Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: November 12, 2026, 4:00pm UK time (Application) | January 6–27, 2027 (Mandatory peer review) | January 13, 2027 (Review conflicts) | May 1, 2027 (Latest project start)
Funding Amounts: £100,000–£200,000 full economic cost; NERC funds 80%; maximum two years; £8 million total fund
Summary: Supports novel, early-stage environmental research with transformative potential, without requiring preliminary data.
Key Information: Project leads must review other applications; missing the review deadline automatically rejects their own application.
Description
UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) supports curiosity-driven environmental research that is too early-stage and uncertain for standard funding routes. This opportunity enables researchers to test original ideas, unconventional approaches and new techniques that could significantly advance knowledge, capability or application. Projects must address clearly defined environmental science questions and sit predominantly within NERC’s research areas.
The programme encourages high-risk, high-reward investigations that challenge current thinking or establish new lines of enquiry. Work may combine pure, applied, technology-led or policy-driven research and cross disciplinary boundaries. Potential outcomes include discoveries, proof of principle and evidence of feasibility that inform longer-term research, commercialisation or policy. NERC values learning from negative results and new collaborations, even when original objectives are not achieved.
