133007Innovation Capability Building through Design Process for Crowd-Funded ForestryClosedStudyInnovate UKInnovation in UK forestry is crucial to its long-term success: to strengthen local economies, encourage eco tourism, support traditional practices and mitigate climate change. Although the forestry industry plays a vital role in the Scottish rural economy with £1 billion/year GVA and supporting 25,000 FTE jobs, the UK is still the 3rd largest importer of forestry products importing nearly £10 billion/ year. This project aims to investigate novel crowd-funded business opportunities within the forestry industry. The early-stage design process will seek to understand the public interest in investing in forestry, and their potential incentives beyond financial gain. In the next phase different business models will be explored that will enable small investors to fully realise the benefits of forestry. This collaborative process will allow for a more innovative, integrated and robust approach to forestry than is currently achieved by institutional investment. Although the project is initially focused on Scotland, once established the outcomes could be expanded to the rest of the UK. The company hopes that investors will develop a meaningful connection with the land they have invested in, enjoying the benefits it offers for healthy lifestyles whilst the company manages the legal and financial aspects.