Regional Selective Assistance funding

What is RSA funding?

RSA is a discretionary grant aimed at encouraging capital investment and job creation in Assisted Areas of Scotland, classified as Tiers 2 and 3.

The grant is available for businesses who want to develop a project in these areas.

The postcode checker tool can identify what tier your project is in and the level of funding that’s available to you.

Use our postcode checker tool

Important information

Before applying, you should consider the following: 

• RSA funding is for capital investment projects that don’t fit with our other available funding programmes
• If you have a project that does fit with one of these programmes, you should apply there directly – not to RSA funding
• If your project is located elsewhere in Scotland (Highlands and Islands and Southern Scotland), you should apply to your local enterprise agency for funding

Find out which of our current funding calls are available to you

Visit Business Gateway to find your local enterprise agency

What’s the criteria for RSA funding?

The amount of RSA funding we offer depends on: 

• The size of your business
• The location of the project 
• Our assessment of how much is needed for the project to go ahead

You can apply whether your business is based in Scotland or not – although the project must take place in Scotland. The project should also involve some capital investment and must directly result in the creation and safeguarding of jobs in Scotland. 

Large businesses will only be eligible if the project involves diversification of activity at an existing location or new activity taking place on a new site.

How much support is available?

Depending on the location of your project and the size of your business, different levels of RSA are available. 

We can typically support up to 35% of the eligible costs for a small/medium sized enterprise (SME) and 15% of the eligible costs for a large enterprise.

Projects must last between 6 and 36 months, and the minimum grant considered is £100,000.

Visit Europa.EU for the European Commission’s guidance on SME definition

Understanding Scotland's tier system

Scotland has two tiers (excluding the region administered by Highlands & Islands Enterprise), referred to as Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Information on the maximum aid available towards eligible expenditure for different-sized businesses within each tier of Scotland is given below:

Large businesses:

• Tier 2 – up to 15%
• Tier 3 – Nil

Medium businesses:

• Tier 2 – up to 25%
• Tier 3 – up to 10%

Small businesses:

• Tier 2 – up to 35%
• Tier 3 – up to 20%

Further guidance will be provided after you submit your initial enquiry.

Am I eligible?

To qualify for RSA funding, your project must meet all of the scheme criteria. Specifically, it must:

• Take place in an Assisted Area
• Involve an element of capital expenditure
• Create or safeguard jobs within your business (the expected job creation/safeguarding should be a minimum of 10 jobs)
• Must not offset job losses elsewhere
• Be financially viable
• Be mainly funded by the private sector
• Demonstrate the need for RSA funding to progress
• Align with Scotland’s net zero ambition
• Funding will not be offered where the applicant company is already committed to undertaking the project or where we believe it would proceed anyway.

Fair work and net zero criteria

All companies which are awarded RSA funding need to meet the Scottish Government’s approach to Fair Work and net zero. This will include:

• Appropriate channels for effective voice and employee engagement, such as trade union recognition
• Investment in workforce development
• Action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace
• No inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts
• Payment of the Real Living Wage
• Flexible and family-friendly practices
• No fire and re-hire policies
• Actions to ensure your business has a credible plan in place to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, at the latest

Get Real Living Wage guidance from the Living Wage Foundation

Read about our net zero ambitions

How to get started