Before applying for funding, check the following:
- NERC eligibility guidance for applicants
- eligibility of your organisation
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.
For full details, visit eligibility as an individual.
Who is eligible to apply
It is expected that project teams will incorporate researchers covering a broad range of disciplines across the remits of NERC, AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC and MRC and beyond, as well as policymakers, practitioners, industry, public engagement professionals and wider civil society. All applications should include NERC remit researchers and must cover at least two UKRI council remits (NERC and one other) as a minimum, although you are encouraged where appropriate to utilise the breadth of expertise supported through the funding opportunity.
New collaborations and partnerships are encouraged, especially across disciplines and sectors, as the research projects will be required to be transdisciplinary. Full information about the research project team requirements is detailed in the ‘What we are looking for’ section.
You may be involved in no more than two applications submitted to this funding opportunity. Only one of these can be as project lead.
The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. This includes eligible Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) and Independent Research Organisations (IROs).
Project co-leads (previously co-investigator) can be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. For this UKRI funding opportunity, project co-leads may also be based at UK businesses, third sector or government organisations. Read including project co-leads from business, third sector or government bodies for details of eligible organisations and costs. Note that costs associated with project co-leads from a UK business, third sector or government organisation’s contribution to a project must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the grant at 100% FEC. Additionally, eligible costs differ amongst organisation types, for example, for government organisations we will only fund travel and subsistence.
Other ways different organisations can be involved include:
- project partners: people who will not receive funding directly from the award but will have an integral role in the proposed project. Minor directly incurred costs, such as some travel costs, are acceptable
- subcontractors: people responsible for providing a service only
- dual roles: an organisation or individual can act as both a project partner and be paid non-minor costs to be covered by a subcontract, however this must be fully justified. An example of where dual roles might be required is when an organisation or individual is giving to the project in kind but are also funded to deliver other work to the project
Be aware that neither Defra nor the Met Office should be included as project partners on applications as they are co-funders and partners of this programme, respectively.
For those research projects that would like to collaborate with the Met Office, you will be able to discuss potential activities, but the Met Office cannot offer views on the quality of the application (see ‘Partnering with Stakeholders’ for more information). Defra’s Arm’s Length Bodies who are approved UKRI public sector research establishments are eligible to apply to this funding opportunity.
Project partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.
International applicants
This UKRI funding opportunity is focused on maximising adaptation to climate change in the UK. However, climate adaptation is a shared international challenge with many interlinked risks and pathways including but not limited to international supply chains. There may also be opportunities to learn from adaptation strategies explored in other countries.
We do not fund overseas organisations, except for specific costs for project co-leads from Norway and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Read more about this in the NERC eligibility guidance for applicants.
You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
- career breaks
- support for people with caring responsibilities
- flexible working
- alternative working patterns
Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan.
Partnering with stakeholders
You are expected to collaborate with stakeholders (for example policy, regulatory or industry). This is to ensure that the project has the necessary skills and expertise needed from across relevant sectors to provide evidence around how to increase the resilience of people, ecosystems and infrastructure in the UK to cascading climate impacts.
Where possible, you should make every effort to build partner activity with stakeholders to:
- add value to existing investments
- align with ongoing activity
- make use of partner knowledge and expertise
You should consider where, in cooperation with these stakeholders, project partnership can add value to your application through cash, in-kind contributions, or both. Information on these partnership contributions should be clearly outlined within applications.
For this UKRI funding opportunity, project co-leads may also be based at UK businesses, third sector or government organisations. Note that eligible costs associated with project co-leads from a UK business, third sector or government organisation’s contribution to a project must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the grant at 100% FEC.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has already indicated in advance a desire to collaborate and provide advice to applicants. DESNZ can offer the following support:
- provide advice and input on bids to help make sure these reflect current policy challenges and evidence needs particularly to help make sure outputs could be as impactful and useable as possible
- provide data (on a case-by-case basis) if and where useful or appropriate
- provide opportunities for dissemination to DESNZ both in terms of delivering presentations but also options for holding workshops with relevant policy teams
Please contact Savio Moniz (Climate Science) savio.moniz@energysecurity.gov.uk or André Neto-Bradley (Energy Research) andrepaul.netobradley@energysecurity.gov.uk for more information.
The Environment Agency (England) has indicated in advance a desire to collaborate and provide advice to applicants. The Environment Agency are interested in the adaptations required to protect people, habitats and biodiversity in the face of climatic change and are able to offer the following support:
- co-developing projects of mutual interest. As a public sector research establishment, the Environment Agency is eligible for funding in this funding opportunity and would be happy to discuss options
- hosting embedded researchers within the Environment Agency to enable genuine two-way exchange of knowledge, information and experience
- supporting the translation and dissemination of outputs from the programme, ensuring relevance and accessibility to non-specialist audiences
- helping access and interpret relevant data
Note the Environment Agency’s support is dependent on relevance and resource availability. You should contact the Environment Agency at an early stage and note they are unlikely to consider approaches made after 4 May 2024.
Contact research@environment-agency.gov.uk for more information.
Met Office
The Met Office will assist with research related to the aims of this programme and aligned with the capabilities of the Met Office. These will include:
- applying national climate scenarios (such as UK Climate Projections (UKCP)) and other hazard information
- performing climate attribution and monitoring
- applied science to address third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) risks in many sectors plus improving understanding of complex risks (compound, aggregated and cascading) knowledge integration, climate communications and synthesis for policy
You will be able to discuss with the Met Office (maccteam@metoffice.gov.uk) what indicative activities the Met Office can assist with. No discussion can take place on the quality of the application and the Met Office cannot give a preference for a particular application. However, successful applicants will have the opportunity to work with the Met Office once the successful applications have been awarded, in order to co-develop the Met Office’s programme of activities.
Note that any activities included within your application that require Met Office support should be costed within the maximum amount of £2 million allowable for each project. Each project is allowed to request up to £200,000 of indicative Met Office support that will be paid at 100% FEC. Include support carried out by the Met Office under ‘all Exceptions – Other’. We do not expect any Met Office staff to be named on any applications.
Met Office will engage with all the successfully funded projects to ensure good alignment of its programme of work so that it can best meet the needs of the funded projects in the most effective and coherent way and to agree ways of working together. Once the successful applications have been awarded, the Met Office will run a sandpit type workshop in November 2024 with all the research leads to co-develop a final version of the Met Office’s overall contribution to the research projects part of this programme. It is important to note that working with the Met Office is not a requirement of this programme; but all project leads will have the opportunity to join the sandpit to understand more about what the Met Office work will provide to the wider programme, which will be made available to all project partners.
Note that Met Office support on successful applications will be paid directly from UKRI to the Met Office and not through leading research organisations. Met Office’s total contribution for all research projects is up to £1 million.
