Clean heat includes:
- Energy efficiency
- Clean heat equipment and delivery systems (such as heat pumps and heat networks and their components)
- Supportive solutions (such as energy storage)
- Enabling solutions (such as digital and smart controls)
- Sources of fossil fuel free energy (such as mine water geothermal energy and waste heat)
As part of this service, businesses will receive strategic workforce development support from a specialist in SE’s Workplace Innovation Team.
Strategic workforce development for the clean heat sector can cover areas such as:
- Technical training, including training relating to:
- the manufacturing of clean heat equipment and related components and enabling solutions (for example, thermal storage)
- energy efficiency products
- heat pump installations
- the commissioning of heat networks or equipment for heat networks
- Training in enabling technology, such as:
- CAD design
- automation
- 3D printing
- electrical and mechanical engineering
- working with different types of materials
- data and digital
- Communication, social media, professional selling, and marketing
- Leadership and management development, change management, customer relationship management, Lean Six Sigma, and project management.
This fund is for:
- Companies that are interested in receiving support to strategically develop their workforce in order to diversify or grow competitively in the rapidly expanding clean heat market
- Companies across the clean heat value chain, including those that design, develop, manufacture, operate, or install clean heat related solutions
Along with workplace innovation support, this fund provides financial support to help businesses develop their:
- Workforce capability and culture
- Workplace practices
- Leadership and management
The grants can be used to cover third party training or consultancy costs, as well as provide some support toward internal training costs.
SE can provide grants from £5,000 to a maximum £50,000.
The grants are intended to cover up to 50% of eligible project costs. For example, a project with eligible costs of £20,000 could receive £10,000 in grant support.
All projects need to be delivered by the end of March 2025, with final claims submitted by the end of April 2025.
All grants will be subject to SE’s grants and appraisal processes.
To be eligible, companies must:
- Be registered or trading in Scotland
- Have between 10 and 250 employees
- Be located in the Scottish Enterprise area, which covers all parts of Scotland except the Highlands and Islands, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders
- Be committed to Fair Work practices
Applicants will be asked to provide information that enables SE to check whether they can receive support.
For example, they could be asked to provide details of any other funding they've received as minimal financial assistance (de minimis) during the current and past two financial years. This information will help SE determine whether it can offer a grant without it exceeding A business’s relevant allowance threshold for this timeframe.
If successful, they'll also need to show they have a credible plan to reduce their operational greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045.