Research & Innovation Grants (Future Woodlands Scotland)

Research & Innovation Grants (Future Woodlands Scotland) is sponsored by Future Woodlands Scotland. These small grants fund original research, practical trials, and new ideas that accelerate native woodland recovery and sustainable forestry across Scotland. Projects should aim to inform better practice, share learning, and deliver long-term value for Scotland's woodlands.

Research & Innovation Grants | Future Woodlands Scotland Funding research and shared learning for Scotland’s native woodlands Scotland’s woodlands are vital in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises, but we still need better evidence, smarter approaches and broader collaboration. Through our Research & Innovation Grants, we’ve been funding research and new ideas since 2016, advancing woodland recovery and expansion.

In 2026 we are embarking on a wider research and engagement programme to boost collaboration between researchers and practitioners. More information to follow. Find out about projects that we have funded Grants of up to £10,000 available These small grants fund original research, practical trials and new ideas.

We’re looking for projects that inform better practice, share learning, and deliver long-term value for Scotland’s woodlands. Whilst we deepen our understanding of native woodlands, we are also open to projects that explore Continuous Cover Forestry and other regenerative silvicultural methods. Next application deadline is Sunday 4 April 2027 You’ll need to submit a written application.

To help you prepare, you can download the Application criteria and guidelines and an Offline application form in Word to draft your application. Application criteria and guidelines Making a difference since 2016 Since the programme began, we’ve awarded 39 grants, enabling over £1. 14m worth of projects across Scotland.

These projects have helped expand knowledge, test new approaches and strengthen woodland recovery across Scotland. Past research topics have included non-timber forest products, heritage, carbon, genetics, restoration, pathogens and threats, awareness raising, biodiversity monitoring, propagation and stewardship best practice.

We support projects that generate practical insights, test new approaches and share knowledge across the sector. Projects focused on a single site are welcome if the results can be shared and applied more widely.

We’re particularly interested in projects that: support people working in woodlands to solve practical problems or increase capacity improve our ability to better steward woodlands in the face of climate change and invasive species enhance productivity, biodiversity and resilience strengthen collaborative research and enaction on the ground build stakeholder consensus on issues support positive development of woodland and forestry policy improve monitoring and surveying to aid our understanding.

Research & Innovation Grants information Applying for a Research & Innovation Grant Who can apply? Any individual or organisation with the skills and capacity to undertake the proposed project. We may ask individuals to identify a ‘host’ organisation to manage the payment of the grant.

Partnership applications are encouraged. We welcome applications from: Private companies (we will want to see demonstrable, replicable benefits for the sector) Collaborations across these sectors How much can I apply for? Grants up to £10,000 are available.

Evidence of match funding (including in-kind or volunteer contributions) is encouraged but not essential. There is no upper limit to overall project cost. Start an application When can I apply?

The next application deadline is 4 April 2027 . You can submit an application for funding through our online portal. Applications can be submitted at any time.

Decisions are communicated within 4 weeks of the deadline date. What do we fund? We support a wide range of projects which might include academic research, events that promote the value of native woodland, or the trialling of innovative approaches to woodland management and enterprise.

Essentially any project which, in the view of the trustees, will benefit woodlands directly or increase understanding and appreciation of their value. The use of AI . We accept that some applicants may use AI in compiling their applications but emphasise caution that over-reliance on AI that can weaken applications.

We do not currently use AI when assessing funding applications. Does the work have to be in Scotland? There is no geographical limit for this activity but there must be clear benefits for the woodlands and forests of Scotland.

Who do I contact for help? If you have any questions about our Research and Innovation grant, please contact Ailsa Watson .

Latest research and innovation stories From beaver buffers to thorny farmland trials: six research and innovation projects funded to strengthen Scotland’s woodlands Listening to Nature | An enhanced survey technique to protect Scotland’s rich diversity New grants awarded for Scottish native woodlands research Exploring Research & Innovation Grants: Q&A with Ailsa, our Operations & Finance Manager Research and innovation projects Research and Innovation Grants Adaptive grazing & monitoring to assess recovery of ghost woodlands and Atlantic rainforest fragments This project will build and evidence a local “wilder grazing” service focused on recovering ghost woodlands and Atlantic rainforest fragments… Research and Innovation Grants Researching the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of deer fencing compared with alternative deer management approaches This project is a collaboration between three well-networked and experienced land managers and researchers: JLB Consulting (Dr Jessica Lynch Boucher),… Research and Innovation Grants Case-study based resources to inform and educate deer management practitioners The Common Ground Forum (CGF) is a cross-section of individuals and organisations connected to upland deer management in Scotland, who… Research and Innovation Grants Assessing 20 years of montane scrub restoration and the impact of reduced grazing on associated alpine flora Carrifran is a 650ha glen in the Southern Uplands, with an altitudinal range of 160m – 820m, managed by Borders… Research and Innovation Grants Investigating the effectiveness of ectomycorrhizal fungal inoculation of native Scottish trees in areas targeted for afforestation Native woodland creation projects frequently experience high levels of sapling mortality across both coniferous and broadleaf species.

Progress towards afforestation…  Perthshire & Inverness-shire Research and Innovation Grants Transforming forestry and agricultural waste into a vermiculture‑based, peat‑and coir-free substrate for resilient tree nurseries This project will develop and test peat-free growing media made from Scottish agricultural and forestry by-products processed through vermiculture.

The… Research and Innovation Grants Mountain birch in Scotland: genetics and recovery In support of a PhD project titled: Mountain birch in Scotland: genetics and recovery.

The project has been developed collaboratively… Research and Innovation Grants Understanding patterns, drivers and management of non-native plants in created broadleaf woodlands The aim of this University of Glasgow project is to quantify the extent of non-native plant invasion within the WrEN… Research and Innovation Grants Improving riparian buffer zones to encourage distribution of beavers Britain’s ambitious tree planting targets intersect with the expanding distribution of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), a key ecosystem engineer… Research and Innovation Grants Trial establishing native woodland directly from seed in grazed farmland without fencing This project will trial a novel, low-cost method for establishing native woodland directly from seed in grazed farmland or croft… Research and Innovation Grants Assessing RTK multispectral surveying to aid removal of INNS In 2023, the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust (IGHT) undertook a two year project to begin control of 20 hectares… Research and Innovation Grants Radical pruning to better merge conifers with broadleaves for the benefit of biodiversity E3 R&D have received funding previously, for a long-term high pruning and monitoring project on a 70 acre site, transforming… Research and Innovation Grants Developing a Native Strain of Chaga Rhyze is a workers’ cooperative in Edinburgh who have delivered a previously funded feasibility study into the social, ecological and… Research and Innovation Grants Trialling Approaches to Establish Native Ground Flora This grant will enable SCOTLAND: The Big Picture to demonstrate and communicate how to increase the cover of native woodland… Research and Innovation Grants Common Ground Forum Gathering 2025 Having contributed a grant towards the pre-cursor project to the Common Ground Forum (CGF) in 2022, we awarded a further… Research and Innovation Grants Riparian Woodland Demonstration Site Visits Loch Abar Mòr is a nature restoration partnership led by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, working at a regional scale to enable… Research and Innovation Grants Helping to lay the groundwork for Chaga cultivation in Scotland Rhyze is a workers’ cooperative in Edinburgh with an impressive track record of testing different models of community food growing… Research and Innovation Grants Transforming a Sitka plantation and demonstrating the effects on biodiversity outcomes E3 R&D have been working on a 70 acre site to transform the traditional model of plantation woodland into an… Research and Innovation Grants Can Native Woodland Regeneration in Scotland Mitigate Climate Change?

Dr. François-Xavier Joly is project leader of this University of Stirling project which is quantifying how native woodland regeneration (NWR)… Research and Innovation Grants Woodland Plant Introductions in Lowland Woodland Woodland creation often occurs on former agricultural land and the development of accompanying woodland flora is generally overlooked.

The likelihood… Research and Innovation Grants The Ecology and Genetics of Native Scottish Crab Apple Native Scottish Crab Apple is a Red data book species and this project, devised and undertaken by Rick Worrell, provided… Research and Innovation Grants Secondary Woodland Biodiversity Value While woodland creation and restoration are generally believed to enhance biodiversity, the slow rates of habitat succession and delayed species… Research and Innovation Grants Improving our Understanding and Management of Phoenix Trees This project investigated the occurrence and ecological significance of phoenix trees, trees that have blown over and continued to grow… Research and Innovation Grants Impacts of Native Woodland Creation on Mammals A grant was awarded to University of Stirling’s Biological and Environmental Sciences Department to research the biodiversity impacts of upland… Research and Innovation Grants Aspen Orchard Seed Stands Folowing on from their research into aspen flowering behaviours in 2018, we funded Coille Alba‘s project which sought to establish… Research and Innovation Grants This grant was awarded to Coille Alba for an Aspen Flowering study to explore the factors which affect the reproductive… Research and Innovation Grants Scotland’s Rainforest Film The grant supported Plantlife, in partnership with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, to commission and produce a website and impactful… Research and Innovation Grants Showcasing the Social and Economic Benefits Derived from Community Woodlands Community Woodlands Association were keen to showcase the social and economic benefits derived from community woodlands through four case studies… Research and Innovation Grants Scotland’s Forgotten Woodlands The project set out to map all Scottish woodland and tree toponyms across the Gàidhealtachd, which, co-ordinated with other evidence,… Research and Innovation Grants Propagating Mature Elm Survivors This scoping study by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was conducted to explore the development of a project to find… Research and Innovation Grants Physical and Chemical Analysis of Oak Tree Rings to Track Tree Growth and Carbon Cycling University of St Andrews Professor Rob Wilson‘s research proposal asks “With climate scenarios suggesting that the Scottish climate will become… Research and Innovation Grants Painting Scotland Yellow: Aspen Film and Event This grant went towards phase 2 of the Painting Scotland Yellow project: to produce a promotional film about aspen to… Research and Innovation Grants Natural Climate Solutions Awareness Programme The aim of the Native Woodland Discussion Group and Forest Policy Group’s Natural Climate Solutions awareness programme, was to clarify… Research and Innovation Grants Montane Scrub Restoration PhD A grant was awarded to Sarah H.

Watts at University of Stirling to support her PhD project researching montane scrub… Research and Innovation Grants Microsatellite Markers for Shining Guest Ant The University of York, along with the James Hutton Institute and Forest Research, aimed to develop the first microsatellite markers… Research and Innovation Grants Extracting DNA from the Air as Tool for Monitoring Birds The University of West of England and the Woodland Creation & Ecological Network (WrEN) were keen to test the hypothesis… Research and Innovation Grants Establishing Seed Stands for Wild Apple The objectives for this partnership between Rick Worrell and Falkland Stewardship Trust, was to collect scion material from wild apple… Research and Innovation Grants Ecochar Carbon Removal Solution Ecochar offers a novel biochar-based carbon removal solution with outstanding biodiversity co-benefits: the removal of widespread and highly invasive rhododendron… Research and Innovation Grants Woodland Management Planning as Co-Custodians The Kilsture Forest Community Group were keen to develop their role as co-custodians of the forest through a Citizen Science project,… Research and Innovation Grants Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Short Film The Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Project commissioned this film as part of their work for the ‘Pinewoods – A realistic future’… Research and Innovation Grants We funded Carbon Rewild to test the suitability of bioacoustics to carry out simple and accessible biodiversity monitoring surveys that… Research and Innovation Grants Shetland’s Relict Willows The Shetland Amenity Trust gathered genetic data on Shetland’s native willow to develop conservation actions required for relict trees.

The… Research and Innovation Grants Ancient Slope Alder Wood Pasture Study Borders Forest Trust undertook an integrated study to allow for the sensitive ecological restoration and expansion of a rare surviving… Research and Innovation Grants Civic Mediation for Sustainable Deer Management We awarded a grant to Plantlife who convened a multi-stakeholder civic mediation project: Finding the Common Ground on Sustainable Upland… Research and Innovation Grants Identifying a Control Agent for Dothistroma Needle Blight The Caledonian Pinewoods in the Highlands of Scotland are unique in the UK; home to some of the UK’s rarest… Get in touch with Ailsa Watson to chat through your idea.

You can play a role in protecting, creating and restoring Scotland’s woodlands Become a Business Partner