Information

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Just Transition Fund application data: EIR release

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.


Information requested

Since the fund opened:

1. How many applications have been accepted? Please provide as much detail as possible on each bid.

2. How many applications have been rejected?

3. What kind of scorecard/criteria is used to decide if applications are accepted/rejected?

Response

Q1) A total of 29 applications have been successful since the Just Transition Fund was established in 2022. Please see the table below for detailed information on each project that has received funding to date:

Successful Applications

Fund

Recipient / Organisation

Project

Description

Funding Year

Total Award

Just Transition Fund

Robert Gordon University

Digital Innovation Lab

Digital Innovation Lab initially supporting the construction sector to decarbonise before addressing challenges across a range of sectors.

2022 -

2024

£1.34 million

Just Transition Fund

The James Hutton Institute

HydroGlen

Green hydrogen farming pilot to acquire new knowledge to switch from increasingly high levels of fuel poverty to self-reliant, net-zero carbon energy producers in rural communities.

2022 -

2026

£6,968,203.94

Just Transition Fund

The James Hutton Institute

Just Transition Hub

Net zero innovation hub with a land-use and agriculture focus, located within the grounds of the James Hutton Institute (Hutton) campus in Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen.

2022 -

2025

£7.192 million

Just Transition Fund

Moray Council

Just Transition Masterplan – Moray Council

Five interlinked projects to support Moray’s journey away from fossil fuels, including projects to support offshore renewables, creation of a local hydrogen economy, natural capital approach to offsetting, and redeveloping derelict land and premises.

2022 -

2024

£881 k

Just Transition Fund

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Councils

NESS Carbon Capture Feasibility Study

Study to determine if there is a viable project to retrofit carbon capture systems to the NESS energy facility.

2022 -

2023

£100 k

Just - Transition Fund

The Food Hub (NES)

SeedPod

Seedpod aims to be the go to centre for innovation and growth in the net zero food & drink industry.

The Just Transition Fund has contributed £3.1m towards the cost of building and fitting out the £27 million project.

2022 -

2024

£3.1 million

Just Transition Fund

Social Investment Scotland

Social Enterprise Just Transition Fund

Delivery of a blended finance approach(part loan/part grant) focused on supporting charities and social enterprises to transition to net zero.

2022 -

2024

£1.5 million

Just Transition Fund

Energy Transition Zone Ltd

Supply Chain Pathway and Energy Transition Challenge Fund

Supporting companies to enter new energy markets, and delivering capital investment grants to help energy supply chain companies take advantage of low carbon sector opportunities.

2022 -

2026

£9.8 million

Just Transition Fund

Energy Transition Zone Ltd

Energy Transition Skills Hub (formerly Advanced Manufacturing Skills Hub)

The Skills Hub will be a focal point of the Energy Transition Zone Skills Campus and will aim to deliver the skills and training needed to support net zero transition.

2022 -

2024

£4.5 million

Just Transition Fund

VSA

Easter Anguston Farm

Feasibility study setting out plans for a centre of excellence focusing on 4 areas: STEM, Farm-to-Fork, woodland adventures and linking people to services to help their health and wellbeing.

2022 -

2023

£504,447

Just Transition Fund

OPITO

Energy Skills Passport

Development and deployment of a digital offshore energy skills passport to support the transition of skills and jobs across the rapidly changing industry.

2022 -

2024

£4,996,100

Just Transition Fund

National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA)

Pilot Energy Transition Skills

Assessing the net zero energy transition skills landscape from now until 2030, identifying gaps/ demand and designing and delivering pilot training to address these.

2022 -

2024

£1 million

Just Transition Fund

University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI Moray)

Moray Net Zero Bottlenecks

Collaborative study focused on the current and future skills requirements and labour supply chain bottlenecks in Moray as it transitions to Net Zero.

2022 -

2024

£210,000

Just Transition Fund

Net Zero Technology Centre

Hydrogen Offshore Production (HOP2)

Project to demonstrate that offshore hydrogen production and storage is feasible through the repurposing of existing assets to produce green hydrogen.

2022 -

2026

£2.12 million

Just Transition Fund

Ripcell

Sustainable Solvent Recovery/EV Battery Recycling

Pilot to test technology using pot ale (whisky waste product) to deploy a “green solvent” to be used in recycling batteries.

2022 -

2024

£626,734

Just Transition Fund

Shine Engineering

Tidal Rotor Generator

Pilot to develop tidal rotor generators to create a source of green energy in the region.

2022 -

2024

£167,200

Just Transition Fund

Seaweed Energy

Wave Energy Converter

Pilot to develop wave energy converters to create a source of green energy in the region.

2022 -

2024

£100,100

Just Transition Fund

North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) Hub

Just Transition Communities Project

This pilot study aims to address the question of how communities can be involved in and help to drive the process of designing, creating and delivering a Just Transition through a range of participative approaches, including Climate Assemblies.

2022 -

2025

£386,152

Just Transition Fund

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce/Campaign for North East Rail (CNER)

Buchan Sustainable Transport Study

Study to examine possible travel interventions in Dyce, Ellon, Peterhead, and Fraserburgh to accelerate the region’s transition to net zero.

2022 -

2024

£250K

Just Transition Fund

Park Ecovillage Trust and Findhorn Innovation Research and Education

Findhorn Ecovillage

Four feasibility studies looking at shifting from conventional housing to net zero housing and transportation within the context of the ecovillage and beyond.

2022 -

2023

£226,775

Just Transition Fund

Findhorn, Nairn, and Lossie Rivers Trust

Findhorn Watershed Riverwoods Pilot

Habitat restoration of the Findhorn watershed, beginning with an unbroken network of riparian woodland along its riverbanks, supporting the restoration of Wild Atlantic Salmon populations.

2022 -

2025

£969,972

Just Transition Fund

tsiMoray, Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action, NESCAN Hub and Money4Moray

Just Transition Participatory Budgeting

£1 million of the Fund will be allocated to participatory budgeting every year over the lifetime of this parliament.

2022 -

2025

£4.21 million

Just Transition Fund

Opportunity North East

North East Adventure Tourism

Project to transform the region into a world class destination for adventure tourism by facilitating the development of high quality, sustainable facilities and low carbon infrastructure.

2022 -

2024

£2.097 million

Just Transition Fund

The Cabrach Trust

The Cabrach Distillery

Development of distillery, a Community Interest Company for the Cabrach region that will use its revenues for rural regeneration and a community led regeneration master plan.

2022 -

2023

£361,767

Just Transition Fund

North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) Hub

Capacity Support

Staff resource costs to support delivery of the Just Transition Communities Project.

2022 -

2025

£167,387

Just Transition Fund

ORE Catapult

Large Scale Synthetic Mooring Line Test Rig

Build and design of large scale synthetic mooring line test rig.

2025 -

2026

£500,000

Just Transition Fund

Maritime Developments Ltd

Cable Handling Facility

Purchase and installation of 10,000 tonne offshore carousel and product highway package to support OW industry.

2025 -

2026

£2,914,916

Just Transition Fund

Verlume Ltd

Orah Assembly and Deployment

Subsea battery storge and energy management system.

2025 -

2026

£2,593,400

Just Transition Fund

Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners

Enabling Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Support the Ground Investigation required to unlock Phase 1 (North Breakwater Extension) of the Fraserburgh Harbour Development.

2025 - 2026

£2,471,711.60

Q2) When the Just Transition Fund first opened in 2022, it received a total of 102 applications. Of these, 25 bids were approved for funding, meaning 79 applications were not successful and were therefore rejected. In the 2025–26 funding round, the Fund received a total of 65 applications. With 4 bids awarded funding therefore 61 applications were rejected.

Q3) Applications are accepted or rejected based on a structured scorecard that considers:

  • Alignment with Just Transition Outcomes (including the mandatory Jobs, Skills & Economic Opportunities outcome)
  • Environmental and social benefits
  • Quality of project planning and delivery
  • Compliance with Fair Work First commitments
  • Demonstrated funding need and value for money
  • Suitable co-funding levels or intervention rate.

These criteria form the basis for funding recommendations and are assessed by a review panel using the published weighting framework. Bids are reviewed and scored against these criteria by the Scottish Government, with guidance from relevant internal experts.

More detailed information can be found on our official funding round website: What you can apply for - Just Transition Fund: application form and guidance - gov.scot

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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