News, opportunities and helpful tools
Stay up to date with the latest news affecting rural business owners including, funding opportunities and helpful tips from the GrowBiz team.
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Scottish Government funding to help you pay for your energy efficiency projects
Loans up to £100k are available to help you pay for energy and carbon-saving upgrades in your business. You could also receive a cashback grant of up to £30k. Read more.
Argyll and Bute Council Business Start-up Grant
New businesses in Argyll and Bute can apply for funding of up to £1000 to help with start-up costs. Find out more here.
HIE New Product Development Programme
For established businesses in the Highlands and Islands to bring a new product or service to market. Find out more here.
Argyll and Bute Small Business Development Grant
Up to £5000—for up to 50% of your approved costs—to help you develop your business.
Find out more here.
The Catalyst Fund
Loans of £50,000 or more to social enterprises through a flexible, revenue-based repayment model.
Find out more here.
SMART: SCOTLAND Grant
Grant from Scottish Enterprise to enable small or medium-sized businesses to conduct feasibility studies for technological projects.
Find out more here.
Technology Placement Programme
Enterprises in the Highland Council area can get up to 70% of the salary for a graduate or student placement.
Shetland Islands Council Coastal Communities Fund
A grant of between £5,000 and £100,000 is available to organisations with projects that support the community and economic development of Shetland.
Find out more here.
Workforce Innovation Voucher Scheme
This voucher scheme, the value of which is between £1,000 and £7,500, is for small or medium-sized business or social enterprise in Scotland.
Scotland’s Climate Week
This week is Scotland’s Climate Week, an event that encourages coming together to tackle the climate emergency. Encouraging sustainable living and working is a hugely important to GrowBiz, so we’ve published an article about what action we’re taking, as well as sharing personal progress and ideas from some of our team members.
Renfrewshire Digital Development Grant
This grant is for between £1000 - £10,000, to support up to 50% of eligible expenditure. Find out more here.
Highland Start Up Grant
If you're a start up based in the Highland Council area you may be eligible for this grant of £1000. Find out more here.
REDS Business Services Showcase
GrowBiz initiative REDS has launched its first Business Services Showcase to support rural micro businesses and self employed who provide business services.
Environmental Placement Programme
Get help to recruit a student or graduate to work on an environmentally focused project.
Geovation Accelerator Programme
This programme has been designed to help founders of start ups grow their business and solve real world challenges using geospatial and property data. The current open call ends Friday 29 August 2025.
Historic Environment Grants
This programme is to support projects that closely relate to and will benefit a Scottish historic environment asset.
Team Tips for Stress Awareness Month
April is Stress Awareness Month, and since our team are contractors with their own businesses, they know that being self-employed can present challenges that make us feel anxious or tense. So we asked what works for them when it comes to limiting stress…
Supporting our volunteers running local Business Associations across the Cairngorms National Park
Supporting our volunteers running local Business Associations across the Cairngorms National Park
Advice and support is available if you're struggling to make ends meet.
Advice and resources from Perth & Kinross Council
Client Survey Results on the cost of living crisis and the vulnerability of rural communities
Our recent survey has revealed that businesses and social enterprises in rural Scotland are experiencing a crisis of confidence in their futures. Business owners are struggling with a ‘perfect storm’ of increased costs and reduced turnovers, further exacerbated by the additional challenges of operating in a rural area.