Scotland’s national AI adoption programme for SMEs has been backed with £1.8m of continued funding for a second year, with support live from 19 August 2026.
The programme, delivered under the AI Scotland banner, offers mentoring, workshops and grant funding to help small and medium-sized businesses identify AI opportunities, plan implementation and develop and test AI solutions tailored to their needs. It builds on the National AI Adoption Programme for SMEs launched in 2025 with just under £1m of Scottish Government funding, which the release says helped more than 1,000 businesses (gov.scot, 19 August 2026). Delivery partners include Scottish Enterprise, The Data Lab, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.
Innovation Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Ensuring our businesses have the skills to identify appropriate AI opportunities – and adopt new technologies safely and in line with Fair Work principles – will help drive sustainable growth across the economy and futureproof Scotland’s businesses. The vast majority of Scottish businesses are SMEs. The continuation of this programme means that even more of them will have access to the tools and expertise they need to help grow, innovate and flourish.”
Rhona Allison, Managing Director of Company Growth & Scaling Innovation at Scottish Enterprise, said: “AI is creating new opportunities for businesses to innovate, compete and increase productivity. Adoption is accelerating, but many companies still need support to move from experimentation to meaningful business impact.”
Alex Sano-Davies, Sales Director for Border Biscuits, said: “Since introducing AI, I’ve been really impressed by what it can do. It has been a great learning experience, and we continue to discover new ways to help us work smarter and more efficiently.”
More information is available on the AI Scotland website.
