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 will 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:
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
NERC must receive your application by 12 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
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.
As part of NERC’s commitment to evidence-based improvement, personal data submitted in connection with this call (successful and unsuccessful submissions) may be used for monitoring, evaluation, analysis and learning activities. Such processing will be undertaken in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation.
Analysis outputs will be aggregated and, where relevant, anonymised before reporting so that no individual can be identified. The purpose of this analysis is to support NERC’s internal learning and continuous improvement activities. However, high-level findings, trends and lessons learned may be shared with external audiences in a form that does not identify any individual.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email exploringfrontiers@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 at What NERC has funded.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
NERC may use data from both successful and unsuccessful applications for internal monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement activities. Such processing will be undertaken in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation. Results of any analysis will be aggregated and anonymised, and although undertaken for internal purposes, high-level findings may be shared externally in a form that does not identify any individual or organisation.
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 or opportunity the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
- clear statement of novelty which can be interpreted by UKRI staff and generalist assessors
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
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.
We expect these grants to begin promptly once awarded, so encourage you to have suitable individuals identified for each role at the point of submission.
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: 50
Please list up to five discipline areas that concisely encapsulate the core remit areas within your proposed research project.
What UKRI are looking for in your response
Copy and paste from the list below up to five discipline classifications to support the assessment process. This information is used to determine eligibility for NERC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers.
- 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
Vision
Word limit: 1,200
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 discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
Within the Vision section we also expect you to provide a distinct, evidenced statement outlining the novelty of the proposed research, which can be interpreted by UKRI staff and generalist assessors. This should clearly state the features of your proposed work that are particularly novel, ambitious, adventurous or unique, and provide supporting evidence as appropriate. This statement is an essential requirement within the application. Failure to provide this will result in your application being deemed ineligible for assessment.
We also expect you to:
- introduce the topic of research and explain its wider relevance, including sufficient references to explain the context of your proposed work within your field of research to generalist reviewers
- provide clearly defined aims and objectives, typically as a small number of bullet points
- describe the potential of your proposed work to deliver a genuine, distinctive advancement or added value via its outcomes, and who the beneficiaries might be
- justify why your proposed work requires an exploring the frontiers award (and cannot, therefore, be supported by more traditional funding routes) and how it fits the scope of the funding opportunity
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Approach
Word limit: 2,500
How are you going to deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
- summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
- describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- identify and explain the particularly innovative, unconventional methodologies or approaches that will be explored
- identify key milestones where you may need to make decisions, track, or evaluate progress
- identify alternative approaches, or the learning potential, in the event of unexpected results
- provide a basic project plan detailing team responsibilities
- provide brief evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have the right balance of skills and expertise to deliver the proposed work
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
- the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
- how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
If you are collecting or using data you should identify:
- any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
- formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:
- animals
- human participants
- genetically modified organisms
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.
Animal Involvement and “3Rs”
You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.
If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what animals you are involving
- the severity of the procedures you are using
- where the procedures will take place
- welfare standards you aim to meet
- the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs
You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.
To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy on research and innovation involving animals.
What counts as an animal
UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.
Genetically modified organisms and biological risk
You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.
If your project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include
- the intended use of the organism or genetic technology
- the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.
Human participation in health-related research
You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.
If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what type of human participation your project includes
- the project design for human participation
- the phase of the clinical trial
- whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so how the project will be registered
- whether diversity and inclusion will be considered
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,000
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What UKRI are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
- any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.
NERC are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
Application history
Word limit: 30
Have you submitted a related application to a previous NERC or UKRI funding opportunity?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
- you can use this response to note any linked work submitted to a previous UKRI opportunity
- add the text ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the textbox.
If your response is ‘Yes’, then also provide the Funding Service application number, in the format APP*****, and confirm which opportunity your application was submitted to (for example, ‘Exploring the frontiers of environmental research’).
NCAS or NCEO Research Centre
Word limit: 5
Is the application submitted under the auspices of either National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) or National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)?
What UKRI are looking for in your response
Indicate either NCAS or NCEO if appropriate. Enter ‘N/A’ into the text box if your application is not submitted under either NCAS or NCEO.
Project partners
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
- the project partner contact name and email address
- the type of contribution (direct or indirect) and its monetary value
If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 500
How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?
What UKRI are looking for in your response
Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.
You should indicate:
- which NERC data centre is required to archive the data
- whether the total volume of data is likely to be larger than 1TB
- any other detail on how you will comply with NERC data policy
Facilities
Word limit: 250
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
What UKRI are looking for in your response
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
- name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
Requests for ship-time and marine equipment from NERC’s marine facilities will be considered. However, any requests should be of an appropriate scale that reflects the size and duration of the award. All costs must be included within the maximum grant limit for this opportunity.
Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Upload guidance
Applicants requesting ship-time or marine equipment must upload their SME or ADF form uploaded as a PDF. For the file name, use the Funding Service number the system gives to your application when you create an application, immediately followed by the words ‘facility forms’. Then use the ‘upload’ button. If you need to upload multiple forms, then combine them into a single PDF, ensuring it is not larger than 8MB if applicable.
Unless specifically requested, do not include any personal data within the attachment.
Once you have uploaded, mark this section as complete and move to the next one.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.
Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessments of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.
You will be asked about:
- which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to
- who you intend to collaborate with and how
- if your project requires an export control licence
Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.
