Marine Fund Scotland 2025-2026: general guidance notes version 1 - May 2025

Grant rates

Funding from the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 should not duplicate or crowd out private financing, nor distort competition. It should facilitate private investment – especially where the private sector is profitable. As set out in the ‘What types of projects can apply to the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26?’ section of these General Guidance notes, the Marine Fund Scotland aims to support projects with collective added value, in particular by addressing market failures or sub-optimal investment situations. One way in which we aim to achieve this is through the amount of funding that can be applied for depending on the type of project/applicant.

Table 1 below sets out the maximum total public funding that can be applied for towards a specific project, as a percentage of the total eligible project costs, by each category of applicant to the Marine Fund Scotland (the “grant rate”). “Eligible project costs” means the types of costs associated with a project that fit into the purposes and categories for which Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 funding can be applied for.

Each grant rate is variable up to the stated maximum and there is no guarantee of Marine Fund Scotland funding. The stated grant rate is the total public funding. This could be funding from Marine Fund Scotland only, or from Marine Fund Scotland together with another public funding source. This means that if you are applying for, or have received, other public funding for the specific project that you are applying to the Marine Fund Scotland with, the total amount being applied for from the Marine Fund Scotland, together with the amount of the other public funding, cannot be higher than the grant rate. As set out in the ‘Additional rules and obligations’ section of these Guidance notes, applicants to the Marine Fund Scotland must disclose the source(s) and amount(s) of any other funding awarded in connection with the project in question.

Table 1: grant rates for the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26

Grant rates for the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-2026

Organisation/project/cost type and the Grant rate (the Grant Rate is the total public funding that can be applied for as a percentage of the total eligible project costs)

Private – where the project is wholly commercial

• Up to 50% for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
• Up to 30% for large businesses (but see below for row regarding projects with a high collective added value)

Private – organisations of fishers/collectives of fishers acting in a collective manner

• up to 60% (but see row regarding projects with a high collective added value)

Public law bodies

• Up to 100%

Projects with a high collective added value – for example, innovation, public access to results, collective beneficiaries (e.g. industry-wide benefits or benefits to multiple beneficiaries rather than to a single entity), etc. This could involve collaborations between public law bodies, private entities, third sector bodies, etc. Generally, we don’t consider commercial investments to meet this criterion.

• up to 100%, depending on the strength of the evidence the applicant can provide to demonstrate that the project will provide collective added value and meet collective interests. Please contact MFS@gov.scot before you submit the application if you think you meet this criterion.

Young Fishers

• up to 40%, with a maximum grant award of £75,000 per application

Testing novel engine technologies to support climate change mitigation, as part of a study or trial to test feasibility and impact

• up to 40% of the extra cost compared to a diesel engine replacement

Development/adaptation of gear and fishing techniques that reduces impact on biodiversity and/or natural capital, and/or reduce carbon emissions

• up to 100%, if for development/adaptation of innovative gear or techniques with wide collective benefit
• up to 40% for adaptation of vessel fishing techniques to reduce impact on biodiversity and/or natural capital (e.g. improving selectivity), and/or reduce carbon emissions

Overheads – funding towards the costs of overheads is reserved for applications from non-commercial or not for profit organisations, charities, research institutions, universities and colleges. Overheads for staff costs are not eligible for commercial entities such as businesses. This is based on direct staff costs.

• up to 15% (i.e. in an hypothetical example where direct staff costs were £5,000, applicants could apply for a maximum of £750 under the heading of an overhead cost). Universities and higher education organisations can include full economic costs (fEC) in their applications. The UKRI-approved rates should be evidenced and the cost calculation provided.