The Scotland Beyond Net Zero seed fund for 2025-2026 is open for applications!

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Scotland Beyond Net Zero is a coalition of climate and sustainability experts from Scotland’s universities designed to catalyse research collaborations, empower communities and inform the policymaking and action Scotland needs to reach its ambitious climate targets.

Launching for its second year, the SBNZ seed funding scheme was established with the goal of fostering collaborations and partnerships and is open to academics from all participating universities, with awards of up to £15,000 to support potentially high-impact collaborative and interdisciplinary work on Scotland’s climate challenges.

Applications to the fund should align with the core SBNZ themes of food, finance, built environment, natural systems, energy and transport.

Projects submitted should involve collaboration and co-creation of research across at least two university members of SBNZ who are participating in the fund. These are:

  • University of Aberdeen
  • University of Dundee
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Edinburgh Napier University
  • University of Glasgow
  • Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Heriot-Watt University
  • University of St Andrews
  • Robert Gordon University
  • University of Strathclyde

Projects should also include clear plans for co-creation, engagement and partnership with at least one other organisation (e.g. community group, third sector organisation, local or national government or industry). SBNZ particularly welcome applications with clear evidence of co-creation with external partners.

Member universities are invited to apply for funding between £5 to £15k. The awards will be split across research partners. Ideally there will be an even split of funds across partners.

Examples of the types of projects the fund expects to support include (but not limited to):

  • Cross-disciplinary workshops/sandpits or research visits which address a specific policy and/ or research challenge, with an emphasis on co-creation with external partners.
  • Network/consortium building activity (for example towards a collaborative funding opportunity), with an emphasis on co-creation with external partners.
  • Projects which pilot or trial new technologies, methods, data or approaches, or that promote adoption and take-up of such technologies, methods, data or approaches across the public, private and third sector.
  • Projects that augment or maximise the impact of existing research and innovation on responding to Scotland’s climate and environmental challenges.

Find out more and key milestones

You can find out more about the fund by visiting https://scotland-beyond-net-zero.ac.uk/funding-opportunities/ where you can download guidance and an application form.

There will be a webinar on Wednesday 23rd April 12.00 – 13.00. Sign up by emailing sbnz@ed.ac.uk and noting ‘webinar’ in the subject line.

The deadline for applications will be 5pm, Friday 23rd May 2025. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their submission in June 2025.

If you have questions about the fund, please contact the Scotland Beyond Net Zero Senior Research Partnership Manager, Dr Kate Symons, on k.symons@ed.ac.uk.