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SMART: SCOTLAND
Supporting Scottish Innovation Case Studies
SMART, SPUR AND SPURPLUS
' Applicants for a SMART:SCOTLAND Award or a SPUR or SPUR PLUS grant must either be based in Scotland, or be planning to set up a base in Scotland. '
What They Are
SMART:SCOTLAND is intended to help small businesses improve their competitiveness by developing new, highly innovative and commercially viable products or processes to the benefit of the national economy.
It is a competition open to individuals planning to start a new business and to existing small independent firms and groups with less than 50 employees and either an annual turnover not exceeding €7 million * or a balance sheet total not exceeding €5 million.
Successful applicants receive funding of 75% of the cost of carrying out a technical and commercial feasibility study lasting between 6 and 18 months. The maximum award is 50,000.
Entries to the SMART Competition may be submitted at any time. Judging takes place on three occasions each year. Entries received by 5pm on the second Monday of January are considered by the first judging panel, those received after this time but before 5pm on the second Monday of May by the second judging panel, and those after the second closing date but before 5pm on the second Monday of September by the third judging panel.
SPUR grants assist SMEs to develop new products and processes involving a significant technological advance for the UK industry or sector concerned, up to pre-production prototype stage. Awards can be made to independent businesses and groups with less than 250 employees and either an annual turnover not exceeding €40 million or a balance sheet total not exceeding €27 million. SPUR can offer a streamlined application process to SMART winners who have successfully completed their projects and require additional assistance to develop a
pre-production prototype.
A fixed grant level of 35% of eligible costs, up to a maximum grant of 150,000 may be offered to projects of between
6 months and 3 years duration which involve eligible project costs of at least 75,000.
A limited number of SPUR PLUS grants are available for businesses which are attempting to develop world-beating products or processes for markets, such as telecommunications and biotechnology, which demand particularly expensive leading edge technology. Awards of up to 500,000 - payable at the rate of 35% of the eligible project costs - may be offered to these exceptional projects.
Independent companies and groups with less than 250 employees and either an annual turnover not exceeding
€40 million or a balance sheet not exceeding €27 million can be considered for a SPUR PLUS grant.
Projects must be between 6 months and 3 years duration and should normally contain eligible project costs of at least 1 million.
Both SPUR and SPUR PLUS are non-competitive schemes.
* The exchange rate for the Euro varies from year to year.
As a guide, on 5 January 2004 the exchange rate was €1 = 0.7026
Eligibility and Selection
Applicants for a SMART:SCOTLAND Award or a SPUR or SPUR PLUS grant must either be based in Scotland, or be planning to set up a base in Scotland. However, applicants not based in Scotland, who apply for a grant, must establish a business in Scotland before a grant offer can be made.
Most technologies are eligible but defence projects cannot be assisted.
The selection criteria for a SMART:SCOTLAND Award include: the quality and novelty of the proposal; whether the Award is essential for the project to proceed; the qualifications and experience of the project team; the degree of technical risk; the financial and commercial viability of the project and business; the means of moving to commercial development; and the wider potential commercial benefits.
Similar judgements are taken on SPUR and SPUR PLUS applications.
SMART, SPUR or SPUR PLUS grants help businesses to meet essential project costs such as: labour, overheads, materials, sub-contracting, consultancy and intellectual property. Capital equipment costs are allowed, but only to the extent they are required to carry out the project.
Applying for the Awards
For the SMART:SCOTLAND Award you complete an entry form which will provide a quick guide to the project. This should be accompanied by a project proposal about 10 pages long and a business plan. Supporting evidence should include patent applications, letters from the bank, business accounts, CVs, etc.
If you are successful you will receive a formal offer specifying the technical programme of work, the amount of Award and any conditions attached. If you accept the offer and conditions, you will receive an up-front payment of one-third of the Award.
Before completing an application for SPUR or SPUR PLUS grant, you must first discuss your proposal with a project officer from SEETLLD.
Grant payments on SPUR and SPUR PLUS are made after expenditure has been incurred and defrayed. Claims are normally submitted on a regular (3 monthly) basis throughout the project.
The contact point for SMART, SPUR and SPUR PLUS is:
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE ENTERPRISE, TRANSPORT AND LIFELONG LEARNING DEPARTMENT
Meridian Court, 5 Cadogan Street, Glasgow G2 6AT
Tel:
0141-242 5560 (SMART)
0141-242 5571 (SPUR)
Fax: 0141-242 5589
E-mails:
smart@scotland.gov.uk
spur@scotland.gov.uk
Further information and application forms can be obtained from the Department's website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/innovationgrants
The SMART:SCOTLAND, SPUR and SPUR PLUS schemes are part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
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