Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund

Date published: 10 February, 2023

The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund has two aims.

Knowledge Transfer Component:

The first is to promote skills development and knowledge transfer in the primary agricultural sector.

This will be achieved through providing funding to organisations to deliver vocational training, coaching, workshops, courses and farm visits designed to develop skills and transfer knowledge.

Innovation Component:

The second aim is to deliver innovation on-the-ground improvements in agricultural competitiveness, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability.

This will be achieved through meeting 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, NGOs, advisers and businesses working on the ground.

These operational groups are expected to generate new insights and innovative ideas, as well as mobilising existing knowledge into practical solutions.

If you have any queries or questions please contact the team who manage the scheme direct. Details can be found below in the Contact section.

Further information about operational groups and collaboration can be found on the Scottish Rural Network website.

Scottish Rural Network

KTIF - New Funding Window - February 2023

  • Applicants are welcome to submit a short inception note (one side of A4) to KTIF@gov.scot to get informal feedback on the proposal from Friday, 10 February 2023 (midnight).
  • Final applications, costings and communications plans should be submitted no later than Friday, 10 March 2023 (midnight). All of which should be emailed to KTIF@gov.scot.
  • The Project Assessment Committee (PAC) will meet to consider all final applications, which is provisionally planned, on Wednesday, 29 March 2023.
  • The KTIF secretariat will inform applicants the outcome of the PAC, and next steps, which is provisionally planned, by Friday, 14 April 2023.

Please note the latest guidance to be followed when applying:

Additional Requirements and Information for Applicants

  • Funding for projects will be capped at £200K (Knowledge Transfer 75% funded projects).
    All projects must be completed by 31 March 2024.
  • Applications from both Knowledge Transfer projects (eligible for 75% funding under KTIF) and Innovation projects (eligible for 100% funding under KTIF) are being accepted.
  • All projects must complete and submit: an application form (KTIF 2 -2022), an application costing form (KTIF 5 – 2022) and submit a communications plan (including linkage of project dissemination with the Farm Advisory Service and the Scottish Rural Network).
  • Forms and scheme guidance can be found on this website.
Funding window focus

We will be accepting applications under any of the 5 KTIF objectives, but may prioritise climate change and biodiversity imperatives. The objectives are:

1. Enhancing competitiveness and enhancing viability in agriculture;

2. Restoring, preserving and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystems dependant on agriculture;

3. Improving water and/or soil management;

4. Pollution prevention and control;

5. Promoting resource efficiency and supporting a shift towards a low carbon and climate resilient economy in agriculture.

Knowledge Transfer projects can take the form of:

  • Specific training courses, workshops and coaching.
  • Demonstration activities that can take place on a farm, croft or forest or by virtual means.
  • Information action activities to disseminate information concerning agriculture, crofting and forestry. These actions can take the form of exhibitions, meetings, presentations or can be information in printed and electronic media.
  • Farm, croft and forest visits to learn about specific ways of doing things that may be of benefit to others.
  • Measures that aim to introduce innovative approaches and result in improvements to efficiency, effectiveness and/or environmental performance.

Innovation projects can take the form of:

  • Agricultural/forestry demonstration/benchmarking and similar types of projects (for example, Monitor Farms).
  • All innovation projects must form an Operational Group. Farmers, crofters and land managers are at the heart of this scheme.
  • Experimental and/or pilot projects that aim to introduce new and/or innovative approaches in agricultural/forestry practice.
  • Pilot a solution to deal with a particular issue.
  • Try something new to take advantage of a specific innovation opportunity.
Some examples of leading eligible bodies are:
  • An agricultural levy body;
  • An enterprise company; and
  • A non-profit organisation.

The remit for the Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund (KTIF) Project Assessment Committee (PAC) is:

a) to consider and determine applications for assistance under KTIF, including the level of grant and any conditions to be imposed; and

b) to monitor operation of the Scheme and consider any adjustments needed to achieve its objectives more effectively.

Full scheme guidance

Full guidance

In advance, you may wish to submit a short inception note which can be found on the KTIF form page.

  • Application form: Proposal Template – 2022

The following forms for this scheme can be found on the KTIF form page.

  • Application form: KTIF 2 – 2022
  • Additional information form: KTIF 2 – 2022(a)
  • Claim form: KTIF 3 - 2022
  • Request for change form: KTIF 4 – 2022
  • Application costing form: KTIF 5 – 2022

Forms page