Are you a business or social enterprise based in the South of Scotland looking to explore or adopt AI? 

Organisations in the south of Scotland are invited to apply for between £500 to £1,500 towards the costs of exploring and adopting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

What can I use the voucher for? 

The Artificial Intelligence Exploration Voucher aims to support organisations with exploring and adopting the use of AI for organisational improvement.  

You can use the voucher: 

• to access expert guidance (in addition to the mentoring support available through existing programmes), conduct feasibility studies and test AI solutions.  
• for AI integration, including advice, data review, proof-of-concept projects and digital roadmaps. 
• to explore the ethical, trustworthy and inclusive use of AI within the organisation. 

Examples may include: 

• Improve efficiency: automate repetitive tasks, free up time for employees to focus on more strategic activities. 
• Enhance customer engagement: use of chatbots to provide instant responses to customer inquiries, improving customer satisfaction. 
• Support smarter marketing and content creation: analyse customer data to create targeted marketing campaigns and generate content that resonates with the target audience. 
• Enable data-driven decision-making: process and analyse large amounts of data quickly, provide valuable insights for better decision-making. 
• Foster innovation: help the organisation stay competitive by enabling innovation and adapting to changing market conditions. 

I’m interested, tell me the detail? 

Businesses and social enterprises of any size based in the Scottish Borders and/or Dumfries & Galloway seeking to use AI to enhance operations and productivity are eligible to apply. 

Projects must be completed by 28 February 2026. 

The minimum grant available is £500 and the maximum is £1500. 

Enterprises wishing to access the fund must be based and operate within the South of Scotland. 

Where an enterprise employs staff, it should be paying the Real Living Wage to all staff aged 16 and over, including apprentices and will need to provide evidence of effective voice for staff and a Fair Work action plan. 

Full criteria and eligibility (Criteria download PDF) 

How do I apply? 

Read the full criteria and eligibility to make sure you and your project fits. 

Express an interest by completing the form below and tell us a little bit about you and what you are proposing. Please include: 

• a quick outline of the project idea and how it links to Artificial Intelligence exploration or adoption to enhance your business 
• a breakdown of identified costs 

If your expression of interest meets the initial criteria, and funds are still available, SOSE will then send you an application form. 

Applications will be treated on a first-come-first-served basis and once indications show the fund limit is reached, expressions of interest will be paused until initial applicants have gone through a formal appraisal stage. 

Demand is expected to be high and therefore not all projects will be able to proceed as the fund amount is limited.   

SOSE grants are discretional and SOSE decision will be final.