Our funding environment

Scotland is committed to maximising life science innovation from our academic centres of excellence as well as support individual company growth. There’s a wide range of financial support from the public sector to stimulate academic collaboration and help life sciences companies in Scotland.

Government grants and funding support is available to businesses of all sizes, and can be used for research and development, co-investment and technological innovations. You may also qualify for supplementary funding if your business is located in a particular area of Scotland.

Visit the Scottish Business Grants website for more information about the financial assistance available to new and existing businesses in Scotland through innovation (SMART:Scotland) and investment (RSA) grants.

Scottish Enterprise Investments (SEi) manages three funds that together offer risk capital investment for Scottish companies:

• the Scottish Seed Fund provides funding between £20,000 - £100,000 for start-up and young growing companies in Scotland;

• the Scottish Co-investment Fund co-invests from £100,000 - £1 million with private sector partners; and

• the Scottish Venture Fund can invest £500,000 to £2 million in company finance deals of between £2 million and £10 million.

Each of these funds adopts a highly innovative co-investment/shared risk intervention model to encourage more private investors and funding into Scottish early stage companies.