Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: applicant guidance 2026 to 2027
The Just Transition Fund (JTF) support projects in the North East and Moray which contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero.
Delivery to date: 2022 to 2026
Since launching in 2022 the JTF has allocated over £85 million to 28 projects, including a over £60 million grant programme and £25 million allocated to the Scottish National Investment Bank. We have provided a full list of projects supported by the grant programme on this page. Many of these projects have now completed are delivering tangible benefits to the region which will accelerate a just transition to net zero in the North East and Moray.
For example, ETZ are supporting local energy supply chain businesses to decarbonise whilst unlocking private capital investment through the Supply Chain Pathway and Energy Transition Challenge Fund.
We have also supported skills development with the first of NESA’s pilot training courses beginning at the end of 2023 and the Energy Transition Skills Hub successfully launched in September 2025.
Communities have been equipped with the capacity and power to directly influence just transition in their area through projects such as NESCAN’s pilot Just Transition Communities project and our Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund which has supported 181 projects from 2022 to 2026.
|
Recipient/organisation |
Project |
Description |
Year |
Total award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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 |
£1,340,000 |
|
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 |
£6,960,000 |
|
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 |
£7,192,000 |
|
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 |
£881,000 |
|
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 |
£100,000 |
|
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 |
£3,100,000 |
|
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 |
£1,500,000 |
|
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 |
£9,800,000 |
|
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 |
£4,500,000 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
£3,700,000 |
|
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 |
£1,000,000 |
|
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 |
£209,596 |
|
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 |
£2,120,000 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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. |
2022-2026 |
£1,054,096 |
|
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 |
£250,000 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
£4,210,000 |
|
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 |
£2,097,000 |
|
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 |
|
North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) Hub |
Capacity Support |
Staff resource costs to support delivery of the Just Transition Communities Project. |
2022-2026 |
£324,192 |
|
ORE Catapult |
Large Scale Synthetic Mooring Line Test Rig |
Build and design of large scale synthetic mooring line test rig. |
2025-2026 |
£500,000 |
|
Maritime Developments Ltd |
Cable Handling Facility |
Purchase and installation of 10,000 tonne offshore carousel and product highway package to support Offshore Wind industry. |
2025-2026 |
£2,914,916 |
|
Verlume Ltd |
Orah Assembly and Deployment |
Subsea battery storge and energy management system. |
2025-2026 |
£2,593,400 |
|
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 |
£2,471,712 |
|
Moray Council |
Development of a Strategic Outline Case for Moray Growth Deal Skills & Development Project |
Develop a HM Treasury Green Book compliant Strategic Outline Case for the green engineering skills project, as part of the Moray Growth Deal. |
2025-2026 |
£40,000 |
The £25 million allocation to the Scottish National Investment Bank in 2023 to 2024 was invested in the North East and Moray on a commercial basis and has helped leverage in c. £40 million in match funding from the Bank and private sector investment.
Contact
Email: JustTransitionFund@gov.scot