FOI/202500480512 Review of 202500477555 · FOI · partially withheld
Ecosystem Fund 2025 Award Recipients: FOI Review
Information requested
Original request 202500477555
Information on the recipients of the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund awarded in June 2025.
Response
I have now completed my review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for information on the recipients of the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund awarded in June 2025. I have concluded that a different decision should be substituted.
Firstly, I have reconsidered the withheld information and can now release information in the following categories to you :
- Local Authority Area - Brief Organisation Description - Consortium bid information (if applicable) - Business sector - Business practices - Project category
This information is attached in the enclosed Excel table, as per your request.
However, some of the information is still sensitive and cannot be released and I have concluded that a different exemption, 30(C) of FOISA (effective conduct of public affairs) should be applied to the information you requested in the following categories:
- Target beneficiaries - Approach to diversity and inclusion - Project overview / brief project summary - Expected outcomes / Impacts and outcomes - Delivery plan / delivery approach - Future plans (if applicable) - Experience and Capability (if applicable) - Budget breakdown and milestones
Section 30(c) – substantial prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs [in relation to SG processes such as internal audits, risk assessments, programme or project assurances, public appointments, etc.]
An exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to some of/ the information requested. Disclosing this information would substantially prejudice our ability to conduct future rounds of the Ecosystem Fund because sharing the information of successful applicants would prejudice our ability to score future applications fairly and would encourage formulaic applications rather than new innovative ideas. This would constitute substantial prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs in terms of the exemption. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government. However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the process of economic development through fair, competitive funding for projects to grow Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and ensuring that the Scottish Government is able conduct this aspect of its business effectively.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
However, some of the information is still sensitive and cannot be released and I have concluded that a different exemption, 30(C) of FOISA (effective conduct of public affairs) should be applied to the information you requested in the following categories: - Target beneficiaries - Approach to diversity and inclusion - Project overview / brief project summary - Expected outcomes / Impacts and outcomes - Delivery plan / delivery approach - Future plans (if applicable) - Experience and Capability (if applicable) - Budget breakdown and milestones Section 30(c) – substantial prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs [in relation to SG processes such as internal audits, risk assessments, programme or project assurances, public appointments, etc.] An exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to some of/ the information requested. This would constitute substantial prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs in terms of the exemption. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.