AAI APPLICATION FORM

SECTION 1

Lead Applicant

Principle Contact
Registered Company Name
Trading As (if different from above)
Registered address
Legal Structure
Company No.
Charity No.
VAT Registered (Y/N)
VAT No.
Organisation Type and Size
Employee FTEs
Email address
Telephone/mobile
URL
Business Start Date (may be incorporation date or later)
The sector you operate in*

* Aquaculture, transportation, oil and gas, processing, FMCG etc

Declaration regarding EU definition of an enterprise in financial difficulty

Has your organization received rescue aid and has not yet reimbursed the loan or terminated the guarantee, or has it received restructuring aid and is still subject to a restructuring plan? (tick as applicable) / Yes / No
Is your organization currently subject to insolvency proceedings or at risk of being placed in insolvency proceedings at the request of a creditor(s)?* / Yes / No

*Risk indicators include

  • Any current or impending court proceedings for non-payment
  • Presently unable to pay your bills as they fall due and
  • Owing any single creditor more than £750 with no prospect of being able to clear the debt.

Declaration regarding EC outstanding recovery order

Is your organization subject to an outstanding recovery order following a previous European Commission decision declaring an aid illegal and incompatible with the internal market, expect for aid schemes to make good the damage caused by natural disasters / Yes / No

Previous De Minimis and Other State Aid Assistance from HIE and Other Public Sources within the Last 3 Years - please list

Source e.g. HIE* / Award Amount (£) / Date of award (from grant offer letter)

*Please add more lines if required

SECTION 2:

A.Project summary/overview

In <800 words, please indicate the commercial value, scope of innovation and business need being met (non-confidential summary), including:

  • Overall vision and innovative nature of the project
  • Expected outcomes and relevance to the aquaculture sector
  • Problem or question to be addressed and key objectives.

Project summary/overview
<800 words

B.Innovation and commercial need

In <500 words, please outline the nature of the innovation and commercial need, addressing:

  • What is innovative about this project technically and commercially?
  • What is the innovation potential of this project and what technology or services already exist? (Please include details of other comparable technologies and alternative strategies, and why your approach will be better.)
  • Evidence of industry demand and elaborate on the value proposition for your customers
  • What further work, if any, will be required to be done after the project is completed to get the innovation into the market place?
  • Projected increase in revenue and jobs.

Innovation and commercial need
<500 words

C.Project details

For each of the following sub-sections please describe in <500 words:

1. Project description

Please outline:

  • The main objectives of the project (objectives should be clear, measurable, realistic and achievable within the duration of the project)
  • The technical and methodological approach being adopted to achieve the objectives
  • The nature of any intellectual property to be created as a result of this project, who owns it and whether it will be protected
  • The technology readiness level, where appropriate
  • Whether similar or related innovations have been carried out already, or are currently being conducted
  • What you expect to deliver by the end of the project
  • Any environmental or social benefits of this project.

Project description
In <500 words

2. Implementation – work plan

Please outline:

  • Timing of key milestones, listing all significant events that will lead to the successful delivery of the project and achievement of the objectives
  • A detailed description of each work package including deliverables and milestones, along with a project timeline clearly indicating milestones/output (Gantt chart)
  • Resources and management requirements necessary to achieving the objectives
  • Evidence of demand and the value proposition for your customers.

Implementation – work plan
In <500 words

3. Project timescale

Proposed start date
Duration

D. Partnership

If your project involves a partnership with another entity, please describe in <500 words:

  • The role and contribution of each partner within the collaboration
  • Whether the partners have the skills and experience to deliver
  • How the project will be managed.

Project description
In <500 words

E. Risks (commercial partner to complete)

Please outline:

  • The technical and commercial risks
  • The main risks to the project’s success
  • The project’s risk management strategy.

Description of risk / Low/medium/high - both describe probability and severity / Mitigation measures

F. Project budget

Please fill in the Excel spreadsheet sent with this application form. (If you are VAT registered, please exclude VAT from these figures.)

Provide a breakdown of the sources of funding already secured for the project. This could include:

  • Private sector finance (e.g. bank)
  • Cash reserves within the company
  • Private equity
  • Loans

Please note that if any other public sector grants are being used to fund the project, HIE may have to reduce the amount of the grant funding awarded, in order to ensure compliance with state aid regulations.

H. Application and Declaration

I/We THE Applicant as designated above:

  • Hereby apply to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, established by the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 and having its principal office at An Lochran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA (“the Grantor”) for HIE Grant under the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 towards the cost of the project described in this Application,
  • Authorize the Grantor to make such enquiries as the Grantor may think necessary in connection with this Application including carrying out checks with a registered credit reference agency,
  • Confirm that to the best of my/our knowledge and belief the information given in this Application is correct and I/We undertake to notify any changes in circumstances relating to the Applicant and/or project, as specified in this application,
  • Agree that the information provided in this Application may be used by the Grantor, whether or not the Application is successful, to inform me/us of relevant opportunities, developments and events in the future. Please check this box if you do not wish to be contacted for this purpose
  • Confirm that I/We have read the Data Protection Schedule annexed to this application and accept its terms,
  • Understand that this Application does not constitute an offer of assistance and that an approval of this Application will still requirement/us to complete a formal undertaking to the Grantor.
  • Accept that the Grantor expressly excludes any obligation of confidentiality and that in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 the Grantor maybe obliged to disclose information provided by the Applicant.

Applicant’s signature/s: / Witness’s signature/s:
Signature / Signature
Print Name / Print Name
Office Held / Office Held
Date / Date
  1. Project submission

Please submit your application to and include in your submission a copy of your last three years’ accounts (where applicable).

A state-aid assessment will be conducted where appropriate to ensure compliance with regulations

AAI use only

AAI reference number
HMS Project No.
Approved start date
Contracted end date
Signature of completion
Date of completion

Data Protection Schedule

I/We have agreed to provide HIE (“the Grantor”) with person data in connection with the Application to the Grantor for financial assistance including the information provided in the Application form and such other information as I/We may Provide.

I/We also consent to the personal data being used for the following purposes:

  1. The personal data provided, will be held and used by the Grantor as data controller and in the normal course of its business;
  2. The Grantor may share the personal data with the HIE Group (as defined below), Audit Scotland, the Grantor’s external auditors, government departments and agencies;
  3. The Grantor may also share the personal data with specific third parties who deliver products and services on their behalf where I/we have requested the use of these products and services;
  4. The Grantor may also share the personal data with or obtain other information about me/us or the Applicant from other organisations in order to check the accuracy of the information which I/we have provided, to from other organisations in order to check the accuracy of the information which I/we have provided, to detect or prevent fraud and other crime or to protect the funds which the Grantor administers; and
  5. The Grantor may continue to hold personal data about me/us after the Applicant’s relations with the Grantor has ended for legal, regulatory and audit purposes;

I/We understand that I/We have the right to ask for a copy of any personal data which the Grantor holds about me/us and which is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 (for which the Grantor may make a small charge) and to request that the Grantor correct any inaccuracies in such data.

In this Schedule the following definitions apply:

“HIE” means Highlands and Islands Enterprise established under the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 and having its Chief Office at An Lochran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5 NA;

“HIE Group” means HIE and all of its subsidiaries (as defined in the Companies Act 1985 Section 736) from time to time and their respective successors.

Appendix A:

Other partners (add as necessary)

Principle Contact
Registered Company Name
Trading As (if different from above)
Registered address
Entity Attribute
Company No.
Charity No.
VAT Registered
VAT No.
Organisation Size
Employee FTEs
Email address
Telephone/mobile
URL
Business Start Date (may be incorporation date or later)
The sector you operate in*

* Aquaculture, transportation, oil and gas, processing, FMCG etc

Declaration regarding EU definition of an enterprise in financial difficulty

Has your organization received rescue aid and has not yet reimbursed the loan or terminated the guarantee, or has it received restructuring aid and is still subject to a restructuring plan? (tick as applicable) / Yes / No
Is your organization currently subject to insolvency proceedings or at risk of being placed in insolvency proceedings at the request of a creditor(s)?* / Yes / No

*Risk indicators include

  • Any current or impending court proceedings for non-payment
  • Presently unable to pay your bills as they fall due and
  • Owing any single creditor more than £750 with no prospect of being able to clear the debt.

Declaration regarding EC outstanding recovery order

Is your organization subject to an outstanding recovery order following a previous European commission decision declaring an aid illegal and incompatible with the internal market, expect for aid schemes to make good the damage caused by natural disasters / Yes / No

Previous De Minimis and Other State Aid Assistance from HIE and Other Public Sources within the Last 3 Years - please list

Source e.g. HIE* / Amount (£) / Date of award (from grant offer letter)

*Please add more lines if required.