Your application will be assessed as soon as we receive it. If it meets basic eligibility criteria, we'll commission intensive due diligence checks from expert technical, commercial, intellectual property and financial assessors. We'll also commission a worldwide patent search from the UK Intellectual Property Office to assess the level of innovation in your project and ensure it doesn't infringe anyone else's intellectual property.

View the list of external technical and intellectual property advisors 

We'll contact you if any issues arise from these checks or we need to clarify any points in your application. Our SMART: SCOTLAND team works with applicants to make the application process as smooth as possible. We don’t provide an advisory service to applicants or their management teams.

Once the information is complete, collated and considered a decision will be made. During this process, we'll keep you up to date with progress and notify you as soon as a decision is made.

Interactive process map

Our simple-to-use process map takes you through every step of the SMART: SCOTLAND application process, from enquiry to audit.

SMART: SCOTLAND interactive process map