Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant

Scottish Enterprise R&D Grant

Funds Scottish firms through Scottish Enterprise grants to develop new products, processes, and services.

Scottish Enterprise awards discretionary R&D grants on a rolling basis to companies based in or relocating to its area, which covers central and southern Scotland. The programme supports projects developing new or significantly improved products, processes, or services, and aligns with three Scottish economic transformation priorities: Energy Transition (clean energy leadership and supply chain scaling), Innovation Scaling (high-growth industries including life sciences, quantum, FinTech, and space), and Productivity Investment (capital deployment for performance improvement and wage growth). There is no fixed application window — the process starts with an enquiry form submitted to enquiries@scotent.co.uk.

The minimum grant award is £250,000, and Scottish Enterprise expects applicants to demonstrate at least £1 million in total company spend on the project. Support rates are 35–50% of eligible project costs for SMEs and 25–40% for large companies on independent projects; consortia of two to six companies may access rates above these levels. Sole traders and charities cannot apply; the programme is open to registered companies only. Third parties cannot conduct most of the R&D — the applicant's own team must lead the work. Scottish Enterprise applies an additionality test: the project must be unable to proceed, or must proceed on a slower timescale or significantly reduced scope, without the grant.

All award recipients must pay the Real Living Wage (currently £13.45 per hour in Scotland), commit to net zero operational emissions by 2045, establish effective worker voice mechanisms, and act on gender pay gap commitments. The application process involves completing a large-grants R&D enquiry form, followed by a meeting with an appraisal specialist who assesses the R&D nature of the project, job creation potential, local supply-chain links, market opportunity, and IP strategy. Companies in the Highlands and Islands or South of Scotland should contact Highlands and Islands Enterprise or South of Scotland Enterprise respectively before approaching Scottish Enterprise.