Tree Production Innovation Fund 2023

The Tree Production Innovation Fund (TPIF) is looking to support projects with outputs that will better equip nurseries to supply the trees required for tree planting of all kinds as outlined in the England Trees Action Plan (including woodland creation, planting of trees outside of woods, urban planting, and agro-forestry).

The TPIF has been designed to encourage the development and adoption of new technologies and ways of working that will enhance the quantity and quality of tree planting stock available for planting in England, and to ensure genetically diverse material from a wide range of species and provenances is available. This will ensure that we are able to support the England Trees Action Plan (ETAP) ambitions to plant treescapes that are resilient to stresses including climate change and pests and diseases.

The Tree Production Innovation Fund 2023 is now open for applications. Applicants will be able to submit proposals spanning up to two financial years. Projects can be valued at up to £200K per year and must address one or more of the following challenges identified through stakeholder engagement as barriers to tree production:

Challenge 1: How can we make better use of available seed and vegetative planting material to maximise the quantity, quality and diversity of trees produced?

Challenge 2: How can we develop growing systems to enhance their efficiency and resilience to change, whilst delivering improved quality and diversity of product? This challenge can include activities to promote biosecurity.

Challenge 3: How can innovative environmentally sustainable weed control solutions be used to reduce reliance on herbicides?

(Visit the link below for further details of each individual challenge.)

What funding is available

An additional £2 million in capital grant funding will be made available through the TPIF to support innovation projects. Proposals, whether single or multi-year, must have a minimum total cost of £20K to be eligible for funding under the TPIF. Projects may be valued at up to £200K in any given financial year.

Eligibility

The TPIF is open to a wide range of applicants from the private sector and we would welcome applications from consortia and new entrants to the sector.

The following groups are identified as likely potential applicants to the fund:

• private sector nurseries, organisations, and seed suppliers
• public bodies partnered with private sector third party organisations
• research institutes
• universities and colleges
• horticultural and agricultural growers
• private sector research and technology suppliers

Public bodies are required to partner with private sector third party organisations to be eligible for funding. Forestry England (FE) and Forest Research (FR) are not eligible for grant funding under the TPIF but may be subcontracted on behalf of eligible organisations to complete TPIF related work packages.

To be eligible for funding:

• the proposal must demonstrate how the project will contribute to enhancing quantity, quality and/or diversity of trees produced for planting in England by meeting one of the challenges above
• the lead partner in the work to be funded (i.e. the lead applicant) must be a UK based business, sole trader or organisation
• the intended outcomes should be applicable to tree production in England (but not necessarily exclusively so).
• the project proposal shall be relevant to species with forestry potential (but not necessarily exclusively so)
• the work to be funded must not have commenced
• the project must be limited to pre-commercial activity

All eligibility criteria are fully described in the TPIF Application Form.

The Forestry Commission will be hosting a “TPIF – How to Apply” webinar event at 2pm on Friday 31 March. During this session, applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the TPIF application and evaluation processes. If you would like to attend the TPIF: How to Apply webinar, please register.

The deadline for applications is 23:55 on Tuesday 9 May 2023.

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Our team is available to support your business in implementing SLA's - get in touch with one of our consultants.

phone: 0116 223 5887 or email: info@rdsconsultants.co.uk

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