Grant for Research and Development (GRD)
Grants of £5,000 - £500,000 to research and develop new technology based products
Technological innovation is key for many businesses to improve productivity and competitiveness and to stimulate business growth in the region.
BIS's Grant for Research and Development (GRD) is a scheme to help individuals or small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) improve their competitiveness by developing new products or processes. An SME is a company of less than 250 employees group wide. You should check your SME status by referring to the SME Self Declaration booklet below.
The grants are offered, at the discretion of government, to help businesses carry out research and development work that will lead to technologically innovative products or processes that the company can exploit in the marketplace. Applications can be made at anytime to meet your business need.
Project proposals are assessed against selection criteria which include:
- technological innovation
- level of technical risks
- commercial prospects
- need for the grant and business impact.
Not all applicants will be offered a grant.
Please note that all elements of GRD are classed as Notified State Aid (NSA). Additionally, as a notified scheme, support under GRD does not count towards de-minimis cumulations.
Also note that GRD is only open to SMEs, large companies interested in grant support for R&D projects should consider other schemes such as Technology Programme, EU FP VII, or One North East’s pilot large company research and development grant scheme. Click here for details.
For further information, please follow the links below.
Types of Grant Available:
There are five types of grant aimed at supporting companies at different stages if research and development:
- Proof of Market grants
- Micro Projects
- Research Projects
- Development Projects
- Exceptional Development Projects
How to Apply
Information on how to make an application for the Grant for Research and Development Scheme
How to Claim
Information on how to make a claim for project costs for a live Grant for Research and Development project
Offers Made to Date
View the progress One North East has made since becoming responsible for the Grant for Research and Development in April 2005
Evaluation of the Grant for Research and Development Scheme
To ensure that research and development support is appropriately targeted and effective at supporting SMEs to innovate, the RDAs, with BIS, carry out regular evaluation of the grant support scheme. The latest evaluation was carried out in 2009 and assesses the achievements and impact of the Grant for Research and Development, and its predecessor Smart, on the national economy. The period covered is from the point of the last evaluation in 2001, and covers the operation of the scheme from 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2008. A copy of this evaluation report, and the earlier 2001 report, can be accessed by clicking here: Evaluation Reports.
Grant for Research and Development North East Awards
One North East holds a high profile Awards Dinner every two years to hand out awards to selected companies in a number of categories. The awards are open to companies receiving grants in the two years preceding the Awards Dinner. The awards are decided by a Judging Panel at One North East. The awards were launched in 2007, with a follow up event held in February 2009.
Grant for R&D - Brochure [pdf]
(315 KB)
SME self-declaration [pdf]
(1.16 MB)
