

The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS) is now open for a second round of Expressions of Interest.
The delivery timeline of the second round of FIRNS is shown below.
- Announcement and opening of expressions of interest phase: 2 October 2023
- Deadline for Expressions of Interest to be submitted: noon 3 November 2023
- Application form available: 1 December 2023
- Applications window will be closed by: noon 26 January 2024
- Announcement of successful applications by: early April 2024
You can find a series of seminars and workshops hosted by NatureScot, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Green Finance institute to understand the different stages of the investment-readiness project development pathway. Additional workshops to support potential applicants are planned for this current round.
We expect the second round of FIRNS to be highly competitive and we would strongly recommend that you submit an Expression of Interest significantly in advance of the deadline at noon 3 November 2023, so you have time to consider our feedback before progressing to an application.
Please note if you currently have a Development Phase grant through FIRNS you do not need to submit an Expression of Interest for a follow-on Market and Investment Readiness project, but you must discuss your intention to apply with your Funding Officer.
We aim to respond to Expressions of Interest within 20 working days, however depending on demand this may take longer. We aim to respond to your EOI no later than Friday 1 December 2023.
Questions
If you have any questions on the application process or the fund or would like to be added to our mailing list, please email [email protected] in the first instance.
FIRNS Expression of Interest Form - Please complete this form and submit it to [email protected].
FIRNS - Documents
- Fair Work First - guidance for funding applicants
- Fair Work First - employer declaration form - to be completed by funding recipients to provide evidence of complying with the Fair Work First Policy. Completed declarations and related evidence should be sent to your NatureScot Funding Officer or [email protected] prior to any Funding Offer being issued.
- Financial Information and Records Guidance
- NatureScot Standard Terms and Conditions of Funding - you need to read and accept these conditions when you apply.
- Funding Privacy Notice - outlines how our use of personal data complies with data protection law.
- How to Acknowledge our support for your project