
For Businesses
Funding
For more on how we can help your business secure the funding it needs, get in touch.
Unlock the funding your business needs
Thanks to our extensive network of contacts and collaborations, we are able to access a wide range of grants and other external funding mechanisms for data-science-based research and project development.
Our experienced funding team will work with your businesses to find the best financial assistance for your needs. We’ll then help you access any available money by providing advice and by assisting with applications, contacts and collaborations.
Who is this service for?
We can help a wide range of SMEs and other Scottish-based businesses and their academic and commercial research teams.
• If you have early-stage data-related technology or research you aim to commercialise, then we can help you access a wide variety of funding streams that will help bridge the gap between the lab and the commercial marketplace.
• If you are a start-up or spin out organization, we can link you with vital funding to help you build your data-related R&D activities or other aspects of your work.
• If you are working on a transformational data project in any sector, then we can help you access the funding you need to progress. Projects should have the potential to address big problems, proposes a radical solution or enables the use of breakthrough or disruptive technology.
Why come to The Data Lab for funding help
Our experienced funding team will help you secure the funding you need by supporting in a number of ways:
- Grant application review – get a trusted advisor’s view on how to put your best foot forward.
- Vital network exposure – The Data Lab’s network spans all of Scotland meaning we are well positioned to help you form strategic partnerships with industry, public sector bodies and across other academic institutions. Using our network, we can help you put together winning consortia.
- Funding Guidance – Our trained team can help you navigate the complex funding landscape to locate a suitable funding call for your needs.
- Partnership – The Data Lab may agree to partner with your consortium, leveraging the benefits of the Innovation Centre programme direct into your proposals.
- Collaborative project funding – We can help you access various funding streams for collaborative data science projects that are undertaken with academic researchers and organisations. For full details go to our Collaborate with Specialists section.
Proven success – Our team has supported a wide range of projects varying in size from £50K to £50M. We have a track record of success drawing on a number of funding sources and covering a wide variety of projects. Our successes include single-partner bids to multi-partner transformational funding. We have leveraged funds such as ISCF, EU Horizon, UKRI and others.
Key benefits
Grant applications
Get help with the paperwork
Funding resources
Find the best source of funding
Strategic bids
Fund you transformational project
Grants currently available
The Data Lab-CENSIS Innovation Challenge
The Data Lab and CENSIS Innovation Centres are running a call for funding targeting short collaborative IoT and data-driven projects to deliver innovation focused on energy management and reduced Co2 emissions.
Competition opens: Monday 9 January 2023
Competition closes: Sunday 19 February 2023 11:59pm
Brain Health Technology and Data Challenge
The new Challenge will help to stimulate new or support existing collaborations between industry and academia in Scotland, exploring the feasibility of providing solutions that could help address four core themes: adaptive technologies, precision medicine and interventions; technologies to enhance brain health; assistive technologies; co-design and co-production for brain health technologies.
Competition opens: Wednesday 2 November 2022
Competition closes: Friday 27 January 2022, 5pm
Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund (LCMCF): May 2022
If you’re looking to grow your Scottish manufacturing business through developing low carbon products, processes or services, you can apply for the LCMCF grant. Your project can use pure Research and Development (R&D), capital investment or environmental aid support in its effort to speed-up the transition to a low carbon economy in manufacturing. There’s a minimum value grant of £150,000 available.
Funding opens: 19 May 2022
Competition closes: 31 March 2026
Further support
We provide additional strategic support to businesses through a number of other channels:
1
Leadership education:
Develop your skills as a leader, learning how to use data and embed data literacy across your business on our 12-month leadership course.
2
Data Skills for work:
Develop the data literacy skills of your workforce by accessing grants for training.
3
Online Courses:
Access our online courses to get your staff started and moving forward on their data journey.
Speak to one of our funding support team to find out how we can help your business.
Find out how we’ve helped Scotland’s businesses get the funds they need:
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Driving Value from Data Case Study: NatureScot Supporting a Net-Zero Future
Biodiversity and nature play a key part in meeting climate change and net zero goals. NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency responding to the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. They work to protect and restore nature by inspiring everyone to value our natural world. Philippa Vigano, Innovative Technologies Programme Manager, recently completed our […]
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Data Leaders Case Study: Social Bite
Beginning life as a small café in Edinburgh in 2012, Social Bite has become an internationally renowned charity, supporting people facing homelessness or facing barriers to employment. In the last decade, it has also established several programmes, such as The Social Bite Village, free food provision, and globally renowned campaigns including Sleep in the Park. […]
News about our work helping Scotland’s businesses get the funds they need:
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ChatGPT: Hype vs Reality – Answering our Event Follow-up Questions
Our recent event, “ChatGPT: ‘Next Big Thing’ or passing trend?” sparked a lively discussion on the potential impact of this ground-breaking AI technology on society and the future of work. Joining us on our panel was Dr Gina Helfrich, from the Centre for Technomoral Futures at Edinburgh Futures institute, Alex Velinov, CTO at Tag Digital, […]
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Our CEO Brian Hills addresses our obligations in the era of AI
In this editorial, our CEO Brian Hills discusses the news headlines that claim AI could lead to the extinction of humanity. The opinions on AI have always been split between those who believe that it can improve our lives and those who fear that it will eventually take over our jobs and lead to an […]
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The Data Lab CEO recognised as an influential data leader
Brian Hills, the CEO of The Data Lab, has been included in the DataIQ 100 – a power list of the most influential people in data and analytics – for the second consecutive year. The annual list, published following an awards ceremony on 2 March, includes an enviable who’s who of the data sector, as […]
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