Current status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its current commitment is in relation to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal; with specific regard to rural innovation and skills, whether it remains committed to the allocation of £7 million to local authorities, and whether it would support the allocation of this funding to regional colleges to ensure the future development and delivery of rural and land-based skills.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering up to £85 million to support a range of projects across the south through the BorderlandsInclusive Growth Deal.
On rural innovation this includes £2.5 million towards six pilot projects which will harness the region’s natural capital to support economic growth and £4 million towards a dairy innovation centre at SRUC’s Barony campus in Dumfries. The Dairy Nexus will deliver state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure to support innovation in biorefinery and milk technology, and the UK’s first ‘digital twin’ of a dairy farm.
The Scottish Government has also committed £7 million through the Deal to develop the skills needed by the South of Scotland economy. We have encouraged the partners to work with the South of Scotland Education and Skills Strategic Coordination Group, a sub group of the South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership, to develop proposals to utilise the skills funding focused on the needs of the region’s economy. The colleges are represented on that group alongside other relevant stakeholders.
We are currently awaiting proposals from the Borderlands Partnership for the skills element of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal funding.