Scots Firms To Benefit From £190m Support

[12 August 2009]

Scottish businesses will receive nearly £190million in support over the next three years Scottish Enterprise has revealed.

Outlining SE’s Business Plan for 2009-2012, chief executive Jack Perry said the organization had “worked hard to ensure that we can respond to the needs of our companies quickly and effectively.”

Over £17 million will be invested in specialist support for companies in the next year. This includes help to develop leadership and management capabilities in the current climate, as well as manufacturing support through the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS).

£14 million will drive forward innovation within Scottish companies and encourage them to invest in research and development, and a further £26 million will increase the availability of risk capital for Scottish companies. An additional £5 million will be invested to help businesses expand into new overseas markets.

Perry added: “Over the next year we will also be encouraging our business customers to think creatively about how they develop new products and processes, implement new ways of working and target new markets, as well as challenging existing business models."