Just Transition Fund: application form and guidance
The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is a £500 million ten-year commitment that will support projects in the North East and Moray which contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero.
After you apply
Process
Your applications will be scored by a panel based on the answers in your application form.
Scoring
The scoring system is:
Quality of evidence produced/scoring methodology for quality criteria
- 0 – poor/response is partially relevant but generally poor. The response addresses some elements of the requirement but contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate how the requirement will be fulfilled
- 1 – acceptable/response is relevant and acceptable. The response addresses elements of the requirement satisfactorily but could provide more detail and explanation on how the requirement will be fulfilled. Further evidence and/or detail may be required; however the panel is satisfied this can be provided on request
- 2- good/response is relevant and good. The response is detailed and demonstrates a good understanding and provides good detail on how the requirements will be fulfilled. Further explanation/clarification may be required; however the panel is satisfied this can be provided on request
- 3- excellent/response is completely relevant and excellent overall. The response is comprehensive, unambiguous and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the requirement. All relevant evidence and/or detail has been provided.
Achieving a particular score does not guarantee a formal offer of support. Any offer will be subject to the conclusion of formal legal missives. Scottish Ministers reserve the right not to award any support at all under this programme.
Further due diligence checks will be carried out after the appraisal panel and, therefore, further information may be required before progressing with the grant offer.
Project leads will be notified of the final decision and, if successful, grants will be offered on the condition that a formal grant offer letter is agreed. The process of agreeing a grant offer letter requires input and review from the grantee (to confirm milestone dates etc.) before progressing to final signing by both parties.
A timeline covering application to award is provided in the how you can apply section. This depends on the time taken to gather sufficient evidence to allow full consideration of the application. The Just Transition Fund Team will aim, wherever possible, to ensure project timescales are not impacted by the application process. Application forms should be submitted as early as possible to avoid delay.
Changes in circumstances
Any changes in circumstances, which would affect your project’s eligibility to apply to be supported through the Fund must be reported to the Just Transition Fund Team immediately. Failure to do so may lead to the application being rendered invalid and support being withdrawn.
If your application is successful
If your application is successful you will be able to claim your grant once you have demonstrated that eligible spend has occurred. You will need to provide evidence including invoices to show spend on eligible capital items.
You must demonstrate you continue to meet the conditions of the grant before claiming.
You will be provided with further guidance on the grant claim process after a grant offer letter has been agreed.
Monitoring and reports
The Just Transition Fund team will monitor progress during the project’s delivery with input from relevant experts on the Fund’s internal Steering Group.
As per grant agreement terms and conditions in place submit progress reports to and meet regularly with Fund officials.
Project monitoring will gather information on key agreed performance indicators, targets and milestones as outlined within the project’s grant offer letter. Any issues arising which impact project delivery should be raised as early as possible with the Just Transition Fund Team.
How applications are assessed
Bids will be selected for consideration against the following criteria for either large capital projects or research and development projects.
Note: arrangements for scoring against these criteria apply to 2025-2026 bidding round of the Fund only.
Capital projects
|
Criteria for capital projects |
Weighting (%) |
|---|---|
|
1. Meets all eligibility criteria (excluding definition of research and development projects) |
Yes/No |
|
2. Ongoing positive impact against the Jobs Skills and Economic Opportunities Just Transition Outcome and identification of relevant indicators to support monitoring of projects outputs. (Section 2, 2.6 and Section 4, 4.5) |
20 |
|
3. Identify the risks of negative social and environmental impacts from the proposal and approaches to mitigate those risks and make positive contribution to Scotland’s net zero targets. (Section 4, 4.2) |
20 |
|
4. Evidence of compliance with the mandatory fair work first criteria (payment of the real living wage and appropriate channels for effective voice) and commitments to the desirable fair work first criteria. Please see the Fair Work First guidance for further information. (Section 2, 2.7 and Annex A) |
15 |
|
5. Ability to demonstrate additionality and the requirement for JTF support, including evidencing the need for public funding support. (Section 3, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.8 and Section 5, 5.2) |
15 |
|
6. Sets out the percentage of intervention rate required from the fund towards the project. (Section 3, 3.5) |
15 |
|
7. Demonstrates sufficient programme delivery measures in place to deliver project, including governance structures, capital delivery timeline and risk register. (Section 4, 4.6) |
15 |
Research and development projects
|
Criteria for research and development projects |
Weighting (%) |
|---|---|
|
1. Meets eligibility criteria |
Yes/No |
|
2. Meets definition of research and development for purposes of capitalisation of costs (Section 3, 3.5) |
Yes/No |
|
3. Outline the need for Just Transition Fund to support the proposal (Section 3, 3.8 and Section 5, 5.2) |
20 |
|
4. Sets out the percentage of intervention rate required from the Fund towards the project. (Section 3, 3.5) |
15 |
|
5. Outline positive impact against Jobs Skills and Economic Opportunities just transition outcome (Section 2, 2.6) |
15 |
|
6. Identify the risks of negative social and environmental impacts from the proposal and outline approaches to mitigate those risks and make positive contribution to Scotland’s net zero targets. (Section 4, 4.2) |
15 |
|
7. Demonstrate replicability or scalability, with clear applications beyond the individual project, including into other sectors |
20 |
|
8. Evidence existing or planned transparent partnership and engagement with relevant local communities, businesses and/ or local government as most relevant to the proposal |
15 |
Demonstrating value and project delivery
Applications are also assessed in relation to wider requirements of Scottish Government grant funding, to ensure the project represents value for money and that appropriate methods will be in place to deliver the project successfully.
1. Demonstrating value for money
- a strong application will demonstrate overall value for money considering the grant requested and the objectives of the just transition fund for the north east and moray. The lead organisation should confirm how its internal governance has identified how the proposal provides best value.
2. Demonstration of appropriate governance and consideration and mitigation of risk:
- a strong application will demonstrate there is appropriate governance in place for the project delivery and a plan to manage and mitigate potential risks associated with delivery of the project.
Speficially, the application should provide:
- details on who will be responsible for day-to-day management of the project
- what the long-term governance strategy is
- evidence of the project team skills, with previous experience and examples of similar project delivery
- a comprehensive list of skills gaps where appropriate with identification of how each gap will be filled
Contact
Email: JustTransitionFund@gov.scot