Small Grants Scheme
The Innovation Portal small grants scheme can provide support to Tayside SMEs in the instance that further investigation is needed. Academics can initially work with Tayside SMEs to identify potential opportunities for innovative new projects at no cost to the company. The grants take the form of Initial Technology Audits (ITA) and Technology Feasibility Studies (TFS).
Click here to download a Small Grants Scheme summary. [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 144.03 KB]
Initial Technology Audit
A chosen academic from one of the three project partners will undertake the Initial Technology Audit with a view to assessing possibilities of an innovation project. During the study, the academic works closely with a senior company member to;
- Determine potential for a collaboration
- Develop a better understanding of company requirements
- Identify problems and potential solutions
- Highlight further potential opportunities
Technology Feasibility Study
Subsequent to the ITA, the University and company may agree that the project warrants further, more detailed, investigation. This comes in the form of a Technology Feasibility Study (TFS) grant up to the value of £5000 or 50% of total project costs (whichever is the lesser). The purpose of the TFS is to;
- Investigate commercial feasibility
- Research intellectual property position
- Assess technical feasibility
- Finance initial laboratory testing
- Design a framework for the project
Projects may or may not require an ITA or TFS and may progress straight to collaboration without the need for an ITA or TFS. In some cases, a project may have been identified and an individual TFS is required. In other cases, some projects would only require an ITA to determine company requirements and needs.
If you require more information about the scheme or would like to discuss a potential idea in confidentiality, please contact Jamie Henderson on 01382 226856, or click here to contact Jamie by email.