Last checked: 11 September 2026. Funding and availability can change. Check the linked HIE pages and speak to HIE about your project before committing to work.
You can see that AI or a better digital tool could help your business. Knowing where to start is another matter. There are people to bring with you, decisions to make and a working day that is already full.
There is support available in the Highlands and Islands that may help you take the next step. The right route depends on what you are trying to achieve, the kind of business you run and the work involved.
Start with the work you want to improve
Before looking at a grant, get clear on the problem. Where does work get stuck? What takes more effort than it should? What would be different for your team or your customers if you solved it?
That is where Working With Me® starts. We understand the people, the rules of the game and the rhythm of the work. Those questions help you decide what is worth doing and what support you need.
We need to decide what to prioritise with AI
You may have tried a few tools, attended a workshop or collected plenty of ideas. What you need now is a plan your team can put into practice.
HIE's Digital Specialist Advice Grant offers between £2,000 and £5,000 towards specialist consultancy leading to a digital action plan or feasibility study. AI is one of the technologies it can cover.
This may be relevant to the planning part of an AI project. It does not establish that a whole training or implementation programme will be funded. HIE needs to assess the applicant and the proposed work.
Sector restrictions matter. HIE flags business services, including lawyers, accountants, consultants and training agencies, as potentially ineligible on a case-by-case basis. Being based in the Highlands and Islands does not establish eligibility.
We have an idea for a digital product
Perhaps you want to develop a platform, app or digital service. Start with the people who would use it: what do they need, and what would make the idea useful enough to keep using?
HIE's technology entrepreneurship grants focus on creating a new digital or technology product, process or service. Routine digital adoption and incremental improvements in an established business are outside their stated scope. These schemes are aimed at eligible founders, start-ups and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
The Technology Advice and Mentoring Grant offers up to £5,000 towards specialist help to test an idea, understand the market, assess feasibility and plan the product.
The Technology Kickstart Grant offers up to £10,000 for early research and development of a first usable version, often called a minimum viable product.
The Technology Development Grant offers between £10,000 and £25,000 for research, development and testing of a new digital or technology product, process or service.
Each of these three schemes requires a contribution from the applicant. You need to pay project costs upfront and claim the grant afterwards. A platform build must meet the scheme's innovation and eligibility requirements; using a particular building tool does not make it eligible.
We want to improve our existing systems
Joining up existing tools or changing how your business runs is a different starting point from developing a new technology venture. It helps to describe the work accurately when you speak to HIE.
HIE also lists a Digital and Technology Adoption Capital Grant. When checked on 11 September 2026, the page still displayed a pause notice referring to August 2026. Its current availability needs confirmation directly with HIE.
Check the practical details before you commit
A grant is a possible contribution to an eligible project. It is not a guarantee that a service will be free. Awards depend on HIE's assessment and available funds.
- Ask HIE whether your business, sector and proposed work fit a current scheme, including its Fair Work conditions.
- Confirm which costs can be supported, how much you must contribute, when you can start and when you can claim.
- Prepare a clear brief. The schemes described here state that applications need evidence of at least three supplier quotes and, where required, reasons for the choice.
- Agree the scope, fees and payment terms with your chosen supplier. Keep consultancy, development and ongoing support clearly described.
Could a funded AI programme help?
AI Scotland brings together national and regional programmes covering leadership, mentoring, advice and practical implementation. Explore the National AI Adoption Programme for SMEs and check each provider's eligibility and current availability.
Some support is fully funded. For example, The Data Lab's leadership course includes practical tools and a 90-day action plan. Its hands-on data and AI support helps eligible, data-mature SMEs develop and test an AI solution.
Funded support may be useful on its own or alongside work with your team. We can help you consider those options and agree a clear scope for any additional support you choose to commission.
How Working With Me can help
We help each person identify opportunities within their role and everyday work, whether your business wants more value from existing AI tools or solid foundations before introducing them. Their Working With Me® manual shapes the support, while your priorities and rules guide the actions you agree together.
Our three-month AI adoption programme supports your people and managers through change, works with your preferred tools or helps you assess suitable options, and measures improvements in time, quality and value. Our bespoke systems and platform work starts with how your business works and what the people using the system need.
We can discuss the work you need and provide a clear proposal. HIE decides whether your business and project qualify and which costs it will support. Working With Me does not award HIE funding or guarantee an application.
Tell Jill what you are trying to achieve and what is getting in the way. You do not need a finished specification to start the conversation.