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| Support for small businesses Sector: Scotland UK - Innovative business projects have accepted offers worth more than £4.2 million from the Scottish Government in the first six months of the new SMART: SCOTLAND research and development grant scheme. SMART: SCOTLAND helps small and medium-sized businesses improve their competitiveness by developing new, highly innovative and commercially viable products or processes to the benefit of the national economy. Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said: "We recently launched
our Government Economic Strategy which sets out how we will achieve
success through an entirely fresh approach. "That's why I have been so greatly impressed by the first projects to be supported by SMART: SCOTLAND, which will enable firms and their expert staff to commercialise their technological innovation and help us become a more successful country." Among the 33 recipients is Glasgow-based firm Ocutec Ltd, which was awarded £232,173 to develop a novel technique for manufacturing soft contact lenses. Dr James Browning, Chairman of Ocutec Ltd, said: "We are very excited about the funding injection from SMART: SCOTLAND as it will enable us to accelerate our progress to market over the next two years. "The global contact lens industry continues to grow and we believe there is serious potential in emerging markets including India and China, where wearing glasses still carries a social stigma. By using the Ocutec model, where high quality products can be manufactured at a reduced cost, these rapidly growing markets can be accessed." Full details of recipients and projects can be found at www.smartscotland.gov.uk. This sets out which cases are SMART: SCOTLAND feasibility studies and which are R&D projects as well as identifying those offers made under the legacy SMART, SPUR and SPUR PLUS schemes. As part of the Scottish Government's strategy to declutter the public sector delivery landscape, the SMART: SCOTLAND programme was developed to consolidate the support given under the previous SMART, SPUR and SPUR PLUS schemes into one easily accessible grant. As part of the Scottish Government's Enterprise Networks reform, it was announced that delivery of the SMART: SCOTLAND and Regional Selective Assistance grants would, in future, be the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise. This will be done initially on a joint-venture basis. Maximum grant levels were increased by 40 per cent for technical feasibility studies to £70,000 and by 20 per cent to £600,000 for prototype development projects. The application process is open to small and medium sized firms across Scotland. Medium-sized firms were previously excluded from feasibility study support. All applications are treated on a non-competitive basis, with applicants now able to apply at any time. |