Shetland Marketing Banner

You are here: Welcome to ShetlandMarketing.org » Marketing Assistance For Shetland Businesses » SIC Marketing Development Programme

SIC Marketing Development Programme

The Marketing Development Programme is designed to provide financial help for businesses that are developing commercial products and services that will benefit the Shetland economy.

Am I Eligible?

To be eligible, you need to be permanently resident in Shetland. The business must:

(a)     Produce a product or service in Shetland for export; or
(b)     Attract business to Shetland from outside e.g. through tourists and other visitors; or
(c)     Produce a product or service which will replace imported products or services in the local market.

Public bodies, trusts and the subsidiaries of such organisations are not eligible.

To qualify for assistance, marketing project costs must exceed £1,000. However, that limit doesn’t apply if yours is a new business that’s been operating for less than 24 months.

If you’ve received, or have been offered, assistance from any other source such as HIE, account will be taken of that.

All successful applicants must operate their business within Shetland for a period of at least five years from receipt of assistance.

For What Work Can Assistance Be Offered?

The aim is to encourage professionalism and forward planning in all marketing-related activities, so the help is targeted at carefully planned marketing projects. The kinds of things for which grant aid can be given are those where there’s a clear risk and an identifiable benefit. Examples include:

  • A promotional campaign for a new product launch
  • Promoting products in new markets
  • Developing e-commerce capabilities for the first time
  • Paying for bespoke or published market research
  • Undertaking a formal, structured market development investigation

The scheme can’t help with routine marketing or promotional work, for example the production of an annual brochure.

If your project doesn’t seem to match any of these examples, it may still be well worth making an appointment to see one of our advisers, as there is some flexibility.

What Sorts Of Grant Are Available?

The scheme is restricted to revenue costs involved in undertaking commercial marketing projects. Capital costs can’t be considered.

Grant is paid at the rate of up to 50% of the actual eligible expenditure. The maximum amount that any applicant can receive for any particular project in any Council financial year is £10,000; separate grants may be offered for products that are clearly distinct. A higher limit may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

What Conditions Apply To The Grant?

For a full explanation of the scheme’s conditions, you should consult the application form and guidance notes. However, some important points are that:

  • The project should demonstrate consistency with other marketing that you’ve undertaken, for example in the use of logos or images.
  • You can’t get assistance for any part of the project on which you’ve committed expenditure in advance of the Council’s grant approval. For example, if you book stand space at an exhibition before knowing that your grant has been approved, it’s entirely at your risk
  • If you owe the Council money, your grant may not be paid until the debt has been cleared or some suitable arrangement has been agreed.
  • All grants are discretionary and they can only be offered if funds are available.
  • Any breach of the grant conditions may mean that the grant has to be repaid and you might also be disqualified from other Council grant schemes.
  • There are special rules for grant aid in relation to advertising, for example advertising within Shetland isn’t eligible. Particular rules also apply to market investigations and to trade fairs and exhibitions. Please consult the guidance notes supplied with the application form.
  • Promotional material must be professionally produced and every item must be approved by the Economic Development Unit before production goes ahead. Other requirements apply and they’re explained in the guidance notes.

How Do I Apply?

As a first step, we strongly advise you to contact our Marketing Service on Lerwick (01595) 744940. Our staff can explain the scheme in more detail and help you with your application.

You must apply on the Council’s Corporate Application Form, which is available from the Economic Development Unit. You’ll need detailed quotations or estimates for any item of expenditure over £100 and you will need to supply business accounts to support your application; one year’s accounts for projects up to £3,000, two years’ for those costing £3,000 - £5,000 and five years’ for those costing more than £5,000.

Once you’ve applied, you can expect a decision within three to four weeks. We always give approval in writing, never orally.

You can claim payment on the claim form we’ll send out with your letter of approval. Please make sure that you keep all the relevant receipts as you’ll need these to support your claim. You can claim in stages as the project proceeds, but you need to make your claim within a year of the award being approved.

Does The Scheme Comply With European State Aid Rules?

Yes. It’s operated in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 69/2001 on the application of articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to de minimis aid. This term refers to relatively small amounts of financial assistance that do not require the prior approval of the European Commission. There is, however, a ceiling of €200,000 (approximately £150,000) for all de minimis aid provided to a business within any three-year period. If you have received any assistance under the de minimis regulation within the past three years you need to ensure that any grant paid to you under the Marketing Development Program will not raise the total above this ceiling. The application form has a space in which you can tell us about any such aid.