Digital Innovation Business Acceleration Hub Micro Grants Available Now

As part of the University of Bath’s Business Acceleration Hubs project, the University of Bath can offer grants of £1,000 to participating SMEs to spend on products/services that will help their businesses to grow.

To be eligible for support, the project must be a new activity that will help your business grow by developing a new product/service, improving your processes or systems or giving you new access to markets.  You will need to show how the product or service that you buy will help your business to grow. Requests for funding for ‘day to day’ expenditure such as accountancy fees will not be considered. 

Examples of what could be funded includes (but not exclusively): 

  • Consultancy advice 

  • Academic research advice / consultancy (we can help facilitate connections at the Uni of Bath)

  • Intellectual property advice 

  • Product development advice/consultancy 

  • Website design/redevelopment 

  • Software development 

  • Equipment/machinery 

  • Marketing advice 

  • Training

  • Grant writing support

The grant cannot be used to fund: 

  • Salaries and wage costs 

  • Payments for activities beyond the life of the project (e.g. subscriptions) 

  • Payments to undertakings in difficulty as defined under EU State Aid rules 

  • Notional costs, for example, where an item usually retails at £x, but the applicant buys it cheaper but claims the difference between the price paid and £x 

  • Payments for activity of a political nature  

  • Provisions – i.e. money set aside to pay for future events e.g. sink funds  

  • Contingencies and contingent liabilities 

  • Dividends  

  • Interest or service charges arising on debt incurred including finance leases, hire purchase and credit arrangements  

  • Costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors  

  • Costs involved in winding up a company  

  • Payments for unfair dismissal  

  • Compensation for loss of office 

  • Bad debts arising from loans to employees, proprietors, partners directors, guarantors or shareholders  

  • Payments for gifts and donations 

  • Entertainments apart from food and non-alcoholic drink provided as part of a meeting  

  • Statutory fines and penalties 

  • Criminal fines and damages  

  • Legal expenses in respect of litigation  

  • Costs incurred by individuals in setting up and contributing towards private pension schemes, or the setting up of such schemes by organisations in receipt of ERDF 

  • Costs incurred by organisations in relocating personnel displaced by the refurbishment or conversion of a building for ERDF use. 

The value of your project must be between £1,000 and £2,499 (excluding VAT) to qualify.  The University of Bath will provide you with a grant of £1,000 and you must make up the difference. 

For instance: You have researched your project and estimate that it will cost £1,500.  The University of Bath you provide you with a grant of £1,000 and you will pay the remaining £500. 

To apply for this small grant businesses must first have applied and been approved on the Digital Innovation Business Acceleration Hub, online application form available here. You will then discuss the grant with your Entrepreneur in Residence about your project idea and if they think it is suitable for a micro-grant, they will help you to complete a short form. Once submitted, the application will be considered by the University of Bath. If further information is required we will come back to you within 2 weeks. If not, we will let you know our decision within 6 weeks. If successful, we will send you a Grant Funding Agreement to sign and return.

 
PAUL TARGETT, DIRECTOR AT RIVIAM WHO RECEIVED THE £1000 GRANT FUNDING AND ENGAGED WITH ACADEMIA SUPPORT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH

PAUL TARGETT, DIRECTOR AT RIVIAM WHO RECEIVED THE £1000 GRANT FUNDING AND ENGAGED WITH ACADEMIA SUPPORT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH

“The grant process is quick, simple and easy with approval happening in a matter of a week. We’ve already received the support and would recommend this scheme to any small business looking for funding. There is no catch, so do utilise this £1,000 funding for your business now before this scheme comes to an end.”

— Paul Targett, Director, Riviam

To pay your grant, we will need you to supply us with: 

  • Certified copies of invoices (matching the agreed value set out in your Grant Funding Agreement) 

  • Certified copies of your bank statement identifying the payment of the full cost of the project 

  • Any agreement/contract put in place between you and your chosen supplier detailing the product/service to be supplied, timescale for delivery and total cost 

  • Evidence pertaining to your procurement process, such as: 

  • A written specification of services required and timetable for delivery (used for all suppliers invited to quote) 

  • Invitation to quote 

  • Written competitive quote 

  • Written record of decision made 

  • Letter of appointment for your chosen supplier 

  • Screen shots if appropriate to evidence ‘quotes’ obtained through on-line resources such as amazon for items such as laptops. 

As the funding used to provide the grant is drawn from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), there are procurement requirements that must be followed and evidenced through a robust audit trail. Failure to provide the required evidence at claim stage will result in your claim being invalid and not paid.

Please contact us, using our online form, if you have any queries about our micro-grants.

Bath SETsquared Innovation Centre