NERC invites eligible research organisations to submit proposals for large scale inter-disciplinary research and innovation funding to provide whole system solutions to major environmental challenges.
This call will provide up to £20 million funding in total over five years to support two research organisation awards of a maximum £10 million each at 80% full economic cost (meaning a maximum £2 million per annum, per award over five years).
The ‘Changing the Environment’ programme will focus on developing solutions to critical environmental challenges through supporting and encouraging working across disciplines within successful organisations.
The research and innovation programmes delivered through this funding will be expected to look across a system bringing together a wide range of disciplines (for example, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, economics, medical sciences, technology, engineering, law, business and economics) to drive solutions in the selected area of environmental focus.
The funding will create a critical mass of inter-disciplinary expertise stemming from the activity in the research organisation, with the ability to leverage a wide range of inputs from other stakeholders and partners as required by the environmental challenge, and to access other funding opportunities.
Proposals for this call are invited from eligible UK researchers and research organisations (see NERC Grants Handbook for standard eligibility criteria).
There will be a two stage (outline and full) assessment process for this programme and closing date for outline proposals is 16:00 on 5 November 2020. Details for the requirements for the full proposal stage will be published in due course and no later than 5 November 2020.
Announcement of opportunity: Changing the environment (PDF, 196KB)
Changing the Environment webinar
A Town Hall meeting for the Changing the Environment programme was held via webinar on Thursday 01 October 2020.
This webinar outlined NERC’s vision and direction for the new Changing the Environment Programme and its purpose and function moving forward.
A full recording of the meeting, including questions and answers and the slides for the event are now available.