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NEWS
To discover the latest developments in the Kingdom of Fife, you can read all about them on our regularly-up-dated news page.
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EVENTS
From online training to face-to-face networking, our Events page will help you identify suitable events for your business and provide you with further information on how to book.
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CASE STUDIES
Learn more about our Fife’s thriving business economy by viewing our collaborative case studies. With representation across all sectors, this is a hub promoting business success.
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Helping you grow and succeed

We are InvestFife. Our goal is to bring enterprise in Fife together and help promote our Kingdom as a destination to grow and succeed in business.  Our encompassing services provide information, reassurance and support to help you invest or grow your business.  InvestFife offers a one-stop solution for all your investment queries.  Our dedicated and responsive team are waiting to help you grow your business vision today.

WHO WE ARE

Offering an unbeatable quality of life

The best life is the Fife life.  We are on the doorstep of Edinburgh, Scotland’s thriving capital city, yet you can also enjoy a more casual pace of life. Surrounded by over 100 miles of magnificent coastline and with an endless amount of leisure, historical and entertainment amenities, our Kingdom truly is one of marvel. Our enviable setting ensures that Fife is a commutable region for 70% of Scotland’s central population belt. Affordable housing, excellent transportation links and first-class lifestyle amenities make for the perfect work/life balance.

LIFE IN FIFE

Key Sectors

Fife benefits from a flourishing economic landscape represented by several key sectors. From SMEs to multinational brands, the opportunity to invest in the Kingdom of Fife has never been greater. There are currently 9000 businesses currently operating in Fife, and we are primed and ready to welcome and support the next enterprise to invest in our Kingdom.

SECTORS

Immediate land available at competitive commercial rates

Our expert team at InvestFife can help you source suitable land and property that will help your business flourish. From the east to the west of Fife, our portfolio is expansive.   Competitively-priced land and property in prime, easily accessible and commutable locations are available immediately.

LAND & PROPERTY

Our Business Directory can help promote your business across Fife and beyond.

This free listing aims to connect Fife’s diverse business sector with an opportunity to showcase your products, services, and contact details. Stay in the loop by keeping up-to-date with all the latest news in the Kingdom, so you never have to miss a key event again.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY
NEWS
To discover the latest developments in the Kingdom of Fife, you can read all about them on our regularly-up-dated news page.
SEE ALL NEWS
EVENTS
From online training to face-to-face networking, our Events page will help you identify suitable events for your business and provide you with further information on how to book.
SEE ALL EVENTS
CASE STUDIES
Learn more about our Fife’s thriving business economy by viewing our collaborative case studies. With representation across all sectors, this is a hub promoting business success.
SEE ALL CASE STUDIES
PUBLICATIONS
Our publications page helps you discover more about the Kingdom of Fife and what business support opportunities are available to help businesses thrive and succeed.  
SEE ALL PUBLICATIONS

Business Gateway Fife

Business Gateway Fife provides practical help and a wide range of advice and support for new and growing businesses in Fife. During these challenging times, we can direct you to funding and packages of assistance to help you sustain your business.

A series of webinars are available to help develop the skills required to run a successful business. Regardless of whether you are a start-up business or an established business looking to sustain or grow, we offer an exciting programme of free events to help you develop your skills and take your business to the next level.

Businesses can also access a variety of support from specialists who provide tailored, expert advice via our Expert Help and Digital Boost programmes. This can be crucial to develop specific projects and help achieve business recovery or support growth ambitions for the business.

Business Gateway Fife also offers one to one support for both start-up and growth businesses from its own team of professional advisers, including dedicated HR support.

Key achievements for 2021/2022

Our Training Programme Brochure

Fife Investment fund
SME Development Grant
Specialist Business Advice

Fife Investment Fund

Funded by Fife Council and delivered by Business Gateway Fife, the Fife Investment Fund provides financial support to Fife-based businesses looking to invest in and grow their business or progress towards Net Zero.  
  
The fund provides a fully repayable grant of up to £10,000 or 70% of the overall costs of the project being undertaken (whichever is lower) with the following conditions:

  • No interest or any other charges
  • An initial payment holiday of 6 months
  • Following the repayment holiday, up to 24 months to fully repay the grant.

There are a number of ways the fund can be used including:

  • Purchasing plant and machinery
  • Property improvements
  • Product development
  • Process improvements
  • Training
  • Market development 

You may be eligible if you are a small to medium-sized business (SME) based in Fife and can demonstrate that the support will lead to increased turnover and/or employment for your business, or help it progress toward net zero emissions. Applications are submitted at the discretion of your Business Gateway Adviser.

Contact Business Gateway Fife at [email protected] or on
01592 858333 to find out more.

SME Development Grant

The SME Development Grant provides financial support to help Fife-based businesses develop and grow.
The fund provides small non-repayable grants to assist with costs across the following six themes:

Trade Development
The trade development funding provides grants to:

  • assist businesses with the cost of exhibiting at trade shows within the UK or Europe
  • assist businesses with the cost of participating in overseas trade missions.
  • support other costs associated with accessing new markets, such as exporting

Workforce Upskilling
The funding for workforce upskilling provides grants to help companies improve the productivity and profitability of their business through training and upskilling existing employees.

Transition to Net Zero
Funding to support businesses making progress towards net zero emissions through a range of measures including premises improvements, waste reduction or reuse and the creation of green jobs.

R&D & Innovation Support
Support primarily for micro-SMEs unable to access the R&D and innovation support provided by Scottish Enterprise.

Agriculture Business Diversification
Support for agriculture businesses to develop agritourism and food & drink focussed proposals as well as supporting adoption of new approaches and technologies including vertical farming.

Support for Studies
Support for businesses requiring studies (e.g., ecological impact, noise assessment) as part of a project to develop new or existing premises.


The SME Development Grant is delivered by Business Gateway Fife on behalf of Fife Council.

This grant is offered at the discretion of a Business Gateway Adviser, therefore, you must be working with Business Gateway Fife to be considered.

Businesses can receive more than one grant through this scheme, but the total amount received cannot exceed £2,850

Contact Business Gateway Fife at [email protected] or on
01592 858333 to find out more.

Specialist Business Advice

Fife’s Specialist Business Advice programme can provide Fife-based businesses that are looking to develop with up to 3 days of fully-funded consultancy support.

Tailored, expert advice is available from specialists across a range of topics, including:

Business Development

  • business strategy
  • sales and market development
  • marketing, communications and PR
  • brand development
  • quality assurance and accreditations
  • product & process development
  • innovation
  • procurement (public and private sector) and supply chain opportunities
  • business continuity and resilience

Finance

  • management accounts
  • financial analysis
  • purchasing a business, premises or asset (inc. mergers and acquisitions)
  • financial business planning
  • funding application support and preparing for and securing investment
  • business valuation
  • pricing products and services

Social Media and Online Presence

  • website development and review (inc. SEO)
  • e-commerce
  • social media
  • digital and video content creation

Information Solutions and Technology

  • connectivity
  • security
  • infrastructure (hardware & software)
  • communications technology and solutions
  • data driven solutions
  • performance information and management

Legal and Property

  • contracts
  • intellectual property
  • export/import regulations
  • land and property law (inc. right to buy)
  • conveyancing
  • surveying and property consultancy
  • planning application support
  • data protection/ GDPR
  • health and safety

Environmental

  • energy efficiency audits and advice
  • environmental strategies and plans
  • waste minimisation, recovery and reprocessing
  • resource efficiency
  • utilities
  • environmental and noise impact assessments

Human Resources and Employee Development/Wellbeing

  • recruitment and employment law
  • employee engagement and development
  • management and leadership development
  • employee and owner wellbeing
  • mindfulness and mental health
  • fair work

The Specialist Business Advice programme is delivered by Business Gateway Fife on behalf of Fife Council and is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

InvestFife

Contact Business Gateway Fife at [email protected] or on
01592 858333 to find out more.

Net Zero Transition Fund

Currently Closed. See Update under How to Apply below for more information.

 

What is it?

  • A non-repayable grant of up to £3,000 to help businesses make progress towards net zero carbon emissions.
  • Open for applications from Friday 1st July 2022
  • Closes to new applications on 28th February 2023 or when budget is fully allocated (whichever is earlier).
  • All projects must be complete by 31st March 2023.
  • Payment on approval – no requirement for upfront spend and reclaim – however, recipients shouldretain evidence of expenditure as this may be requested

Who’s eligible?

SMEs located in Fife. Priority will be given to businesses in the following sectors:

  • Energy Industries
  • Financial & Business Services
  • Food & Drink
  • Manufacturing & Engineering
  • Tourism*

*Self-catering properties (including AirBnB), bed and breakfasts and guest houses are not eligible.

Where the proposed work relates to business premises, only premises which are solely for business use are eligible. Premises with combined business/residential use (e.g., a house with a home office/workshop from which the business is based) are not eligible.

Businesses whose main base is outside Fife can use the grant to improve premises they have in Fife or create green jobs in Fife.

Businesses whose main base is in Fife cannot use the grant to improve premises or create jobs outside of Fife.

What can it be used for?

Anything that will help a business make progress towards net zero emissions. Suggested uses include:

  • Improvements to building fabric and equipment such as:
    • heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades.
    • renewable heat technologies such as installing an air source heat pump or biomass boiler
    • improving insulation, draught-proofing, double or secondary glazing,
    • installing LED lighting.
    • installing solar panels, wind turbines and wood-burning stoves.
  • Waste Minimisation, Recovery and Reprocessing:
    • Projects that will result in a reduction in waste production
    • The installation of equipment to assist with recovery and reprocessing of waste streams
    • Projects that close the loop on resources that would otherwise be wasted (circular economy)
  • Creation of Green Jobs – using the Internal Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of Green Jobs:
    • "decent jobs that contribute to, preserve, or restore the environment, be they in traditional
      sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as
      renewable energy and energy efficiency".

How to apply?

Update 27th October 2022 – as a result of high demand this fund is currently closed to new enquiries. We will update this page as and when the fund reopens. If you have already made an enquiry about the Net Zero Transition Fund to Business Gateway Fife this will still be processed. Please be aware they are currently working through a backlog and will be in touch shortly.

Applications are made at the discretion of a BG Adviser or Economic Development team member.

If you are already engaged with Business Gateway Fife, please contact your Adviser to discuss an application. If you are not currently engaged with Business Gateway Fife, please contact the team on 01592 858333 or [email protected].

A bank statement dated within the past 3 months will be required as part of the application process. This should be from a dedicated business bank account, however, personal accounts will be accepted where the bank statement shows clear evidence of business transactions.

Additional Information

  • A business can only receive one grant through the Net Zero Transition Fund
  • If you are undertaking a larger project, you can combine an application for the non-repayable Net Zero Transition Grant with an application for the Fife Investment Fund which provides interest free repayable grants of up to £10,000. Separate eligibility criteria apply to the Fife Investment Fund. Please discuss this with Business Gateway Fife if interested.
  • Although payment is made on approval, the T&Cs of the Net Zero Transition Fund include a clause stating that evidence of expenditure relating to the grant should be retained and can be requested by us for a period of up to 7 years after receipt of the grant.

Contact Business Gateway Fife at [email protected] or on
01592 858333 to find out more.

The SME Development Grant and Specialist Business Advice programme are fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

PLEASE NOTE: This fund is currently closed to new applications due to high demand. This site will be updated when the fund reopens.

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