Green funding from Scottish Enterprise to boost 40-plus firms and power up jobs

More than 750 green jobs are expected to be created and safeguarded as a result of nearly £11 million of Scottish Enterprise funding that will benefit in excess of 40 companies.

The economic development agency has revealed that £10.7m has been approved for 43 projects involving total capital investment of £61.6m.

The awards are being made via the agency’s Green Jobs Call, part of the Scottish Government’s £100m Green Jobs Fund, and with grants having been made available of £50,000 to £500,000.

Businesses applying for funding had to show that they would create or safeguard jobs that relate directly to the transition to net zero or minimise environmental impacts by developing sustainable low-carbon products or services.

'The wide range of projects highlights the increasingly innovative approaches businesses are taking to answering the net-zero call,' says Scottish Enterprise boss Adrian Gillespie. Picture: Alan McAteer/Scottish Enterprise.

Grant recipients include Dundee-based sustainable cities consultancy Urban Foresight, which is investing £2.6m in the expansion of its consultancy teams focused on electric-vehicle charging, new mobility services, net-zero economic development, digital infrastructure, and local-government services, supported by a £400,000 grant.

The firm’s director Rachel Beeton said: “We are delighted to receive this support from Scottish Enterprise to grow our team in Dundee where we’ve established strong relationships with local authorities and other regional partners.

“There’s an abundance of talent in the city that we want to tap into by creating jobs for graduates and experienced consultants. We’re excited to be scaling up and proud to be strengthening local services and infrastructure across Scotland.”

Other supported projects include the construction of materials-recycling facilities, the extraction of geothermically heated water from former mining operations, and the further development and manufacture of components for hydrogen power systems.

Scottish Enterprise boss Adrian Gillespie said: “This round of funding shows our commitment to supporting Scotland’s transition to a greener and fairer economy, and to creating good green jobs.

Innovative

“The wide range of projects highlights the increasingly innovative approaches businesses are taking to answering the net-zero call, whether that’s creating new products and services, or developing and adapting existing approaches to mitigate their environmental impact.”

Also welcoming the announcement was Scotland’s Just Transition Minister Richard Lochhead, who said: “To secure a truly just transition we must invest in our green industries now – creating and supporting the green jobs that will be vital in helping Scotland to become a net-zero nation. In doing so, Scotland’s businesses have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this new green revolution.

“Helping businesses achieve a just transition will be a theme of this week’s Budget, and the £100m Green Jobs Fund is an integral part of that process. Over the next five years, the funding will support businesses to create green jobs and a better transition to a low-carbon economy.

“The projects awarded funding to date demonstrate the exciting opportunities being created by the green revolution our economy is undergoing.”

The news of the £10.7m funding comes after Scottish Enterprise signed an agreement with Tokyo-based Marubeni Corporation as part of COP26, with a view to teaming up to explore opportunities in floating offshore wind and green hydrogen. They said three key areas of collaboration are decarbonising projects, supply-chain establishment, and knowledge-sharing.

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