Businesses across Scotland are set to benefit from vital support, following the launch of a new £10 million DigitalBoost Development Grant by Business Gateway and The Scottish Government.
The fund, which is available through DigitalBoost, Business Gateway’s national digital training programme for businesses, is funded by The Scottish Government and will help businesses upskill and invest in their digital capabilities as they work to overcome the challenges they face now and build for Scotland’s economic recovery. VAT registered businesses will be able to access up to £25,000 while non-VAT registered business can benefit from up to £5,000 of funding.
This launch follows a successful pilot grant scheme in the Autumn 2020 for DigitalBoost 1:1 clients.
The fund is now open and accepting applications.
Launching the scheme, Cabinet Secretary for Finance Kate Forbes said:
“The firms that have coped best during the pandemic are invariably those that have been able to adapt with the help of digital tools.
“This funding will provide an immediate boost and will support businesses to adopt digital technologies to improve productivity, increase resilience and drive growth. It will also help to improve their digital capability and the skills of their workforce so they can keep pace with future technological progress.
“Supporting SMEs on their digital journey is key to Scotland’s economic recovery, our future prosperity and our net-zero ambitions and I encourage business owners to take up this valuable opportunity.”
Business Gateway is delivered by local authorities throughout Scotland and works in collaboration with a wide variety of organisations to help deliver the best advice and support to Scottish businesses.
Welcoming the scheme, COSLA spokesperson Cllr Steven Heddle said: “The last ten months have shown how critical strong and robust online platforms are for businesses, if they are to successfully adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic.
“Given the ongoing nature of the crisis, this scheme will be a critical lifeline for those businesses that want to digitally upskill and invest in their platforms so that they can survive, increase their resilience to current and future challenges, and find new opportunities and markets to grow.
“Alongside this grant fund, the DigitalBoost programme will continue to provide other free support to businesses, helping them take advantage of technology so that they can adapt and thrive.”
Liz McCutcheon, CEO, Lanarkshire Enterprise Services (LESL), said: “LESL are delighted to be administering the DigitalBoost Development Grant, on behalf of the Scottish Government and Business Gateway’s DigitalBoost Programme. LESL has long been an advocate of digital adoption and are committed to supporting SMEs across Scotland leverage the grant to allow them to transform their businesses digitally.”
DigitalBoost provides webinars, a free health check, 1:1 support from a digital expert, online tutorials, and practical guides on topics including social media, cyber resilience, data analytics, digital marketing strategy and e-commerce.
For more information on the DigitalBoost Development Grant, please visit https://www.digitalboostdevelopmentgrant.co.uk/
