THE Information Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for AI and knowledge science, has launched a brand new free software for small companies.
The software makes use of AI to supply sensible funding matches and assist companies navigate the UK’s advanced funding panorama.
Funding Finder permits companies to shortly decide what monetary backing is obtainable to them in Scotland and throughout the UK, matching them with probably the most acceptable funding our bodies to greatest assist their work.
The user-focused software is designed to supply worth shortly by guiding customers by a easy three-staged on-line type.
The data offered helps to create a personalised advice based mostly on the out there funding for which they’re almost certainly to be eligible.
The Funding Finder’s embedded AI factor delivers probably the most related search outcomes to spice up software success and minimise the time spent on inappropriate bids.
The launch of the software follows a profitable two-month pilot, examined completely with members of The Information Lab’s Group.
The pilot obtained optimistic suggestions, with numerous those that trialled the software figuring out new funding alternatives in consequence.
The Funding Finder is now out there to companies throughout the UK, with additional scope to increase abroad.
Customers of the software may even profit from tailor-made assist, occasions information, weekly updates from the innovation centre and entry to helpful networks and connections, together with the European Area Company, UKRI, Innovate UK, and Discover Enterprise Help Scotland.
Adam Turner, Head of Exterior Funding Providers at The Information Lab, mentioned: “It’s not possible to disregard the essential function grant funding performs for all levels of a enterprise, however notably in the course of the start-up and scale-up phases.
“Scotland has all the time produced high-quality, progressive organisations and that is one thing we wish to nurture with the deployment of this software.
“Whereas the funding panorama for SMEs is optimistic, the appliance course of has by no means been simple.
“In addition to being time-consuming, it’s typically advanced and, with no single central funding physique, each software will be completely different.
“We usually obtained suggestions from our group that a number of time was wasted making use of for funding that merely wasn’t appropriate or that individual organisations had been unlikely to win.
“Our intention with Funding Finder is to beat a few of these widespread pitfalls by offering a one-stop-shop for funding, to make it extra accessible for companies.”
