Ecosurety Exploration Fund
Overview
The Fund is open to:
- Limited companies
- Charities
- Academic bodies and institutions
- Community Interest Companies
- Public sector organisations
- Social enterprises as defined: “Organisations that have a clear charitable mission, that can demonstrate the positive difference they are trying to make and which reinvest profits to further their social mission, and/or which, in a ‘wind-up’ situation, pass remaining assets on to another non-profit social enterprise that has a charitable purpose.”
Successful projects must:
1. Reduce the environmental impact of packaging, batteries or EEE through innovation or research
They are interested in ideas that could go on to have a bigger impact beyond the funded project and the idea could reduce the environmental impact across any part of the life cycle - from design, production, use or collection through to reduction, reuse or recycling.
Innovation could include an innovative awareness campaign, technology, initiative, process, trial or material, for example.
Research could include academic or industry research into improving existing systems, processes, infrastructure, technology, consumer behaviour or material use, for example.
Common problems to solve for packaging could include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing collection rates and/or reducing contamination rates of waste packaging
- Improving reduction and reuse
- Providing innovative solutions for unrecyclable or hard to recycle materials
Common problems to solve for e-waste could include, but are not limited to:
- Identifying and effectively treating WEEE containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
- Improving collection rates of household WEEE
- Reducing consumer confusion over WEEE recycling
- Improving responsible reuse and repair
Common problems to solve for batteries could include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing collection rates of household waste batteries
- Improving consumer awareness of battery recycling
- Improving UK recycling of waste batteries
2. Have a measurable impact
It is essential that you are able to measure and report on the impact of your project. Ecosurety appreciate that innovation and research do not always result in a 100% success rate, but it is important that this is transparently reported on both during and after the project.
3. Be completed within 12 months of receiving the funding
Funds will be released in December 2021 and the project should be completed by the end of 2022.
4. Require up to £150,000
It is expected that the maximum amount requested for any single project to be £150,000. However, there is no minimum.
For example, they are equally interested in projects with a £10,000 budget; all submissions will be carefully considered.
Assessing the potential impact vs project budget will be a key consideration by the judging panel.
5. If required, have already secured any additional funding the project requires
They proactively encourage collaboration. If your project requires additional funding it must be secured to ensure that your project can proceed.
6. Be unique
They are especially interested in new ideas and approaches that have not been tried before to help solve existing problems.
7. Be UK based
Applicants, those leading the project and the project itself must be based in the UK. The fund is open to UK registered: limited companies, charities, academic bodies and institutions, community interest companies, public sector organisations and social enterprises.