Scottish Enterprise to make £4 million available for green jobs
Scottish Enterprise today announced the first of a series of grant funding calls to help support economic recovery and stimulate the creation of new green jobs to advance Scotland’s net zero emission ambitions.
The £4 million green jobs call will open to applications on Tuesday 18 May* with grants from £50,000 up to a maximum of £500,000 being awarded on a competitive basis. It is part of a £27 million package of green funding that Scottish Enterprise will distribute to businesses operating in Scotland over the next three years.
Supported through the Scottish Government’s Green Jobs Fund, the funding call is part of Scottish Enterprise’s wider commitment to supporting Scotland’s net zero transition that delivers benefits for our environment, people and economic prosperity.
Building on a recent £140 million commitment and operating alongside other initiatives like the Low Carbon Challenge Fund, the package underscores the agency’s contribution to supporting Scotland’s green economic recovery.
The call aims to support business to create jobs that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources and jobs that help drive more environmentally friendly processes in Scottish businesses.
Further information, including details on how businesses can register their interest can be found at www.scottish-enterprise.com.
Scottish Government Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “As well as tackling the Covid-19 crisis and supporting our economy in the immediate term, it also crucial we lay the foundations for a green recovery, and our budget set out a record £1.9 billion to tackle climate change and create good, green jobs in 2021/22.
“Throughout the pandemic Scottish Enterprise and our other agencies have played a key role getting lifeline funds to businesses across the country. As we look to emerge from lockdown this vital work continues, and this first call for the new green jobs fund will help us rebuild a fairer, stronger and greener Scotland.”
Linda Hanna, interim Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise, said: “Green economic growth is a long-standing area of focus and competitive advantage for Scotland internationally. It’s the ideal fit for our inaugural call ahead of COP26 coming to Glasgow and signals the first of several investment and business support opportunities Scottish Enterprise will be offering.
“It has been designed to be relevant to a wide range of business who are helping create new quality green jobs that will improve the environment and help drive Scotland’s transition to a net zero economy by 2045.”
The launch of the green jobs call signals Scottish Enterprise’s adoption of a time-bound approach to grant funding that replaces the organisation’s previous grant model. The full programme of calls covering a wide range of economic growth opportunities, including a further £4 million green focused call, will be published in due course.
In addition to the funding support, successful applicants will have access to a package of wrap-around advisory support.
*The opening date of the call has been revised. For the latest information, visit www.scottish-enterprise.com
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Notes to editors
• Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's national economic development agency. We’re committed to growing the Scottish economy for the benefit of all, helping create more quality jobs and a brighter future for every region.
• The new calls-based funding model is a key component of Scottish Enterprise’s mix of support for businesses. It has been designed to streamline the process for funding and will be available alongside advice, investment and loan funding, grant support to aid recovery and business growth.
• It is expected that the calls will enable businesses to bid for funding across a wide range of key economic opportunities. The forthcoming programme of calls will be published in due course setting out the focus and application window for each fund.
• The Scottish Government is investing £100 million over the next five years to help businesses create new, green jobs via the Green Jobs Fund. This will invest £50 million through Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and South of Scotland Enterprise to help businesses which provide sustainable and/or low carbon products and services to develop, grow and create jobs. £8 million from this fund is targeted for Scottish Enterprise’s green calls over 2021/22. This £4 million call is the first to utilise this funding.