The Scottish Government has made up to £500,000 available immediately for SFC’s Climate Emergency Collaboration Challenge in Academic Year 2019-20. We are inviting universities and colleges to submit proposals for funding by 24 October 2019.

SFC is inviting proposals for collaborative projects between academia and businesses that will increase the pace of emissions reduction across the Scottish economy, help meet the ambitious net-zero target proposed by the Scottish Government whilst building a greener economy and healthier society.

The deadline for proposals is 24 October 2019
Proposals must be submitted by the consortium’s nominated host university or college.
Host universities or colleges will be required to administer SFC funding on behalf of the partnership
Proposals will be considered by an assessment panel in November
Subject to availability of funds we expect to be able to support two projects of up to £250,000 each

The drive to tackle the global climate emergency does not sit in isolation and should be considered in the wider context of our national ambitions and commitment to inclusive growth, defined as “growth that combines increased prosperity with greater equity; that creates opportunities for all and distributes the dividends of increased prosperity fairly.” This is further embedded in the National Performance Framework which aims to “help achieve the Scottish Government’s purpose with a framework that sets out ‘national outcomes’. These outcomes describe the kind of Scotland it aims to create.

The outcomes:

Reflect the values and aspirations of the people of Scotland
Are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Help to track progress in reducing inequality”

In the context of this call for proposals, ‘businesses’ refers not only to profit-making enterprises. Participation of social and not-for-profit enterprises is encouraged.

This call is an immediate response to the declaration of a global climate emergency. We are looking for projects that will accelerate the pace of decarbonisation, which build strong foundations and teams with a clear mission. These projects will have a role, amongst other drivers, in shaping the future strategy of our response to the global climate emergency.

We know that tackling the global climate emergency is multi-faceted and we welcome approaches which recognise this. Technological innovation needs to be coupled with societal and consumer behavioural change/acceptance. We welcome projects that will bridge the social and physical sciences, and possibly which directly engage the public.

The climate emergency is global. We will consider projects that identify similar challenges across countries and which seek to co-create solutions.

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/web/FILES/announcements_sfcan132019/SFCAN132019_Climate_Emergency_Collaboration_Challenge.pdf

Please contact RIO for further support.

Fiona Mason
Leader of Business Engagement
f.mason@napier.ac.uk

Sharon McGettrick
Research & Innovation Manager
s.mcgettrick@napier.ac.uk