In reality these grants are more concerned with the protection or creation of employment. Grant levels range between 10% and 20% of overall project costs (up to 40% for SMEs), alternatively, between £2,500 and £7,000 per job created.
Read More1) The purpose(s) for which the grant is being offered must be met by your project. The purpose may be very tightly defined e.g. ‘basic research into imaging technology for medical devices for blood screening’; or broad as in ‘increase productivity and/or employment’.
2) The size of your business. Some grants are only available to businesses of a certain size e.g. small or medium size businesses (SMEs). Often, even when open to businesses of any size, SMEs may receive favourable terms or special treatment.
Read More(this list is indicative not exhaustive)
Grants for capital investment either from the United Kingdom or the European Union are almost invariably connected to the creation or sustaining of employment. It is therefore essential that you specify how many new jobs are to be created or, as a minimum, how many old jobs will be protected. Capital grants are usually only available where there will be regional or national benefit as a result of the project.
Read MoreNo. In the majority of cases a consultant is not necessary. Thus grants for export, training, consultancy and most other services may be applied for quickly and easily without assistance. However, in the case of grants for capital investment and research & development the application procedures are complex, and, more importantly, the rules applied by the issuing bodies are not transparent.
Read MoreFor the United Kingdom we have some 1,850 different grants on the databases provided by UK national organizations or European Union sources.
In addition, there are some 3,000 "grants" provided by local councils, economic development units, LEPs and other specific local bodies.
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No, under no circumstances. A grant, in the strict sense, will be an outright gift of cash, but it is given on condition that agreed criteria, particularly purposes and objectives, are met.
"Grants" may also be taken to mean: -
Is size important or why do the large companies seem to get most of the money?
The large companies get most of the money because they have specialist departments that do nothing other than chase grants. Furthermore, their projects are naturally larger and therefore attract publicity.
Annoyingly the definitions used still vary from scheme to scheme, but the European Union schemes and most UK Government schemes adopt the EU definition which came into force on 1 January 2005 which takes account of employee numbers, turnover and annual balance sheet total. In summary: -
Read MoreCertain industries or types of industry tend to be excluded from the grant system, thus banks, estate agents and insurance or financial service industries are typically not eligible.
Often, but by no means always, businesses which have a purely local impact e.g. individual retail shops, local builders, local service companies are excluded from the national grant system. Such businesses may well benefit specifically from local grants from economic development units, enterprise agencies and other local initiatives.
No. Location is rarely of importance. "Grants" for research & development, export, training, consultancy and advisory services are available throughout the United Kingdom regardless of location.
Read MoreContracts covering up to 100% of the cost of demonstrating new technology are available to SMEs operating in the fields of
Key Objective:
It will help stimulate and support innovation at all stages through to commercial readiness. Thus The Energy Catalyst can fund projects from early concept stage through to pre-commercial technology validation, based upon innovation that incorporates, for example: