Artificial Intelligence (AI) Exploration Voucher

This programme closed to new enquiries on 4 November. All submissions received before the deadline are currently being reviewed, and applicants will be contacted by mid-November.

What is it? 

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

The AI Exploration Voucher is part of a wider programme of events, advice and mentoring to support Scottish organisations - find out more on Find Business Support.

What can I use the voucher for?

The Artificial Intelligence Exploration Voucher aims to support organisations in the Highlands and Islands 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; or
• on a case by case basis, to cover the cost of travel and accommodation to AI events delivered in Scotland as part of the AI Adoption Programme (up to one day, standard class public transport with evidence of payment and receipts) for organisations based in Island locations or outwith a two-hour radius of the venue (until March 2026 only).

The voucher can be used to explore how the organisation can:

• 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; and/or
• foster innovation: help the organisation stay competitive by enabling innovation and adapting to changing market conditions.

Who is eligible?

Businesses and social enterprises of any size based within the Highlands and Islands region seeking to use AI to enhance operations and productivity are eligible to apply.

Clients who have attended recent HIE ‘AI in Action’ events or who are participating in the ‘ Artificial Intelligence Readiness Programme' are welcome to apply.

Applicants must comply with HIE’s fair work conditions for financial support. If you would like to speak to someone about the fair work requirement or need more information, please email enquiries@hient.co.uk

Who is not eligible?

• organisations who are not located in the Highlands and Island area
• businesses and social enterprises operating primarily in the retail, food and beverage service or personal services sector (e.g. shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants, hairdressers, beauticians, alternative therapist etc) or business services sector (lawyers, accountants etc)
• accommodation businesses operating from an applicant’s own home (e.g. B&B or AirBnB type businesses) are not eligible
• organisations which are primarily core funded by the public sector are not eligible (core funding does not include project funding and service level agreements with the public sector)
• religious and political organisations are not eligible

How do I apply?

To apply, please complete our online enquiry form and a member of our team will get in touch.

Timeline

• The scheme is open from Tuesday 23 September 2025, use the form to enquire. 
• Applications will close on Friday 24 October 2025. You will be asked to include an outline of your project with associated costs and proposed impacts.  
• Applicants will be notified by Tuesday 4 November 2025.
• Projects and claims must be complete by Thursday 12 March 2026.

The small print

• All HIE assistance is discretionary.
• Support is subject to due diligence and budget availability. Due diligence includes making an assessment on the need for public funding; the viability of the business going forward; the ability of the applicant to participated in the project; the impact of the development on the economy, and the strength of the business case presented to HIE.
• Making an enquiry does not guarantee that your application will be successful. If you are not successful in your application or you are only partially successful e.g. you receive funding of a lesser amount than you applied for, we will arrange a call with you to let you know why you have been unsuccessful and point you in the direction of other possible sources of funding.
• There is NO appeals process. We are unable to consider a complaint purely relating to dissatisfaction as to the outcome of a decision. However, if you have identified a specific process failure relating to your application, then you may wish to make a formal complaint. See our formal complaints process for more information.

Need to speak to us?

If you would like to talk to someone about your enquiry, please email enquiries@hient.co.uk and we will get back to you.