The NERC REPs scheme aims to encourage students to consider a career in environmental sciences through funding to support paid summer placements for undergraduate students.
They also enable doctoral awards to address:
- demographic and diversity-related challenges
- the quantitative skills gap in environmental sciences
In addition, REPs encourage undergraduates from any discipline to consider a career in environmental science.
REPs are currently supported only in institutions involved in NERC doctoral training.
Each Doctoral Landscape, Focal Award and Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) will have flexibility within their REPs allocation to decide the balance of focus on demographic underrepresentation or the quantitative skills gap.
Addressing underrepresentation and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are areas of particular focus for NERC. Therefore, NERC welcomes focus on applications from student groups that are typically underrepresented in high education pathways.
Funding
Funding for a number of REPs is made available to each NERC Doctoral Landscape, Focal Awards and CDTs annually.
Each eligible doctoral award will be awarded £17,050 through the REPs 2026 allocation. This funding can be used flexibly to support a minimum of four placements, with enough funding to support five.
Each REP can be between six to 10 weeks, during the summer break.
Where necessary, they must receive a contribution towards research and training expenses during the placement. Additional funding beyond this amount must be found from other sources, including the department.
NERC encourages using any remaining funds to support:
- additional REPs
- cohort activities
- development opportunities for REP students
REP students should be made an employee of the hosting organisation and receive a salary for the duration of the placement. Students must be paid at least the appropriate minimum wage rate (national living wage for those 21 and over).
Placements may be undertaken as full or part-time to allow more flexibility for students.
Eligibility
Eligibility of the training grant
To receive REP funding, training grants must:
- have PhD students start in the 2025 to 2026 academic year
- be recruiting PhD students for the next academic year (for example, recruiting for studentship starts in 2026 to 2027 to receive REPs for summer 2026)
Eligibility of the host organisation
Research organisations must be a lead or hosting partner of an active Doctoral Landscape Award, Doctoral Focal Award or Centre for Doctoral Training eligible to receive REPs funding.
Eligibility of participating undergraduate students
Students are subject to eligibility criteria to be able to apply for NERC REPs and must:
- be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters). Students in their final year who have graduated at the time of the placement start are not eligible
- have not previously completed a NERC REP
- be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (see the relevant text in the terms and conditions for training funding and associated guidance for further information).
Research project criteria
Proposed REP student projects must:
- have a clearly defined objective
- be within the science remit of NERC
- be feasible for a student to complete within the timescale of the award
- include more than purely a computer or modelling component. That is, some element of fieldwork, data collection, activity to give an understanding of the wider context including participation in lab or team meetings, networking and training and so on
- give scope for thought and initiative on the part of the student and should not use the student as a general assistant
- be based at an eligible UK research organisation (remote placements from within the UK are also an option for enabling inclusivity)
Responsibilities of the doctoral award lead organisation
The doctoral award lead organisation is responsible for administering REPs hosted within their partnership. Specific responsibilities include:
- coordinating the REPs award process across the doctoral award partners and advertising across all relevant partners
- ensuring that opportunities are publicised and advertised to all relevant groups and recruitment policies are followed. Doctoral award holders should utilise and where appropriate, implement the diversity, equity and
inclusion best practice principles in doctoral recruitment for the recruitment of REP students - ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made for students that need them during the interview or recruitment process
- ensuring the application process and placements are as accessible as possible
- ensuring that students complete the REP reporting form within the required timeframe
- collating financial information for each REP and reporting this to NERC
- collating the collected diversity data (mandatory) relevant to each stage of the recruitment process and reporting this to NERC
- ensuring that students complete the REP reporting form
- disseminating REPs funds to host organisations as appropriate following payment from NERC
- doctoral awards may wish to consider positive action such as ring-fenced funding which is allowable where there is evidence of under representation or disadvantage. It is the responsibility of the training grant holder (the director or other lead) to ensure that such action is compliant and delivered in line with the relevant equality legislation. (NERC or UKRI are not able to provide such advice)
Responsibilities of the hosting organisation
The host organisation is responsible for:
- selecting a suitable undergraduate student and ensuring eligibility (see student eligibility requirements above) and confirming their eligibility using the UKRI criteria listed under the ‘eligibility’ section
- ensuring the REPs project falls within the NERC remit and is of suitable quality
- ensuring that appropriate supervisory arrangements are in place
- ensuring each student has a PhD student mentor from the doctoral award
- ensuring that the application processes used are inclusive and accessible
- ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made for students that need them while undertaking placements
- ensuring that the placements are carried out in accordance with all applicable ethical, legal and regulatory requirements including but not limited to relevant provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Bribery Act 2010, the Fraud Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010, the Modern Slavery Act 2015
- the identification, protection and exploitation of any intellectual property rights arising from the work
- ensuring that all facilities, agreements about access and collaborations necessary for the work are obtained before the work commences and can be ensured through the period of the work
- ensuring that all costs awarded by NERC for the REPs are used and accounted for appropriately
- ensuring that a PhD interview (where appropriate) is offered to all students who completed REPs within the doctoral award
Reporting
The student will be required to complete a brief report on the outcome of the placement. The doctoral award is required to report the financial information about salary and expenses and the mandatory diversity data from all stages of the recruitment process.