Research commercialisation - Proof of Concept Fund 2026-2027: guidance
The Scottish Proof of Concept Fund is open to researchers based at Scottish universities with innovative ideas and will provide support for early to mid stage commercialisation activities. The fund will be open for applications from 1 April until 8 May 2026
How to apply
Applications can be submitted between 1 April 2026 and 8 May 2026. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
The application form can be downloaded from supporting documents.
Complete the application form using the guidance below which sets out what information you are expected to provide. Applications must be submitted by the university TTO or equivalent on behalf of the applicant by sending the application form to spinouts@gov.scot. Applications submitted directly by applicants will not be considered.
Applicants can include text, figures and diagrams in the application form.
How to complete the form
Title of project
Provide a short title of your project which clearly identifies what the project will focus on.
Applicant and institution contact details
Contact details of the lead applicant and a secondary contact for the project must be provided so you can be contacted about your application. Details on how your personal data will be used can be found in the privacy notice.
Please provide a named contact from the university TTO who will be responsible for supporting the delivery of the project if funding is provided.
Please provide the funding amount being applied for. State the primary project sector e.g. Life Sciences, AI, Energy etc.
Previous funding and support received by the project
Please provide information on previous applications to, and funding received from, the Scottish Government and/or UKRI proof of concept funds.
Complete the table detailing any additional previous or current funding or support the project has received to date, including information on the size of award and the start and end dates of the funding. For example; ICURe, High Growth Spin Out support.
Any other previous or current funding that has supported the research/project to date must be declared in the application.
Skills and experience of the project team and ability to deliver the project
List the key members of the project team and their roles in the project.
Provide an overview and evidence of the relevant skills and experience the team have to deliver the project including:
- information on the leadership and management skills you and the team have to deliver the project
- information on previous commercialisation experience and who will be the lead for commercialisation
- prior experience of any team members in delivering similar projects
If you have any project partners important to your planned PoC work, set out what their skills and experience are and why they are needed to deliver the project.
Summary of project
In plain English, provide a concise summary of the project including the aims and objectives, user needs/market opportunity being addressed and the potential benefits that could be realised. The summary should not include sensitive or confidential information and may be made publicly available.
Commercialisation opportunity and market analysis
Provide an overview of the opportunity your project will exploit or the challenges your project will address including:
- how your technology will exploit an opportunity or address a need or challenge
- how your technology could lead to the development or deployment of a new or improved product, service, or technology
- how your technology meets the current needs of users or customers
- societal, economic or environmental benefits your project could provide
Proposed route to market
Provide details of the proposed route to market and justification for this.
Project technology
Provide an overview of the technology and how this has been developed to date.
Provide an explanation of why this work is novel/unique.
Set out the current TRL level, how this will be advanced through this project and what TRL level you expect to reach through this project.
Intellectual property description and management
Building on your answer to the previous question, set out how the technology is unique and has protectable IP that is owned by the university and that you have freedom to use it.
Describe the intellectual assets that have been identified, and any steps taken to protect them or future plans to protect them. List the background IP required by the project. Specify if any third parties have been involved in the generation/funding of background IP that could affect the use of the IP or if agreements are in place for IP ownership.
Explain how you will disseminate and communicate the outputs of your project without compromising future IP protection.
Project description, plan, timelines and milestones
Set out in detail the activities that will be undertaken as part of the project and how the funds will be used.
Set out the key milestones you expect to meet and when during the project and how these will be measured. Maximum of 4 milestones.
The milestones identified should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound)
Cost
Provide the total cost of funding being requested for the project.
Provide information about any other current or planned funding that is also/will be supporting the project.
In the table provide a breakdown of how the funding will be spent. The following information should be provided for each cost:
- category of cost: the different type of expenses the project will incur in its operations e.g. training, prototyping, market analysis, consumables etc.
- supplier: person or organisation that provides the goods or service
- amount: the cost associated (in £) of the activity
- expected date: when you expect to spend the money
Wider ecosystem engagement and project partners
Provide details of any current or planned engagement you’ve had with funders, investors or the wider commercialisation ecosystem.
Provide details of any project partners and their contributions to the project.
Additional support
Provide details of any gaps in skills and/or knowledge and/or experience in the project team and identify how these could be addressed e.g. training courses, mentoring.
Further information
This box is not compulsory but provides an opportunity for you to provide any further information to support your application.
Statement of support
The statement of support should be provided by the TTO, or equivalent, setting out their support for the project.
Contact
Email: spinouts@gov.scot