We are aware that things evolve and change and will allow for a level of flexibility. However, when considering making any significant changes from the Stage 1 application, applicants should be aware of the following part of the Stage 2 supplementary guidance (page 10), which raises questions of eligibility if there are large-scale, material changes:
If there are any material changes between your Stage 1 answers and the content of your Business Plan, you will need to make us aware of these in your answers to the relevant sections of the application form. We may take the view that significant changes may alter the assessment outcome from Stage 1 and could make your Stage 2 application ineligible. Although we ask you to highlight the key areas of your Business Plan, assessors will read all of your main Business Plan and if they identify unambiguous inconsistencies between your Stage 1 application and your Stage 2 application (including your Business Plan), your application may be ineligible.
As Creative Scotland have assessed the Stage 1 submission and the commitments outlined, any applicant which presented significant changes to the proposal at Stage 2, could cause the application to be considered ineligible. Significant changes could be completely new, large-scale activities, for example.
However, if an applicant is more looking to refine, rephrase or update a smaller part of their programme, which will still be reflective of what was submitted at Stage 1, this is acceptable.