Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant

What it is

Grant funding for significant R&D projects by businesses based in (or relocating to) the Scottish Enterprise area — minimum grant £250,000 against a minimum £1 million project spend, covering 35–50% of eligible costs for SMEs and 25–40% for large companies. Enquiry-led and open on a rolling basis; not available to sole traders or charities.

⚠️ ingest normalisation 2026-08-22: capture set to fixed £250,000 = the funder's stated MINIMUM grant (no maximum published); real awards are larger — treat the figure as a floor, not a ceiling. Verified 2026-08-21 on scottish-enterprise.com: scheme live (enquiry form open, no closing date; no fixed maximum stated, so no valueMax). Minimum grant £250,000; minimum company project spend £1m; support rates 35–50% for SMEs and 25–40% for large companies working independently, consortia of 2–6 companies sometimes slightly higher. Funder-stated restrictions the engine cannot express: must be based in or relocating to the Scottish Enterprise service area; sole traders and charities ineligible; project must show additionality (couldn't proceed, or would be significantly delayed/reduced, without the grant), must not be routine updates, must not have already started or have commercial contracts in place, most R&D must not be outsourced to third parties, and the end product must have no known adverse environmental/social effects. Recipients must meet Scottish Government Fair Work conditions (Real Living Wage, workforce development, flexible working) and have a credible plan to reach net-zero operational emissions by 2045. Capture pct 50 is the SME ceiling (25–40% for large companies).