Innovation

The Helping it Happen Awards 2022, run by Scottish Land & Estates, have announced the finalists within five of their nine categories. Each of the categories focuses on an area in which rural businesses are positively impacting Scotland’s economy and environment.

The overall focus of the Helping it Happen Awards is on recognising the role estates, farms and rural businesses play in enabling and supporting success in rural communities, rural businesses and rural landscapes.

The Social Innovation Challenge (SIC) funds and supports innovators to kick-start solutions that tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. The programme is centred around a theme each year. Building on the legacy of COP26, the 2022 theme is: innovative solutions to climate change issues faced by rural communities in Scotland. 

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Women's Enterprise Scotland are delighted to launch the Women's Enterprise Scotland Awards 2022, as part of their 10th Anniversary celebrations. 

A new scheme aimed at promoting equality and providing more opportunities for women in Scottish agriculture has supported more than 750 trainees since its launch last year.

Projects which aim to boost food security in Scotland and address the biodiversity and climate crises will benefit from a major Scottish Government funding programme.

This June, GrowBiz is celebrating its 15th birthday, after starting in 2007 to provide community-based support to small businesses and the self-employed.

Environment Minister Mairi McAllan has responded to the UK Government Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill in a letter to Mr George Eustice MP and Mr Alister Jack MP. You can read it in full here.

'Agroecology: Facilitating Mindset Change' was one of the projects supported in most recent round of Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund aiming to widen understanding of agroecology.

Lyth Arts Centre will host one of 12 Unexpected Gardens around Scotland as part of the Dandelion programme teaching communities about the art and value of growing food and other plants.