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Invitation to apply

Find out if you are eligible to apply for the Temporary Infrastructure Forestry Innovation Fund.

About the Innovation Fund

The aim of Woods into Management (WiM), as part of governments Nature for Climate Fund, is to encourage and broaden innovation in forestry that results in improved ecological condition of existing woodlands.

Lack of vehicular access is often a constraint on operations designed to improve the condition of neglected, under managed or degraded woodland. The installation of permanent vehicular access infrastructure, for which existing grant aid may be available, is frequently prohibitively uneconomic, considering the volumes of timber likely to be mobilised, or inappropriate for crossing non-woodland areas. It has been suggested that the development of novel techniques or temporary roading systems suitable for woodland situations, materials and machinery may be needed. Several temporary roading systems have been developed for military and civilian application but it is not clear how these perform in woodland settings.

To help address this perceived need, the Forestry Commission (FC) is launching an Innovation Fund to which applications are invited. Through the fund, the FC is looking to support projects exploring innovative means by which to access undermanaged woodland.

We are seeking project proposals to develop and use equipment and business models focused on improving or maintaining the environmental condition of woodlands, including:

• neglected plantations on ancient woodland sites
• woodland SSSI
• neglected or degraded ancient woodland
• neglected or degraded native woodland
• neglected or degraded farm woodland
• riparian woodland
• woodlands suffering from pests and diseases including Ips typographus, Phytophthora ramorum and Hymenoscyphus fraxineus

Applicants are invited to submit single year projects due to complete by March 2024, or two-year proposals scheduled to complete no later than March 2025. Proposals can be costed at up to a maximum of 100K per year.

We are particularly interested in projects that develop collaborative working amongst forestry businesses, conservation bodies and private woodland owners. We welcome projects that will develop, purchase, or hire equipment that will minimise damage to woodland soils and damage to land adjoining woodlands during habitat management operations. Such equipment includes, but is not limited to, transportable, reusable, roading, transportable bridges to facilitate access across water courses and log chutes for use on steep terrain. We will consider projects that seek to develop and improve existing, commercially available products that may facilitate habitat improvement with some modification. We are keen to hear how applicants will maintain and clean transportable infrastructure to minimise risk of moving pests and pathogens from site to site.

Eligible Innovation Fund projects could range from appraisal of existing systems in woodland situations to completely innovative approaches. They may also include novel approaches by which woodland owners may gain access to such suitable infrastructure. Projects may incorporate an element of original research but must include some practical application.

What funding is available?

In 2023, up to 1.7million will be made available through the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds to support innovative project work. Proposals, whether single or multi-year, must have a minimum total cost of 20K to be eligible for funding. Projects may be costed at up to a maximum of 100K in any given financial year.

Eligible costs that may be claimed will include:

• personnel cost related to researchers, and other supporting staff to the extent employed on the project
• costs of equipment for the period of the project. Where such equipment is not used for their full life only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the project shall be eligible
• costs of contractual research, knowledge and patents bought or licensed from outside sources at arms-length conditions, as well as costs of consultancy and equivalent services used exclusively for the project
• operating expenses, including costs of materials, supplies and similar products, incurred directly as a result of the project
• travel and subsistence essential to the delivery of WiMFIF grant activities, carried out in the most economically and sustainable way possible.

The following expenditure is ineligible:

• costs or overheads such as rent, and utilities apportioned to those staff directly or indirectly employed on the project.
• travel and subsistence expenses (including fuel and refreshments at meetings).
• costs incurred outside of the project delivery window.
• costs involved in preparing your application.

Is my project eligible?

Projects can be single year with output(s) that will be fully developed by 27 March 2024 or two-year proposals set to run for up to two financial years, ending 27 March 2025. Applicants submitting proposals spanning two financial years should state this on the application form and clearly outline the activities, milestones and outputs that will be delivered by the end of each financial year. Multi-year agreements will be subject to an annual performance monitoring review by the FC. Where applicants are failing to deliver against agreed outputs and objectives, or it becomes clear that avenues of research are no longer worth pursuing, multi-year agreements may be terminated at the discretion of the FC.

Work must address means by which temporary infrastructure can be used to gain access to and within woodlands in England to facilitate the mobilisation of wood and timber by modern vehicles.

To be eligible for funding the:

• work must be of direct relevance to means by which the timber resource of England may be mobilised and ecological condition of woodlands improved
• project must address temporary vehicular access infrastructure into and and/or within woodlands
• project must look at innovative approaches not currently used in forestry in England
• project must be limited to pre-commercial activity
• lead partner must be a UK based business, sole trader, organisation, or research organisation
• majority of any project work must be undertaken in England

All eligibility criteria are fully described in the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund Application Form.

How to apply

Complete the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund Application Form and accompanying finance spreadsheet. Guidance for applicants is available on the application form page to help you complete you application.

Applications must be submitted by 23.55 on 15 May 2023.

The Forestry Commission will be hosting a Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds How to Apply webinar event at 2pm on Monday 3 April. During this session, applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the Forestry Innovation Fund application and evaluation processes. If you would like to attend the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds How to Apply webinar, please register.

A single stage application process will be followed.

Applications must be written in English, (without alterations to layout or format). Send your completed application and accompanying finance spreadsheet to wimfif@forestrycommission.gov.uk. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

In the application form you will be asked to provide details about:

An application will contain details about:

• what the project aims to achieve and how it fits within the scope of the fund
• the approach you will take and where the focus of the innovation will be
• who is in the project team and what their roles are, including details of partner organisations
• the impact that the project might have outside of the project team
• how the project will be managed effectively
• the main risks for the project
• the impact that an injection of public funding would have on the project
• the cost of the project and how it represents value for money for the project team and for the taxpayer
• details of activities to be funded and outputs/outcome expected

All costs and financial detail

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