About this programme
The High-Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP) is run by Scottish Enterprise's High Growth Company Creation team. It funds researchers at Scottish universities, research institutes and NHS boards who want to take a lab discovery toward a commercial spinout company, rather than funding an existing trading business.
The programme is structured in stages that follow a spinout's life cycle: an early "Opportunity Qualification" stage to test whether a business case exists, a "Company Creation" stage to fund the run-up to incorporation and investment, and a "Convertible Loan Note" stage that provides working capital once a company has actually spun out.
Every application has to be endorsed by the researcher's institution before Scottish Enterprise will consider it — the programme works through each institution's technology transfer office (TTO) and a named Scottish Enterprise relationship manager, not through direct public applications.
How it works
Opportunity Qualification (OQ): grants of up to £75,000 for a project lasting 6-12 months. Funds are meant to close gaps in the spinout business case — primary customer engagement, early investor conversations and technology de-risking.
Company Creation (CC): grants of up to £200,000 for a project lasting 12-18 months, for spinouts that have reached their value-inflection point and are working toward incorporation and an investment raise. CC applications are assessed via a panel interview at one of three deadlines a year.
Convertible Loan Note (CLN): a loan note of up to £400,000, available to spinouts that have already been incorporated, used as working capital and structured to convert to shares.
Supported activities across the stages include appointing an experienced commercial champion, technology de-risking through prototyping, investor engagement, market research, regulatory assessment and IP strategy work.
Who can apply
Applicants must be researchers at a Scottish university, research institute or NHS board with an idea or invention that has commercial potential as a spinout company.
The application must be endorsed by the institution's technology transfer office or Scottish Enterprise relationship manager before it can be submitted — a researcher cannot apply to HGSP directly without that institutional sign-off.
CLN funding is only available to spinouts that have already been formally created (incorporated), not to pre-spinout projects.
How to apply
- Discuss the idea with your institution's technology transfer office (TTO) colleagues first.
- Engage with your institution's Scottish Enterprise relationship manager to scope which stage (OQ, CC or CLN) fits the project.
- Get the application endorsed by the TTO/relationship manager — this is a precondition for submission, not a formality after the fact.
- Submit the endorsed application ahead of the relevant deadline: OQ applications are reviewed against monthly deadlines; CC and CLN applications go to a panel interview at one of three deadlines per year.
Documents you’ll typically need
- HGSP application form and guidelines document — held by your institution's TTO, updated annually
- "HGSP 2026 Overview" (PDF, 1.61 MB, 11 pages) — published on the official programme page, covering the year's guideline changes
Frequently asked
Can a researcher apply to HGSP directly, without going through their university?
No. Every HGSP application must be endorsed by the applicant's institution — its technology transfer office or its Scottish Enterprise relationship manager — before Scottish Enterprise will consider it. Start the conversation with your TTO, not with a direct application.
What is the difference between the OQ, CC and CLN stages?
OQ (up to £75,000, 6-12 months) funds work to prove the spinout business case before a company exists. CC (up to £200,000, 12-18 months) funds the run-up to actually spinning out and raising investment. CLN (up to £400,000 loan note) is working capital for a spinout that has already been incorporated.
Is a panel interview required?
Company Creation and Convertible Loan Note applications are assessed via a panel interview at one of three fixed deadlines a year. Opportunity Qualification applications are reviewed on a monthly deadline cycle; the official page does not state that OQ requires a panel interview.
Does HGSP fund businesses outside a university spinout context?
No. HGSP is specifically for researchers at academic or research institutions (universities, research institutes, NHS boards) commercialising a discovery as a spinout — it is not a general startup grant.
Where do I find the current application form and guidelines?
Your institution's technology transfer office holds the current year's application form and guidelines document. The official programme page also publishes an annual overview PDF summarising that year's guideline changes.
Is there a matching-funding requirement?
The official programme page does not state a matching-funding requirement for any of the three stages (OQ, CC, CLN). Confirm current terms with your institution's relationship manager before assuming none applies.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.