£9m awarded to sustainable innovation projects in Scotland

Over £9m of funding had been awarded by the UK Government to projects in Scotland with the aim of supporting a green economic recovery.

The cash comes as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund, with 85 Scottish firms benefiting.

Projects range from promoting greener transport options through to establishing urban wetland areas to increase biodiversity.

The announcement was made by UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma and is supported by Innovate UK.

Scotland Minister David Duguid said: “Innovation is an essential part of dealing with climate change and the UK Government is committed to investing in trailblazing Scottish businesses as we build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.

 “Saving our environment will require making sustained changes and I urge others to join us in this year of climate action ahead of COP26 in Glasgow.”

One project supported by the fund aims to create a digital car rental service in Glasgow, while another in Argyll is developing bio-refinery to turn seaweed into food and compostable packaging.

Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “Every initiative we’ve supported here represents an important step forward in sustainable economic development, but also one step nearer dreams becoming reality for ambitious hard-working company owners and their staff.”