Thursday 26 May 2022

Scotland to provide £25m for manufacturing innovations that cut emissions

Innovative proposals that reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing in Scotland will receive funding worth more than £25 million over the next four years.

The Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund (LCMCF) is seeking ideas to speed up the adoption or development of low carbon products, services, technologies and processes, with the aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.

Statistics from the Scottish Government suggest manufacturing supports 178,000 jobs, 47% of businesses expenditure on research and development and £12.8 billion in gross value added (GVA).

Grants with a minimum value of £150,000 will be available for projects.

The funding announcement was made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said: “More than 92% of Scotland’s innovative manufacturers are small businesses and manufacturing is vitally important to our current and future economy. The Scottish Government is committed to helping this important sector decarbonise and provide jobs for the future, while meeting ambitions to reach net zero by 2045.

“That is why we established the Low Carbon Manufacturing Fund, which is worth £3 million this year. It encourages new manufacturing technology and processes as part of our national strategy to transform the economy, improve productivity and accelerate sustainable growth.”