Funding opportunities
Use this page to explore the wide variety of funding opportunities available within the Scottish Research and Innovation landscape, with a particular cross-sectoral or cross-discipline focus.
To showcase your organisations funding opportunities, please contact us.
Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme
Funding available from: Various Scottish Research Pools and Consortia
Eligible for: PhD and Early Career Researchers in various disciplines
Summary: The Saltire Emerging Researcher Scheme is intended to promote mobility between Scotland and European research partners with the aim of strengthening existing, and seeding future, research relationships. Exchanges will be expected to take place between January 2022 and the end of July 2022.
Closing Date: various dates in October – November 2021
SINAPSE: Online Training Bursary Fund
Funding available from: SINAPSE
Eligible for: SINAPSE members who belong to one of the seven partner Universities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Stirling, and Strathclyde
Summary: In response to the present ubiquity of online delivery for researcher training and development opportunities, and the widespread disruption to imaging research activity caused by COVID-19, SINAPSE are pleased to introduce a bursary scheme for online training costs.
Applicants without recourse to other sources of funding for such expenses may request financial support to register for fee-charging online courses or conferences that will enhance their training and/or skills development related to imaging research. Priority will be given to early career researchers and to individuals whose research plans have been significantly disrupted and/or redirected due to COVID-19.
Closing Date: ongoing
SAIC Rapid Response Funding
Funding available from: SAIC (Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre)
Eligible for: Project consortia in the aquaculture sector that have at least one industry partner, with a registered office in Scotland, and involve at least one Scottish Higher Education Institution.
Summary: SAIC funds projects that are industry-led, innovative and collaborative. All our calls are competitive, with the strongest proposals funded. As well as timed funding calls, SAIC operates an ongoing Rapid Response call for smaller, shorter-duration projects: typically <12 months’ duration with a maximum grant request of £50,000.
Closing Date: ongoing
Contact: Sarah Riddle – sarah@sustainableaquaculture.com
Innovation Voucher Programme
Funding available from: Interface
Eligible for: Scottish SME’s and academic partners
Summary: The Scottish Funding Council offer a number of funding programmes, which are administered by Interface, to offset the cost for businesses collaborating with Scotland’s universities or further education colleges to support innovation to develop a new product, process or service for the company or to develop the company’s workforce.
Closing Date: Ongoing
Collaborative R&D Project Support (for industry-led projects)
Funding available from: CENSIS
Eligible for: Scottish-based businesses and an academic partner
Summary: CENSIS is the Innovation Centre for sensing, imaging and IoT. Project funding is available to support Scottish-based businesses that need to undertake R&D in partnership with academia. Typically lasting 6-18 months, our R&D projects must be industry-led. They can involve one or more HEIs partners, plus our own in-house engineering team if necessary. The objective is to support projects that improve industry’s competitiveness to help Scotland’s economy flourish – everything from creating a new product or process to adopting cutting edge technology in a business.
Closing Date: Open-ended
Contact: Michael Fletcher, Business Development Director, CENSIS: michael.fletcher@censis.org.uk
Industry Engagement Fund
Funding available from: ETP
Eligible for: Scottish SME’s or non-Scottish SME’s who have or want to establish a base in Scotland
In collaboration with: European Regional Development Fund, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government & Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Summary: This fund aims to support Scottish SMEs to develop low carbon technology by; providing up to £10k worth of funding; a consultancy service from our team of Business Development Managers; assistance accessing further grant funding from other bodies; access to state-of-the-art knowledge and expertise by collaborating with academics based in our 13 partner universities in Scotland; and access to testing facilities at the Scottish Energy Laboratory.
Closing Date: Ongoing
Contact: brian.cross@strath.ac.uk
SCOUT Project
Funding available from: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed by Scottish Enterprise, along with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), CMAC Future Manufacturing Research Hub (CMAC) and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC).
Eligible for: Scottish SME’s
Summary: For all SME’s, operating in high-value chemical or biochemical supply chains, looking for support to overcome innovation challenges, strengthening their business as we start to emerge from the current pandemic crisis – the SCOUT Project is here to help. CPI, CMAC and IBioIC jointly bring their strong technical expertise and facilities to support SMEs progress with their innovation challenges, generating new ideas, partnerships and revenues, helping to accelerate the delivery of disruptive technology to the market and ultimately to deliver economic growth.
Closing Date: December 2022
Contact: via website
