Growth Point

Growth Point is designed to help University of Edinburgh founders take the next step in growing their business.

Supported by Santander; Growth Point offers 3 x £5,000 awards to current students, recent graduates (up to two years post-graduation) and academics who have already begun trading (for this competition, this means that you must have generated funds of any monetary value from either customer sales, pilot projects, grants or investment). 

Whether you're looking to acquire new customers, develop your product, expand into new markets, strengthen operations or invest in growth activities. Growth Point can provide the support needed to accelerate your business.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of ventures, including sole traders, freelancers, limited companies, partnerships, CICs and University spinouts.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must be:

• A current University of Edinburgh student, recent graduates (within two years of graduation) and University of Edinburgh academics  
• And operating a business, including:
  • Sole Trader/Freelancer
  • Limited Company
  • Partnership/LLP
  • Community Interest Company (CIC)
  • University Spinout
  • Other recognised business structures
• And you have already begun trading (for this competition, this means that you must have generated funds of any monetary value from either customer sales, pilot projects, grants, or investment)
• Resident in the UK and hold the appropriate visa or right to operate a business where applicable.
• Please note you do not need to be banking with Santander to apply. You can hold a bank account with any bank. 

Graduate Eligibility

Graduates are eligible to apply for up to two years following their graduation from the University of Edinburgh.

International Applicants

International students and graduates are welcome to apply, provided they:

• Are a resident in the UK.
• Hold the appropriate visa to operate a business in the UK.

Who Is Not Eligible?

The fund is not intended for:

• Businesses that have not yet launched.
• Individuals who have not yet registered their business.
• Projects that remain at idea stage without evidence of trading activity, customers, investment or market traction.

What Can the Funding Be Used For?

Growth Point awards are intentionally flexible and can be used for activities that support business growth, including:

• Product development
• Marketing and customer acquisition
• Equipment and software
• Professional services
• Market research
• Expanding operations
• Website development
• Manufacturing and prototyping
• Regulatory approvals and certifications

Applicants should clearly demonstrate how the funding will accelerate growth and create a measurable impact for their business.

Award Value

Successful applicants will receive a £5,000 Growth Point award.

What Are We Looking For?

Strong applications will demonstrate:

• Evidence of market traction and business progress.
• A clear understanding of customers and market opportunity.
• A compelling business proposition.
• A realistic and impactful plan for the use of funding.
• Potential for future growth and sustainability.
• A committed founder or founding team.

Funding Conditions

Successful applicants must agree to the following conditions:

• Spend the award funding within 12 months of receiving it.
• Provide Edinburgh Innovations with a summary outlining how the funding was used and the impact it had on the business.
• Attend two advisory meetings with an Edinburgh Innovations business adviser during the 12-month funding period.
• Be willing to share updates on business progress for reporting and impact purposes.

Payment Information

Should you be awarded funding through Growth Point, a UK bank account is preferred for all payments.

Requests to use a non-UK bank account will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to additional verification checks, compliance requirements and longer processing times.

Assessment Process

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of three Edinburgh Innovations judges with a range of backgrounds and expertise.

Each judge will independently assess and score all eligible applications against the published criteria. Scores will be combined to determine the successful applicants.

The panel's decision is final.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

Privacy

Information submitted as part of your application will be processed in accordance with the University of Edinburgh's privacy policies. Our privacy statement can be found here and eligibility, compliance and funding conditions can be found below: