Nominations open for ?Healthy Planet, Healthy People?: Catalyst Award (UK)

The Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Awards support community-led research projects in Scotland that develop practical solutions linking health, climate, nature, and food. Successful applicants can receive up to £5,000 for demonstrator or pilot-scale research projects lasting up to 12 months, with funding available to Scottish individuals, community groups, charities, institutions, and other eligible organisations.

What Are the Healthy Planet, Healthy People Catalyst Awards?

The Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Awards are designed to support community-led research that develops practical responses to environmental and health-related challenges.

The programme connects individual and community health with the condition of the environment. It supports research that can contribute to:

Healthier environments.
More resilient communities.
Equitable access to nutritious food.
Biodiversity protection.
Healthier local food environments.
Better nutrition for vulnerable populations.
Practical responses to climate and nature-related challenges.

Projects must have an impact in Scotland, although their findings and solutions may be applicable to other communities in the UK or internationally.

What Does “Community-Led Research” Mean?

For these awards, research is not limited to traditional academic research.

Research can involve either:

Creating new knowledge, or
Applying existing knowledge to develop a practical solution to a defined challenge.

The programme is intended to support demonstrator and pilot-scale projects that can test ideas, generate evidence, or develop practical approaches that communities can use.

Academic researchers may apply, but their proposed research must have a clear community-led focus.

What Topics Are Supported?

Projects must focus on one or more of three core themes.

Climate

Projects can explore how climate-related challenges affect health, communities, or local environments and develop practical responses.

Nature

Projects may address biodiversity loss, environmental resilience, healthy ecosystems, or the relationship between nature and human wellbeing.

For example, projects could develop long-term community plans to respond to local biodiversity loss.

Food

Projects can examine food environments, nutrition, food access, and healthy eating.

Potential areas include:

Improving local food environments.
Increasing access to nutritious food.
Improving nutrition among vulnerable populations.
Supporting healthier eating behaviours.
Addressing food-related inequalities.

What Approaches Are Encouraged?

Applicants are encouraged to use one of three broad approaches.

People-Centred Approach

This approach focuses on neglected or underrepresented voices.

Applicants identify communities or groups whose experiences are not adequately represented and develop research around their needs and perspectives.

Problem-Solving Approach

This approach uses data collection and analysis to understand a specific challenge and identify evidence-based solutions.

Practice-Oriented Approach

This approach focuses on developing and testing new practical solutions to established problems.

Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed research can move from knowledge or evidence toward practical community action.

Why Does the Programme Matter?

The Catalyst Awards recognise that environmental conditions and human health are closely connected.

Community-led research can help identify solutions that are more responsive to local circumstances because communities participate directly in defining problems and developing responses.

The programme can help communities:

Generate locally relevant evidence.
Test innovative ideas.
Address environmental health inequalities.
Improve access to healthy food.
Strengthen community resilience.
Protect local biodiversity.
Develop practical climate responses.
Create solutions that could potentially be adapted elsewhere.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Successful applicants can receive up to £5,000.

The funding is intended to cover eligible costs associated with a clearly defined research project.

Projects can run for a maximum of 12 months.

There is no specified minimum project duration, allowing applicants to propose projects appropriate to their research objectives and scale.

Who Is Eligible?

The programme is open to individuals and groups that can demonstrate the capacity to lead and deliver the proposed research.

The lead applicant must be based in Scotland.

Eligible incorporated organisations can include:

Charitable trusts.
Registered charities.
Educational institutions.
Research institutions.
Cultural institutions.
Community Interest Companies (CICs).
Social enterprises.
Cooperative societies.
Local authorities.
Community benefit societies.
Voluntary or community groups.
Non-profit companies limited by guarantee.

Academics can apply where the proposed project demonstrates genuine community leadership.

Can Unincorporated Groups Apply?

Yes.

Unincorporated community groups can apply, but they must have a sponsor organisation that can hold the grant funds on their behalf.

This allows grassroots groups without their own incorporated structure to participate while maintaining appropriate financial accountability.

Can Organisations Apply as a Consortium?

Yes.

Consortium applications are permitted and can involve Scottish, UK, or international partners.

Potential partners include:

Higher Education Institutions.
Research institutions.
Practitioners.
Small and medium-sized enterprises.
Policymakers.
Further education institutions.
Cultural institutions.

However, the lead applicant must be based in Scotland.

What Projects Could Be Suitable?

The awards are designed for focused, pilot-scale research rather than large-scale programmes.

Potential examples include:

A community research project identifying barriers to healthy food access.
A pilot examining nutrition among older residents.
A community-led biodiversity action plan.
Research into how climate risks affect a particular local community.
A project testing a practical intervention to improve a local food environment.
Community research identifying neglected perspectives on environmental health.
A pilot applying existing research to address a local climate or nature challenge.

The project should have a clear research question, defined community involvement, practical objectives, and achievable outcomes.

How to Apply

Step 1: Identify a Specific Challenge

Start with a clearly defined local issue related to climate, nature, or food.

Explain why the issue matters to the community and how it affects health, wellbeing, environmental resilience, or equity.

Step 2: Define the Research Question

Clearly state what the project will investigate, develop, or test.

The research should either create new knowledge or apply existing knowledge to develop a practical solution.

Step 3: Involve the Community

Explain how community members will participate in:

Identifying the problem.
Designing the research.
Collecting information.
Interpreting findings.
Developing solutions.
Applying the results.

Community involvement should be central to the project rather than an afterthought.

Step 4: Choose an Appropriate Approach

Identify whether the project primarily uses:

A people-centred approach.
A problem-solving approach.
A practice-oriented approach.

Explain why the chosen approach is appropriate for the identified challenge.

Step 5: Develop a Pilot-Scale Project

Keep the project focused and achievable within the funding limit and maximum 12-month timeframe.

Define:

Activities.
Research methods.
Participants.
Expected outputs.
Expected outcomes.
Project timeline.

Step 6: Prepare the Budget

Ensure the requested amount is appropriate for the project and does not exceed the £5,000 maximum award.

Costs should be directly connected to the defined research activities and eligible under the programme’s funding requirements.

Step 7: Demonstrate Scottish Impact

Clearly explain how the project will benefit a community in Scotland.

If the findings could be transferable internationally, explain how the research could potentially be adapted to other communities.

Tips for a Strong Application

Applicants should:

Clearly define the community problem.
Connect the project to climate, nature, or food.
Demonstrate genuine community leadership.
Explain how research will lead to practical action.
Use an appropriate and realistic methodology.
Keep the project focused at demonstrator or pilot scale.
Define measurable outputs and outcomes.
Explain who will benefit.
Demonstrate the team’s ability to deliver the project.
Show how findings could inform future action or research.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

Proposing a project without a clear research component.
Presenting a purely academic project without community leadership.
Failing to demonstrate an impact in Scotland.
Addressing too many unrelated issues within a small pilot project.
Proposing a project that is too large for the £5,000 funding limit.
Failing to explain how communities will participate.
Providing vague research questions or outcomes.
Treating community consultation as the only form of community involvement.
Failing to identify how the findings will translate into practical solutions.

Key Details at a Glance

Programme: Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Awards
Location: Scotland
Purpose: Community-led research and practical solutions
Maximum funding: £5,000
Maximum project duration: 12 months
Minimum duration: No minimum specified
Project type: Demonstrator or pilot-scale research
Core themes: Climate, Nature, Food
Lead applicant location: Scotland
Eligible applicants: Individuals, community groups, charities, educational and research institutions, social enterprises, local authorities, and other eligible organisations
Unincorporated groups: Eligible with a sponsor organisation
Consortium applications: Permitted
Academic applicants: Eligible when research is community-led
Geographic impact: Projects must have an impact in Scotland

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Healthy Planet, Healthy People Catalyst Awards?

They are grants supporting community-led research in Scotland that develops practical solutions related to health, environmental resilience, climate, nature, and food.

How much funding can applicants receive?

Applicants can receive up to £5,000 to cover eligible costs associated with a defined research project.

How long can a funded project last?

Projects can last for a maximum of 12 months. There is no stated minimum project duration.

What topics does the programme support?

Projects should focus on one or more of three core themes: Climate, Nature, or Food.

Can academics apply?

Yes. Academic researchers are eligible provided that their proposed research is genuinely community-led and meets the programme’s other eligibility requirements.

Can an unincorporated community group apply?

Yes. An unincorporated community group can apply if it has a sponsor organisation to hold the grant funds on its behalf.

Can international organisations participate?

Yes, international organisations and institutions can participate as consortium partners. However, the lead applicant must be based in Scotland, and the project must have an impact in Scotland.

Conclusion

The Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Awards offer small-scale funding for communities and researchers in Scotland to investigate environmental and health challenges and turn knowledge into practical solutions. With grants of up to £5,000, the programme is particularly suited to focused pilot projects addressing climate, nature, food, biodiversity, nutrition, environmental health, and community resilience.

A strong application should clearly demonstrate community leadership, a defined research challenge, practical outcomes, Scottish impact, and a realistic pilot design that can generate useful evidence or solutions within the 12-month funding period.