Scottish Enterprise to make £4m available for green jobs

Linda Hanna

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 £140m 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.

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, added: “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.

Further information, including details on how businesses can register their interest can be found here.