Funding opportunity: Pushing the frontiers of environmental research
| 欄位 | 值 |
|---|---|
| Opportunity status | Open |
| Funders | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) |
| Funding type | Grant |
| Maximum award | £950,000 |
| Publication date | 23 September 2026 |
| Opening date | 23 September 2026 9:00am UK time |
| Closing date | Open - no closing date |
Apply for funding to pursue an adventurous, ambitious curiosity-driven project in environmental research.
You must be:
- based at a UK research organisation eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding
- in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements
We welcome:
- multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
- projects delivered in partnership with other research funders and users
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £950,000. We will fund 80% of the FEC.
There is no defined project duration, but awards are usually between three and four years.
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.
Before applying for funding, check the following:
- Individual eligibility
- check your project is in our remit, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of NERC
Who is eligible to apply
This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals.
Your research project must address a significant environmental science question, but we welcome applications from individuals who can demonstrate a capability to collaborate with experts from other disciplines to generate innovative research.
We:
- encourage multidisciplinary research and collaborations with other UK organisations
- welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to the UKRI eligibility criteria
Project partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.
Resubmissions
We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have previously been assessed by UKRI.
Find out more about Application resubmissions.
International researchers
Under the UKRI and Research Council of Norway Money Follows Cooperation agreement a project co-lead (international) (previously co-investigator) can be based in a Norwegian institution. Read more about this in the NERC eligibility guidance for applicants.
If you are submitting your application under a NERC Lead Agency agreement (NSF, FAPESP, FNR), then please see the section entitled International Collaborative proposals for further information.
All other international collaborators should be included (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. This includes organisations from the business or financial sectors.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
- career breaks
- support for people with caring responsibilities
- flexible working
- alternative working patterns
UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
What we're looking for
Demand management
Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.
Scope
This funding opportunity supports researchers’ curiosity and imagination to enable discoveries that unlock new knowledge with a degree of adventure previously unrealised.
We are seeking to invest in our best environmental researchers to be truly adventurous and ambitious in the pursuit of curiosity-driven, high-reward projects, which may or may not involve substantial risk.
Applications can propose pure, applied, technology-led, or policy-driven research but must address, or provide the means to address, clearly defined environmental science questions.
We welcome, and are increasingly supporting, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, designed, supported and delivered in partnership with other research funders and research users. We welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to the UKRI eligibility criteria. This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals.
The research must sit predominantly within NERC’s research areas. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. We encourage you to contact us first to discuss your application if you believe your research may cross research council boundaries.
See our remit query form.
Use of novel, critical technologies in your application
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking to support researchers and innovators to develop and make use of novel, critical technologies including artificial intelligence, engineering biology, and quantum technologies throughout its investment portfolio. We have also set out our aspirations for the future of data and technology in environmental science in our digital strategy 2021 to 2030.
In developing your application to this funding opportunity, you may wish to consider how the innovative use of critical technologies and approaches addressing the ambitions of NERC’s digital strategy, might offer opportunities to address your research questions in new and novel ways. This might include the development of new collaborations across domains and disciplines.
Duration
There is no defined project duration, but awards are usually for between three and four years.
It is anticipated that your grant will be able to start within six months of receiving the offer letter, but it should be noted that start dates for all successful grants will only be confirmed following discussion with NERC regarding project requirements. For those projects requiring use of large infrastructure, start dates will be dependent on access to infrastructure being scheduled and confirmed.
Funding available
The (FEC) of your project can be up to £950,000.
We will fund 80% of the FEC with the following exceptions:
- eligible costs for international project co-lead involvement would be funded at 100%
Costs for ship time and marine equipment (SME) are not included in the application, so do not count towards the funding limit.
Most applications will be expected to be under £950,000. We recognise that a small number of projects have exceptional costs (for example, for use of large research infrastructure facilities) that may require the budget to exceed the maximum grant limit.
If you are planning to apply for more than £950,000, you must seek prior approval from NERC first. A case for why the costs are essential for the project and why they exceed the maximum limit must be submitted by email to pushingfrontiers@nerc.ukri.org before submitting an application to the Pushing the Frontiers opportunity. We aim to provide a decision within 10 working days.
Justified equipment is funded at 80% FEC. Any requests for equipment over £25,000 must be fully justified as part of your application. You are reminded that funding for equipment is subject to consideration by NERC, based on the justification of resources and budget availability.
What we will not fund:
- PhD studentship costs
- Costs for data archival and curation services will be paid directly to the NERC Environmental Data Service (EDS) on behalf of the programme and should not be included. You should ensure that you request sufficient resource to cover preparation of data for archiving by the research team. Any specialist services, such as database development or project data‑management support, must be discussed with the relevant data centre before submission
Services and facilities
You can apply to use a facility or resource in your funding application.
If you will need to use a UKRI facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. You should discuss your application with the facility or service in advance of submitting to the funding opportunity to:
- discuss the proposed work in detail
- receive confirmation that they can provide the services required within the timeframe of the funding
You should ensure you have prior agreement from the facility before submitting to the funding opportunity and indicate this within your application.
The facility will provide a technical assessment that includes the calculated cost of providing the service. NERC services and facilities must be costed within the limits of the funding.
You should not submit the technical assessment with the application, but you must confirm you have received it.
For more information, see the NERC research grants and fellowships handbook.
Read the full list of NERC facilities that require a technical assessment.
High Performance Computing (HPC), ship time or marine equipment (SME) and the large research facilities at Harwell have their own policies for access and costing.
For more information regarding the use of high performance computing services, see the Applying to use High performance computing service.
Ship-time and marine facilities
Applications may require ship-time and other marine facilities. If you wish to use NERC’s marine facilities, then you must complete an online ‘ship-time and marine equipment (SME) or autonomous deployment (ADF) application form’ available from Marine Facilities Planning. Include the SME or ADF number on the ‘Facilities’ section of your application.
SMEs or ADFs must be submitted to, and approved by, NERC Marine Planning by the time your funding application is submitted. Applications submitted without an approved SME or ADF will be ‘office rejected’. Applicants will be eligible to resubmit once the SME or ADF has been submitted and approved. A PDF of the SME or ADF can be attached as a facility form to your application. If you do not do this, your request may not be considered for inclusion in the NERC Marine Facilities Programme.
If you intend on using NERC marine facilities, then see NERC marine facilities: availability 2025 to 2030. You should also contact marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org to discuss your requirements as early as possible.
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Antarctic logistics support
If you require NERC BAS Antarctic logistics support, then you must complete a Pre Award Operational Support Planning Questionnaire (OSPQ) online.
You must email the Antarctic Access Office (AAO) at BAS (email afibas@bas.ac.uk) stating your name, institution and project title. The AAO will then grant you access to the OSPQ Portal where you can complete a Pre-Award OSPQ to detail your support requirements.
OSPQs must be submitted at least 3 months before the anticipated proposal submission date and approved prior to submission to this funding opportunity. Applications submitted without an approved OSPQ will be ’office rejected’. Applicants will be eligible to resubmit once their OSPQ has been submitted and approved.
All funding applications wishing to use Antarctic logistics support must add this to the facilities question in the application. You should refer to the BAS website for direction on which Antarctic Logistic Support (ALS) costs should be included in your application budgets. These costs should be clearly identified in your funding application and included in the ‘Resources and cost justification’ as £xxx for ALS.
If you require NERC BAS Antarctic logistics support, then you must complete a Pre Award Operational Support Planning Questionnaire (OSPQ) online.
You must email the Antarctic Access Office (AAO) at BAS (email afibas@bas.ac.uk) stating your name, institution and project title.
The AAO will set up a new and numbered pre-award OSPQ and send the link to you along with instructions for completion.
OSPQ’s must be submitted and approved by the Antarctic Access Office prior to submission to this funding opportunity. Applications submitted without an approved OSPQ will be ’office rejected’. Applicants will be eligible to resubmit once their OSPQ has been submitted and approved.
All funding applications wishing to use Antarctic logistics support must add this to the facilities question in your application.
Supporting skills and talent
We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.
International collaboration
We have agreements with the following funders:
- National Science Foundation (NSF) the US
- São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) Brazil
- Fonds Nationale de la Recherche (FNR) Luxembourg
This can make it easier for UK researchers to collaborate with research partners around the world by removing the risk that a proposed project will receive funding in one country but not in another.
Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.
If you wish to work with US-based researchers (NSF) then you must submit an expression of interest (EoI) form, and this must be approved by NSF prior to submitting an application to this opportunity. NERC-NSF applications submitted without an approved EoI will be ‘office rejected’ from this funding opportunity. Applicants will be eligible to resubmit once their EoI has been submitted and approved.
Applicants intending to apply through the UKRI/NSF Lead Agency Opportunity should be aware that the NSF has issued a Statement on NSF Priorities and guidance on the Implementation of Recent Executive Orders, which are updated regularly. Additionally, you should be aware that processing timelines may be longer than usual through either the UKRI or NSF submission route.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.
Data management
You must adhere to UKRI open research policy and NERC data policy and complete the ‘Data management and sharing’ question.
For details of data centres, see the NERC Environmental Data Service.
Responsible research and innovation
Through our funding processes, we seek to make a positive contribution to society and the environment. This is not just through research outputs and outcomes but through the way in which research is conducted and facilities managed.
All NERC grant holders are to adopt responsible research practices as set out in the NERC responsible business statement.
Responsible research is defined as reducing harm or enhancing benefit on the environment and society through effective management of research activities and facilities. Specifically, this covers:
- the natural environment
- the local community
- equality, diversity and inclusion
You should consider the responsible research context of your project, not the host institution as a whole. You should take action to enhance your responsible research approach where practical and reasonable.
How to apply
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
- insert each new image on a new line
- use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:
- sentences or paragraphs of text
- tables
- excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
- how applicants use the Funding Service
- how research offices use the Funding Service
- how reviewers use the Funding Service
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
- references are easily identifiable by the assessors
- references are formatted as appropriate to your research
- persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.
Deadline
There is no deadline for the submission of applications to this funding opportunity. However, due to system requirements a closing date will appear on the Funding Service.
You should apply when your application is ready for submission. NERC will initiate the assessment process once an application is received, ensuring applicants receive a timely decision. NERC will commit to holding regular decision points.
Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
NERC as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email pushingfrontiers@nerc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
- declaration of interest
- additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
- conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
- the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.
Institutional matched funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
NERC as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on What NERC has funded.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
The project lead is responsible for setting up and completing the application process on the Funding Service.
The project co-lead international role may only be used for collaborators based in Norway, where NERC has a collaboration agreement in place. We do not otherwise accept funded project co-lead (international) applicants.
Any international research teams to be funded by international organisations as part of a Lead Agency Agreement should be included within international collaboration question. You should also include the lead international researcher as the project co-lead international role with a zero cost included in the resources and cost justification section. Do not include your Lead Agency Agreement international team as Project Partners. Lead Agency Agreements are in place with the National Science Foundation in the US (NSF), State of São Paulo Research Foundation in Brazil (FAPESP) and Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg (FNR).
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the Specialist role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Primary discipline classification
Word limit: 10
You will need to select one primary discipline area of research from the list of disciplines and copy and paste it into the text field:
- Atmospheric kinetics
- Behavioural ecology
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Boundary layer meteorology
- Climate and climate change
- Community ecology
- Conservation ecology
- Earth engineering
- Earth resources
- Earth surface processes
- Ecosystem-scale processes and land use
- Ecotoxicology
- Environment and health
- Environmental biotechnology
- Environmental genomics
- Environmental informatics
- Environmental microbiology
- Environmental physiology
- Geohazards
- Glacial and cryospheric systems
- Hydrogeology
- Hydrological processes
- Land – atmosphere interactions
- Land – ocean interactions
- Large scale atmospheric dynamics and transport
- Mantle and core processes
- Ocean – atmosphere interactions
- Ocean circulation
- Palaeobiology
- Palaeoenvironments
- Physics and chemistry of Earth materials
- Planetary Surfaces and Geology
- Pollution
- Population ecology
- Population genetics and evolution
- Quaternary science
- Radiative processes and effects
- Regional weather and extreme events
- Science-based archaeology (fossilised organisms)
- Science-based archaeology (geoarchaeology)
- Sediments and sedimentary processes
- Soil Science
- Stratospheric processes
- Survey and monitoring
- Systematics and taxonomy
- Technology for environmental applications
- Tectonic processes
- Tropospheric processes
- Upper atmosphere processes and geospace
- Volcanic processes
- Water in the atmosphere
- Water quality
For further information please see Research areas covered by NERC remit.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
This information is used to determine eligibility for NERC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers.
Vision
Word limit: 1,100
What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your proposed work:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or d