Which business support schemes offered through the enterprise network are not available in the Grampian area because the region does not ha…

There are two main schemes which companies in Grampian cannot apply for due to the fact that Grampian is not an assisted area. These are Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) and Invest for Growth. Both these schemes are however operated by the Scottish Executive rather than Scottish Enterprise, as a result of the review of RSA. However, the wider measures that I announced in February, including a £20 million venture capital "fund of funds" and more support for commercialisation, will benefit firms across Scotland, including those in Grampian.The impact of assisted area status on Scottish Enterprise's activity is more in terms of the rate/level of grant which can be offered to companies depending on whether they are located within an assisted or non-assisted area. The intervention rate under certain Scottish Enterprise schemes is therefore lower due to Grampian's non-assisted status.