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Administrative timetable

Request from Scottish Enterprise

8 November 2024: The SAU has accepted a request for a report from Scottish Enterprise concerning its proposed Capital investment Scheme. This request relates to a Subsidy Scheme of Particular Interest.

The SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of Scottish Enterprises assessment of whether the scheme complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). The SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.

Information about the scheme provided by Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise is Scotlands national economic development agency and works to transform the Scottish economy by helping businesses innovate and scale. Scottish Enterprise is a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government established by the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990.

Scottish Enterprise plans to introduce a new Capital Investment Scheme to enable provision of subsidies to applicants of all sizes in Scotland where a project is considered by Scottish Enterprise to meet the conditions set out in the Scheme and contribute towards its primary policy objective namely productivity growth in Scotland through increased capital investment by businesses in Scotland. The Scheme is wide in focus in terms of eligible applicants size and supported sectors as this is considered necessary to achieve the desired outcome.

The Scheme envisages individual subsidies of up to 15 million to individual projects across a range of sectors, including those considered sensitive. It also includes scope for subsidies which may involve relocation as defined in section 18 of the Act.

Other key details of the Scheme are:

• ten-year duration, running from early 2025
• budget of up to 1.8 billion
• intervention rates of up to 20% for large enterprises, up to 30% for medium enterprises and up to 40% for small enterprises
• the ability to support enterprises to invest in both new premises and existing premises where this will result in increased productivity

Information for third parties

If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAUs evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning the Scottish Enterprises proposed Capital Investment Scheme, please send your comments before 5pm on the date stipulated in the timetable above. For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Please send your submissions to us at sau-scottishenterprisecg2024@cma.gov.uk, copying the public authority legalservices@scotent.co.uk.

Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).

Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission

The SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with Scottish Enterprise. The SAU will send a copy of your submission to Scottish Enterprise together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to grant or modify the subsidy or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with Scottish Enterprise using the email address provided above.

The SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. Therefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.

For further details on confidentiality of third party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Contact

• SAU project team: sau-scottishenterprisecg2024@cma.gov.uk
• CMA press team: 020 3738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk