Exploring the frontiers of environmental research 2026
Funding
£100,000 – £200,000
Deadline
12 November 2026
Location
England
Applications
Deadline: 12 November 2026
Overview
Exploring the frontiers of environmental research 2026 is a NERC grant for early-stage, curiosity-driven environmental science. It suits researchers with a truly novel idea that could be transformative but is not yet ready for standard funding routes. You do not need preliminary data. NERC has a high tolerance for risk, and assessment focuses on the potential reward rather than the likelihood of success. The full economic cost of your project must be between £100,000 and £200,000. NERC will fund 80% of that cost. Projects can run for a maximum of two years and must start by 1 May 2027. The total fund is £8,000,000. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. Applications are open now and close on 12 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. Your research office submits the application for you, so allow time for their checks and any internal deadlines. The work should be exploratory, with clear aims but uncertain outcomes. You need to include a distinct, evidenced statement on novelty, or you risk an office rejection. You should also show you have thought about key risks and what can still be learned if the core idea is disproved. The grant will not pay for incremental work on existing lines of enquiry, PhD studentships, fellowships, training, or single items of equipment over £25,000. An individual can appear on a maximum of two applications and can lead on only one. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/exploring-the-frontiers-of-environmental-research-2026/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- NERC funds 80% of the full economic cost, which must be between £100,000 and £200,000
- Maximum award duration of two years, with projects starting by 1 May 2027
- Project lead must cost their time at a minimum of 0.2 FTE
- A distinct, evidenced statement on novelty is required, or the application may be office rejected
- No PhD studentship costs and no single items of equipment over £25,000
- Maximum of two applications per individual, with lead on only one
The project lead must be a UK resident and have a substantial relationship, and be affiliated, with a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. Applications from all career stages are welcome, as are multidisciplinary collaborations. The research must sit predominantly within NERC's research areas. You can appear on a maximum of two applications and lead on only one. Uninvited resubmissions of applications already assessed by UKRI are not accepted. A project co-lead can be based in a Norwegian institution. Other international collaborators should be listed as project partners.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
Researchers at eligible UK research organisations with a truly novel, early-stage environmental science idea that is too uncertain for standard funding routes.
Regions
No published award history for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Apply for funding to pursue truly novel curiosity-driven environmental research that is at an early stage of development and has the potential to be transformative.You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Natural Environment Research funding.
Select 'Start application' on the UKRI funding page and confirm you are the project lead. Sign in or create a Funding Service account, then answer the questions online. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They submit it to UKRI. Only the lead research organisation can submit. Applications must arrive by 12 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
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Create free accountLast updated: 15 October 2026