Revised grant scheme open for business

Orkney Islands Council is encouraging local entrepreneurs to find out if their business ideas might qualify for financial support.

The move follows a decision to update and revise the council’s economic development grant scheme. Grant funding can support new and established businesses in a number of sectors

Councillor James Stockan, chairman of the OIC’s development and infrastructure committee, said: “We have reviewed and, where necessary, adapted the scheme to reflect changes in economic circumstances since the grants were last reviewed in 2008-9.

“In doing so, we looked closely at the feedback to our two recent surveys of Orkney businesses. This has helped us revise the scheme in ways we hope will be beneficial to local businesses. We have avoided the need to make extensive changes and the maximum amount of grant available within policy has been retained at £55,000.”

Councillor Stockan added: “We believe that, along with our New Business Start-up scheme, delivered by the Orkney Business Gateway, and our pilot Flexible Business Development Grant scheme for smaller projects, we now have a suite of measures to support local businesses from inception through to high growth potential.”

Full information about the economic development grant scheme, click here.