The Scottish Government created a support package for businesses in Scotland affected by Covid 19 and enterprise agencies worked at pace with VisitScotland and Creative Scotland to design and deliver two short-term funds:
The Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund for vulnerable Scottish SMEs deemed vital to local, regional and national economies and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund for tourism, hospitality and creative industry businesses that experienced hardship due to Covid 19.
A total of 3,656 awards have been made to companies across Scotland equalling around £145.3M. Visit the Scottish Government website for more information.
Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Steve Dunlop (above) said: “It is not an easy time for many businesses and Scottish Enterprise is working hard to provide funding, advice and resources to ensure businesses not only survive, but thrive now and in future.
“The support from the Hardship and Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Funds has allowed companies across a range of industries to continue to trade. We will continue to work alongside Scottish Government and partners to focus on a fair, sustainable and jobs-focused recovery and play a critical role in rebuilding Scotland’s economy.”
Precision engineering company Almond Engineering is based in Livingston and received £100,000 from the Pivotal Enterprise Fund and has remained in production throughout the pandemic by undertaking safety precautions.
The business has also manufactured face shields to donate to the NHS as well as creating test equipment for ventilator manufacturers.
Managing director of Almond Engineering Michelle Quinn said: “The support from Scottish Enterprise has been so important for us. We have always really valued the help and support and in times like this it is doubly valuable.
“The coronavirus has really impacted our orders at Almond and at times such as these when you don’t know how long the crisis will last nor how deep the recession will be, the government and Scottish Enterprise support allows time for the economy to start recovering and ensure that businesses such as ours are here once the world reopens.”
Edinburgh based interior and graphic design firm 442 Design specialises in venue design, creating memorable customer experiences that challenge the conventions of traditional Food, Drink and Retail spaces. Their clients include Arsenal Football Club, Amazon, SSE Hydro, BBC Scotland, Adidas and Aramark.
442 Design received £50,000 from the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, which was welcomed by Managing director David Dunn who said: “Our business relies heavily on crowds and entertainment whether through eating and drinking out, football matches or live gigs.
“The banning of crowd activity had a massively detrimental impact on our client businesses. Our business practically stopped with lockdown with all projects put on hold.
“PERF has kept the company afloat during a time of forced abandonment of all projects, saved jobs and allowed 442 to reposition for the future. We’re now developing a different Covid-aware approach to designing spaces that can deliver both commercial return for client and ensure a great experience for our customers.”
Arrayjet is a biotech company based in Roslin, Midlothian, supplying inkjet bio-printing instruments and also manufactures Covid 19 testing and research products.
Iain McWilliam Chief Executive Officer of Arrayjet said: “The PERF grant helped support our cashflow during a critical period when revenue collection and generation was extremely difficult.
“Many of our customers had to cease operations temporarily, and the restrictions on travel prevented us from installing new instruments, look after our installation base, or to visit prospective clients.
“A large proportion of the Arrayjet team were already on the furlough scheme, but the PERF grant allowed us to continue some limited economic activity, to support our key local supply chain, to bring some staff back sooner and accelerate our recovery.
“The PERF grant helped to stabilise our cashflow and gave our board the confidence to bring members of the Arrayjet team off furlough earlier than planned. As a result, we have been able to develop and market products and services related to Covid 19 research and diagnosis.”
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