Exploring the Frontiers
Exploring the Frontiers allows researchers to test new concepts or approaches at a stage when they are not sufficiently developed for standard funding routes and the outcomes are inherently uncertain. This funding supports novel exploratory curiosity-driven environmental research with the potential to be transformative.
Timing: the frequency of funding opportunities is to be confirmed.
Funding: between £100,000 and £200,000 per award (at 100% full economic cost, of which we pay 80% full economic cost).
Assessment process: the 2026 funding opportunity will be assessed using distributed peer review.
Grant duration: up to two years
Organisational demand management does not apply. Demand management is being applied to the 2026 funding opportunity at the individual level. See the opportunity for further details.
Find out more about the Exploring the Frontiers funding opportunity on the funding finder.
Contact email: exploringfrontiers@nerc.ukri.org
Pushing the frontiers grants
The Pushing the Frontiers scheme invests in excellence, challenging researchers to push the boundaries of environmental research. The adventurous and ambitious curiosity-driven projects unlock new knowledge and lead to scientific discoveries that are likely to change the future landscape of a discipline.
Timing: this funding opportunity is always open, with no submission deadlines.
Funding: up to £950,000 per award (at 100% full economic cost, of which we pay 80% full economic cost).
Assessment process: expert review and moderating panel.
Grant duration: project dependent, no fixed duration of award but typically three to four years.
Organisational demand management does not apply.
Find out more about the Pushing the Frontiers funding opportunity on the funding finder.
Contact email: pushingfrontiers@nerc.ukri.org
Large grants
Large grants offer funding for researchers tackling the big environmental science questions that have the potential to produce world-leading research. Often multidisciplinary, these large-scale projects are adventurous, innovative, and complex. As with all discovery science schemes, large grant proposals must fit predominantly within NERC’s remit but can cross over into other research council areas.
Timing: this scheme has a two-stage application process. Outline applications closing date typically in March; full applications (by invitation only) closing date typically in November.
Funding: between £1.12 million and £3.45 million per award (at 100% full economic cost, of which we pay 80% full economic cost).
Assessment process: outline applications, assessment panel. Full applications, expert review and moderating panel.
Grant duration: up to five years.
Organisational demand management does not apply.
Find out more about the large grants funding opportunity on the funding finder.
Contact email: largegrants@nerc.ukri.org
The Large Grant scheme will end following the conclusion of the invite only November 2026 round.
Transcending the Frontiers
Transcending the Frontiers will replace our historical large grants and highlight topics schemes, with funding offered on a similar monetary scale.
This scheme will support world-leading research that tackles the biggest, most complex environmental research questions, through collective endeavour at genuine scale. Projects of this scale and complexity are likely to be multidisciplinary but are still expected to fit predominantly into NERC remit. Transcending the Frontiers funding opportunities will support applicant-led research, incorporating strategic focus areas linked to wider UKRI priorities at the time.
Timing: the first funding opportunity is expected to launch in Spring 2027
Funding: to be confirmed
Assessment process: to be confirmed
Grant duration: to be confirmed
Further details will be published on the funding finder when available.
Urgency funding
Urgency grants offer fast-track support to respond quickly to short-lived and unexpected research opportunities that would result in a missed opportunity to collect valuable data should you conform to other available funding opportunities.
These may be events affecting the environment created by the occurrence of sporadic events such as (but not limited to):
- earthquakes
- droughts
- floods
- ephemeral events in ecosystems
We expect projects to last up to one year and focus on urgent data collection and essential initial analysis. You must have a clear strategy for taking the research forward once the urgent phase is complete.
Timing: this opportunity is always open, and has a two stage application process, outline application to confirm eligibility, then full application by invitation only.
Funding: up to £100,000 per award (at 100% full economic cost, of which we pay 80% full economic cost)
Assessment process: expert review with moderation by NERC Peer Review College member (target turnaround time six weeks from receipt of full application).
Grant duration: up to 12 months.
Organisational demand management does not apply.
Find out more about the Urgency funding opportunity on the funding finder.
Contact email: urgencygrants@nerc.ukri.org