In the Know…
England – Ban on Microbeads
Following on from the consultation earlier in the year Defra has now introduced draft legislation to ban the use of microbeads harmful to the environment from cosmetics. They plan to ban their use in manufacturing from 1st January 2018 and their use from sale in products 30th June 2018. The draft legislation is available to view and comment until 15th October, and can be found here;
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England and Wales – Annual Classification Review
The annual review of classifications for shellfish harvesting areas in England and Wales for the period of 1st September 2017 to 31st August 2018 has been produced. If you would like a copy of this email s_horsfall@seafish.co.uk
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England – EA Charges for Advice
The Environment Agency has announced its intention to charge for advice related to marine licensing. It will charge £100 / hour although seeking advice from EA is voluntary.
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Largest 300 UK Foundations Awarded £2.9 Billion in Funding
According to the ‘Foundation Giving Trends 2017’, grant making by the top 300 foundations reached a record high for the second year, totalling £2.9 billion. This reflected growth of 12%. The link to the report:
http://www.acf.org.uk/downloads/publications/ACF135_Foundation_Giving_Trends_2017_SP_FINAL.pdf
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Bazalgette Review Published to Ensure Continued Success of UK’s Creative Industries
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published the Independent Review of the Creative Industries, outlining key recommendations for how the Creative Industries can underpin the UK’s future economic growth.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-creative-industries
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2018 Creative Europe Support for TV Programming of European Audiovisual Works Call Open
The Creative Europe MEDIA Sub-programme provides support for the development of European audiovisual works, in particular films and television works such as fiction, documentaries, children’s and animated films, as well as interactive works such as videogames and multimedia with enhanced cross-border circulation potential.
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/media/television-programming_en
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£13 Million Woodland Creation Grant for England – 2018 Documents Available Now
The Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation Grant is a standalone capital scheme offering funding to farmers and other land managers in England to plant and protect young trees. The grant provides a one-off payment towards the cost of supplying and planting trees and the associated items needed to create new woodland. This is undertaken through a two-year works programme.
The maximum available grant per hectare for a given woodland creation application is £6,800 for capital items, covering both planting and protection. This cap will be calculated as an average across the area of the application. Subject to eligibility, a supporting maintenance grant of £200 per hectare for 10 years may also be available.
The Forestry Commission has made the guidance for the 2018 round available ahead of the scheme’s upcoming launch date in order to allow applicants more time to plan their applications. The manual, application forms, and ‘how-to’ guide are all available now on the Woodland Support pages of GOV.UK and applicants are encouraged to begin building their applications this autumn.
The application submission window for Woodland Creation 2018 opens on 2 January 2018 and closed on 16 February 2018.
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European Research Council 2018 Proof of Concept Call Open
Part of the Horizon 2020 Excellent Science programme, European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept Grants aim to maximise the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.
https://erc.europa.eu/funding/proof-concept
The application deadlines are 16 January 2018, 18 April 2018 and 11 September 2018.
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The RDPE Growth Programme provides funding for projects in England which create jobs and growth in the rural economy. Under the RDPE Growth Programme, there are currently calls for projects open for: business development, food processing and rural tourism infrastructure.
For the first time under the current scheme specific funding will be available to support new rural broadband projects, and provide significant amounts of funding to on-farm businesses to invest in new infrastructure such as new buildings and machinery.
For organisations based in Torbay the food processing stream may be of particular interest.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rdpe-growth-programme
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Government Establishes Green Finance Taskforce
The Government has announced a new taskforce, comprised of senior financial experts, with the aim of driving forward the growth of ‘green finance’ in UK industry. The Government believes that the transition to a low carbon economy offers a multi-billion pound investment opportunity which will create high-value jobs and international trading opportunities. It is anticipated that the new taskforce will enhance the country’s global leadership in this area.
Green finance includes private sector investments in technologies, infrastructure and innovative start-ups, and allows businesses to expand, boosting economic growth while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-launches-plan-to-accelerate-growth-of-green-finance
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Small Business Grants Competition Invites UK Applications for October Round
Small Business Grants Initiative has been established to give promising new businesses the opportunity to receive a cash prize to help them become established and grow their operations into successful enterprises.
Every month, one business deemed by a panel of independent judges to be the most deserving will benefit from a package including a financial grant, as well as being featured on the Small Business Grants website as a monthly winner. http://smallbusiness.co.uk/