Funding

Eight projects will share £8.7 million of Scottish Government investment, with project partners providing match funding, taking total investment to £24.4 million.

Midlothian - Scottish Rural Parliament

 

The Scottish Rural Parliament is a powerful collective voice for people and groups from rural Scotland, including Midlothian (which is a rural area). Ahead of the Scottish Rural Parliament 2023, this mid-term event will be a chance to find out about the recommendations of the Scottish Rural Parliament 2021 and discuss how they align with priorities in Midlothian. It will also add Midlothian’s voice to the Rural Parliament and the influence it wields over national policy.

Projects to help the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by restoring Scotland’s natural environment on land and at sea are set to benefit from further funding this year.

The annual Nature Restoration Fund is open to projects that help Scotland's species, woodlands, rivers and seas back on the road to recovery, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of local communities, with at least £12.5 million available in 2022-23.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Scotland can access training up to the value of £5,000 provided by The Open University (OU) to support staff development. 

This fund was first announced by the Scottish Government as part of the 2020-21: Phase 2 of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), to help SMEs address key skills gaps and develop the skills your business needs.

The Practical Training Fund, which was launched earlier this year and is administered by Lantra Scotland, has already supported more than 400 women and girls to undertake courses to develop their skillset or change careers.

Details of a financial package worth £65 million for culture and major events have been confirmed by the Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

The split of the funding is as follows:

Connecting people and nature.

Led by NatureScot, the programme aims to give people the opportunity to help tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by creating and caring for their own forest in their own neighbourhood.

Projects awarded funding in most recent round of Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund.

The chosen projects have a specific focus on resource efficiency, cutting emissions, environmental performance and sustainability of agricultural holdings, and are supported by just over £170,000 of funding through the KTIF.

Allocation of next round of Croft House Grants for 2021/22.

The Croft House Grant scheme aims to retain and attract people to rural and remote communities with the latest round of funding awarding grants worth £265,922.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced the breakdown of a lifeline £100 million financial package to support businesses experiencing cancellations due to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant.

The £100 million support package is broken down into:

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