Rural Development Grant Project

All new businesses in the Highlands, including the Inverness area, can now apply for a business start up grant which is being delivered through Business Gateway by Highland Opportunity Limited. This Project has been funded by the Highland Council Business Gateway service and the Highland LEADER 2007-2013 Programme.

The grant will meet three quarters of the cost of essential expenditure, with the remaining quarter being funded by the grant applicant. It is intended to help new small businesses to set up in the Highlands though supporting initial start up costs.

Discretion

The grant is entirely at the discretion of Business Gateway (Highland Opportunity Limited). It must not exceed £4,500 which represents 75% of a cost associated with the start up of a business.

Eligibility

The business must be a genuine start up, not an acquisition or management buy out or in. (The business must not have been trading before 4th January 2010). The business can have any legal structure and operate in any sector or geography within the Highland Council area.

Purpose

The purpose of the grant is to help with the purchase of capital equipment, the cost of marketing, purchase of software or licences, or other one-off costs associated with start up. It is not to provide working capital, wage subsidy or debt repayment.

Conditions

• Each applicant to attend a Business Gateway business start up or other appropriate training course
• Each applicant will produce a satisfactory business plan for the new venture
• Each applicant will agree to further contact with Business Gateway in order to measure business success
• Each applicant must produce 2 written quotations for the purpose of the grant (expenditure under £3,000) or 3 written quotations for greater expenditure.
• Each applicant must produce post-grant receipts which account for the expenditure of the grant together with copies of bank statements detailing actual expenditure
• Any publicity associated with the grant must acknowledge both LEADER and Highland Council funding and contain the appropriate logos

Sanctions

If any applicant fails to produce satisfactory receipts, the full amount of the grant will be refundable under contract and will be pursued in the Scottish Courts if necessary.

Process

The applicant will be required to complete a simple application form which verifies eligibility and purpose, which will be approved by the Highland Opportunity Limited, and then sign a simple contract in exchange for the grant, which covers the conditions and sanctions. Upon receipt of those documents, Highland Opportunity Limited will release the grant to the applicant.

Contact

Any local office of Business Gateway in Highland shown on the Regional Network page or telephone 01463 713889