specialist → Provide technical, financial, IP, additionality and economic-impact evidence → Undergo external technical, financial and IP due diligence → If approved, sign award terms before starting the project
Tips
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Watch out for
- Current lifecycle is rolling.
- The public application page does not publish a complete claims/reporting schedule; award terms govern. Companies must meet Scottish Fair Work conditions and have a credible operational net-zero plan to 2045.
- Supports new and innovative company R&D; excludes work already started, routine/periodic changes, projects mostly delivered by third parties and products with known adverse environmental or social effects. Public support is discretionary and must be additional.
Track record
- The live route targets projects with at least GBP 1 million of company spend
- Assessment explicitly values R&D jobs paying the Real Living Wage, Scottish supply-chain links, global market opportunity and economic impact
The fund is discretionary and selects projects with the highest strategic impact, but publishes no application denominator or acceptance rate.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this actionable now?
- rolling. Open enquiry-led route with no fixed deadline shown on the current program page.
- What is the real economic value?
- Minimum grant considered GBP 250,000; SMEs may receive 35%–50% and large companies 25%–40% of eligible project costs; no universal maximum published
- Who is eligible?
- A financially viable company based in or planning to locate in the Scottish Enterprise area, proposing significant, commercially credible and genuinely new R&D with management/technical capacity and a demonstrated need for public support. Sole traders, charities, already-started work, routine updates and projects mostly delivered by third parties are excluded.
- How does selection work?
- Complete the seven-page R&D enquiry form; Email it to enquiries@scotent.co.uk; Receive initial review and feedback; If appropriate, meet an appraisal specialist; Provide technical, financial, IP, additionality and economic-impact evidence; Undergo external technical, financial and IP due diligence; If approved, sign award terms before starting the project. Scottish Enterprise reviews a seven-page enquiry, provides feedback and may arrange a meeting with an appraisal specialist. No fixed submission-to-decision duration is published.
- What burden and restrictions apply?
- The public application page does not publish a complete claims/reporting schedule; award terms govern. Companies must meet Scottish Fair Work conditions and have a credible operational net-zero plan to 2045. Supports new and innovative company R&D; excludes work already started, routine/periodic changes, projects mostly delivered by third parties and products with known adverse environmental or social effects. Public support is discretionary and must be additional.
- What official evidence exists?
- The live route targets projects with at least GBP 1 million of company spend Assessment explicitly values R&D jobs paying the Real Living Wage, Scottish supply-chain links, global market opportunity and economic impact The fund is discretionary and selects projects with the highest strategic impact, but publishes no application denominator or acceptance rate.
Related grants
Sources
- www.scottish-enterprise.com/how-we-can-help/funding-and-grants/business-grants-and-funding-calls/research-and-development-grants — Official live economics, eligibility, exclusions, assessment, seven-page enquiry, contact and due diligence (checked 2026-08-10)
- www.scottish-enterprise.com/how-we-can-help/funding-and-grants/business-grants-and-funding-calls — Official current funding-call index and distinction from closed SMART: SCOTLAND (checked 2026-08-10)