Community development

Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) is supporting community led initiatives across Ayrshire.

Scotland’s councils will invest £5 million this year to develop Nature Networks across the country to help tackle the nature and climate crises.

The first phase of a new initiative to identify and nurture new entrepreneurial talent has been launched.

Funding of up to £1.5 million will be delivered through the Pathways Pre-Start Fund this financial year to provide support, mentoring and advice services for people thinking about taking the first steps towards creating a start-up company. It will have a particular focus on closing the gender gap and widening participation in entrepreneurship, and is the first step to developing a pre-start network to bring more people into the entrepreneurship pipeline.

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen are developing technology that will enable electricity generated by renewables to be ‘banked’ as green hydrogen in depleted oil and gas reservoirs alongside industrial carbon emissions. 

The research could play a key role in helping Scotland achieve its net zero ambitions and even become a net exporter of hydrogen, while providing a new lease of life to depleted oil and gas reservoirs and aquifers, as well as the pipeline and well infrastructure surrounding them. 

Researchers from The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen are conducting surveys to understand the challenges of opportunities facing Scotland’s vast rural areas. In particular, their research focuses on localities as potential places to live, rural travel, and local food. 

Scotland’s first ever National Islands Plan was published in 2019 and is now being reviewed as required by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, which may lead to the publication of a new National Islands Plan. 

A fund designed to support local regeneration and sustainable development around Scotland’s coast has been launched by Crown Estate Scotland (CES).

The Sustainable Communities Fund, is made up of two different programmes. Total investment across the two programmes could reach £750,000 over the next three years.

Funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural Community-Led Fund, applications are being invited from constituted community groups, charities, co-operatives, public sector organisations, and micro and small sized enterprises throughout Angus (excluding the Cairngorms National Park area).  It can fund a range of activities which demonstrate positive community, social or environmental impacts.