UK Research and Innovation (NERC)

Pushing the frontiers of environmental research

NERC's open-ended research grant for adventurous, ambitious, curiosity-driven environmental science that may carry substantial risk. It is for researchers at UK research organisations eligible for NERC funding, at any career stage, working alone or in groups. Projects can cost up to £950,000 full economic cost, of which NERC pays 80%, and usually run three to four years. There is no deadline: applications are taken at any time and assessed as they arrive.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £1 – £950,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding (standard UKRI organisation eligibility) and be in a role that meets UKRI's individual eligibility requirements
Open to research groups and individuals at any career stage
A project co-lead (international) can be based in Norway under the UKRI-Research Council of Norway Money Follows Cooperation agreement, and joint bids with the US (NSF), Brazil (FAPESP) and Luxembourg (FNR) go through NERC Lead Agency agreements; NSF bids need an approved expression of interest first
Other international collaborators, businesses, and UK organisations that are not eligible for UKRI funding can take part only as project partners who fund their own involvement

What it funds

Adventurous, ambitious curiosity-driven, high-reward projects that address, or provide the means to address, clearly defined environmental science questions, which may or may not involve substantial risk:

Pure, applied, technology-led or policy-driven research
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, including projects delivered in partnership with other research funders and research users
Justified equipment, funded at 80% of full economic cost (requests over £25,000 must be fully justified)
Use of UKRI and NERC facilities and services, costed within the funding limit

the research must sit predominantly within NERC's research areas. Costs for ship time and marine equipment are not included in the application and do not count towards the limit. Projects needing more than £950,000 because of exceptional costs, such as large research infrastructure, need NERC's approval by email before applying.

What it will not fund

PhD studentship costs
Data archival and curation services, which NERC pays directly to the NERC Environmental Data Service
Uninvited resubmissions of projects previously assessed by UKRI
Research outside NERC's remit
Project partners' costs, beyond minor incidental expenses such as some travel

How to apply

Check your project is in NERC's remit (use the remit query form if unsure) and that your organisation is registered on the UKRI Funding Service
If you need NERC facilities, ship time, marine equipment or Antarctic logistics, get the facility's technical assessment, an approved SME/ADF form, or an approved OSPQ (submitted at least 3 months ahead) before applying
If you need more than £950,000, email pushingfrontiers@nerc.ukri.org with the case and wait for approval (NERC aims to decide within 10 working days)
Start an application on the UKRI Funding Service and answer the questions in the text boxes: vision, approach, applicant and team capability (Résumé for Research and Innovation format), ethics and responsible research and innovation, and resources and cost justification
Submit through your research organisation when the application is ready; there is no deadline
If shortlisted after expert review, respond to reviewers' comments within 14 days; a moderating panel then makes a funding recommendation

you cannot apply on Je-S. A closing date of 22 September 2027 shows on the Funding Service only because the system needs one.

Have ready

Confirmation of a facility technical assessment, an approved SME/ADF form, or an approved OSPQ, where your project uses NERC facilities, ship time or Antarctic logistics
International funder documentation as a single PDF of up to 8MB, for Lead Agency (NSF, FAPESP, FNR) applications

the rest of the application is written into the Funding Service's text boxes rather than uploaded.

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.