Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund opened

Applications for up to £200,000 a year to build farming skills and improve biodiversity have opened.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie also confirmed that the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF) would consider requests for multi-year funding agreements, subject to budgetary confirmation each financial year.

The fund promotes skills development, improvements in business practice, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability within the agricultural sector.

Previous projects supported include a skills development programme for staff working with livestock in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, a course to help crofters, and promoting learning about the benefits of calving intervals on the Isle of Bute.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said:

“Since this fund was launched in 2015 it has been supporting the agricultural industry to share really important skills and lessons learned across farming networks. The KTIF is well placed to support tackling the climate emergency through restoring and preserving biodiversity and ecosystems, promoting resource efficiency, improving water and soil management, and preventing and controlling pollution.

“Working with farmers, crofters and land managers we want to do what we can to give them as much stability as possible, with multi-year applications allowing them to better plan for the future and help them try new ways to make farming and food production as sustainable as possible.”

KTIF has two separate aims:

1) Knowledge Transfer Projects:

• These projects focus on promoting skills development and knowledge transfer in the primary agricultural sector.
• This is achieved through the funding of organisations to deliver vocational training, coaching, workshops, courses and farm visits designed to develop skills, transfer knowledge and encourage knowledge exchange.

2) Innovation Projects:

• These projects aim to deliver innovative on-the-ground improvements in agricultural competitiveness, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability.
• Funding support meets the running costs of operational groups seeking to implement innovative projects in these areas. Operational groups can be made up of different individuals or organisations within agriculture who are working collaboratively.
• This helps form partnerships between farmers, crofters, land managers, Non-Governmental Organisations, advisers and businesses working on the ground.
• These operational groups are expected to provide new insights and deliver innovative approaches and ideas, as well as mobilising practical on-the-ground solutions.

Full information about the scheme can be found at: Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund