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Zero Waste Scotland is investing European Regional Development Funds to help small and medium businesses (SMEs) be resource efficient and create a more circular economy. The fund aims to accelerate the development of business innovation, including support for developing new technologies and the infrastructure needed for a more circular economy which could mean sharing, leasing or takeback models, encouraging repair or new recycling ideas.
- Timeline: Between 2016 and 2018
- Budget: £18 million fund
- Overview: Zero Waste Scotland is making funding and support available through structured grant calls and procurements.
- Requirements:
- Small to medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees/turnover less than £35million)
- Organisations supporting business (research bodies, academic institutes, industry bodies)
- Non-profit organisations (charities and social enterprises)
- Link to full eligibility criteria
- How to apply: If your business or organisation meets the above criteria, you may complete the Circular Economy Investment Fund Outline Project Proposal Form. They will let you know within 30 working days if stage one of your application has been successful, at which point you will be invited to complete the final part of the application process.
Areas of activity
- Increasing the scale and provision of services to SMEs in Scotland to become more efficient in their use of resources;
- Stimulating new business activity to identify, develop and bring to market new circular economy products and services;
- Supporting collaboration between businesses and academia to catalyse and demonstrate next generation products and services within the circular economy; and
- Helping community and third sector organisations to develop local approaches to tackling resource efficiency and to engage in the development of a more local circular economies.
These will focus on priority commercial and industrial sectors which are:
- the bio economy (food and drink)
- built environment (construction and demolition)
- energy infrastructure (oil and gas decommissioning, renewables, transmission)
- There will also be funding available for key activities such as reuse, remanufacturing, repair and reprocessing.
They are interested in the following activities:
- Exploring market feasibility for new circular economy products;
- Development and adoption of innovative business models for new circular economy products and services;
- Development and uptake of innovative technologies, products and services to support a circular economy.
Notes
The Circular Economy Investment Fund and Service will directly contribute to Scotland’s Economic Strategy, which the Scottish Government published in March 2015, as well as the Scottish Government’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, A Manufacturing Future for Scotland – a programme for Government commitment and Making Things Last, Scotland’s circular economy strategy.
European Structural and Investment Funds enable Scotland and fellow EU member states to deliver on Europe 2020: Europe’s growth strategy for making the EU a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy.
Source: ZeroWasteScotland
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