Welsh marine and fisheries scheme: General funding round window 3

If you are using this scheme to provide awards of subsidy, you must inform the Subsidy Control Unit – email: scu@gov.wales.

All-Wales

Welsh Marine and Fisheries Scheme: General Funding Round Window 3

The Marine, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Financial Assistance) Scheme (Wales) Regulations 2022 creates and sets the terms for the WMFS. These regulations are made under Paragraph 2 of Schedule 6 of the Fisheries Act 2020.

The strategic aims and objectives of the Welsh Marine and Fisheries Scheme: General funding round window 3 are to support projects that:

• contribute to Wales having a marine environment which is resilient and sustainable against the effects of climate change.
• contribute to Wales having the science and evidence to inform future decisions in the Welsh marine, fisheries and aquaculture sector from species data to co-existence of marine sectors.
• contribute to Wales having a biodiverse marine environment and a thriving, sustainable ecosystem.
• contribute to a sustainable, profitable and diverse Welsh seafood sector which has a strong domestic market coupled with an expanding worldwide market.

The Welsh Marine and Fisheries Scheme (WMFS) is a funding scheme to support environmentally and economically sustainable growth in the Welsh seafood industry and encourage Welsh coastal communities to thrive. The scheme delivers grants via funding rounds.

The scheme’s overarching policy details a core list of 18 funding activities which can be used individually or combined to form the basis for a funding round to address specific priorities within the sector.

Welsh Government

You are eligible to apply if you are either:

• A Welsh-based marine, seafood or aquaculture enterprise/business/organisation which is either:
  • SME-Micro-entity
  • SME-non Micro-entity
  • Non-SME
  • Organisations or collectives of acting in a collective manner for the benefit of multiple enterprises or a sector.

Or

A Welsh-based Public Sector Body which includes:

• Public Law Bodies
• Academia
• Non-departmental government bodies
• a third sector body- non-charity
• charity

Or

A non-Welsh UK based Public Sector Body and the project benefits Wales significantly and directly.

(Public sector body includes):

• Public Law Bodies
• Academia
• Non-departmental government bodies
• a third sector body- non-charity
• charity

Please see General Funding round (Welsh Marine and Fisheries Scheme) guidance online for more detail.

• Administrative and support service activities
• Professional, scientific and technical activities

From 07 January 2026 to 31 March 2027.

£1,850,000

Direct grants

Please note that the WMFS: General funding round window 3 covers a wide range of 11 categories with a total of 36 sub-categories, some sub-categories have further eligibility restrictions.

There are 11 categories covering a total of 36 sub-categories to which an applicant may apply against. Each sub-category has further specific eligibility restrictions to the overall eligibility.

The 11 categories are:

1. Innovation
2. Advisory services
3. Promotion of human capital and networking
4. Health, safety and wellbeing
5. Fishing ports, landing sites and shelters
6. Increasing the potential of aquaculture sites
7. Marketing measures
8. Processing of fishery and aquaculture produce to add value and improve product quality
9. Limitation of the impact of seafood production on the marine environment, and adaptation of fishing to the protection of species
10. Protection, restoration and enhancement of marine biodiversity and ecosystems
11. Energy efficiency

There are a multiple intervention rates dependent on size and type of enterprise applying:

(Percentage shown is the maximum intervention rate, i.e. the percentage of funding that the applicant must provide)

• SME-Micro-entity 80%
• SME-non micro entity 50%
• Private (non-SME) 30%
• Collective interest or collective beneficiaries (e.g. Producer organisations or Fisherman's Associations), Public Sector organisations (including public law bodies) and Charities -100%

£100,000

For more information about applying for support under this scheme, please contact:

Telephone: 0300 0604400 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm)

Email: customerhelp@gov.wales

For more information about this scheme’s compliance with the Subsidy Control Act 2022, please contact: