Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Grants
NERC funds environmental science through UKRI, covering climate, earth observation, oceans and biodiversity. Grants go to universities and research centres rather than to companies or charities directly. Its knowledge exchange schemes are the usual route for an organisation wanting to work with NERC-funded researchers.
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has 4 open funds listed here, 3 of which accept applications all year.
Checked daily. Last updated 9 November 2026.
No published award history for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Some funders do not publish their grants data.
What Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds
Counted across the 4 open funds on this page.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
NERC urgency funding
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
NERC urgency funding helps you respond quickly when an unexpected natural event creates a short-lived chance for environmental research. Think earthquakes, droughts, floods or ephemeral events in ecosystems. The money pays for collecting critical early data before the opportunity is lost, plus essential initial analysis. It suits researchers based at UK research organisations eligible for NERC funding. Your project must fit mainly within one or more of NERC's Research Areas. You can only apply if waiting for another funding route would mean missing research of high scientific importance. Projects can cost up to £100,000 full economic cost (FEC). NERC funds 80% of the FEC, so your organisation covers the standard 20%. Projects can last up to one year. NERC will fund NERC facilities costs, but not PhD studentships or single items of equipment costing £25,000 or more. Ship-time cannot be requested through this scheme. There is no closing date and applications are accepted at any time. Timing still matters. You must send a one-page outline within four weeks of the event start date, with clear evidence of when the event began. If NERC approves it, you have 10 working days to submit a full application. A key caveat: some events are out of scope. These include events caused by deliberate human action, seasonal or periodic events you could have planned for, continued monitoring of existing projects and data collected to inform urgent policy decisions. NERC may also limit how many applications it considers or supports for the same event or location. You must have a clear plan for taking the research forward once the urgent phase ends. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/nerc-urgency-funding-open/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.
Pushing the frontiers of environmental research
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds adventurous, curiosity-driven environmental science projects, with a full economic cost (FEC) of up to £950,000 per project. Applicants must be at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. Applications are open all year with no closing date, and the Funding Service shows a closing date for system reasons only. Opening date was 23 September 2026. Typical costs the funder asks you to justify include project staff, field work travel, equipment over £25,000 and facilities. Research groups and individuals at any career stage can apply. A project co-lead can be based in Norway. Lead agency agreements cover the US (NSF), Brazil (FAPESP) and Luxembourg (FNR). Apply on the UKRI Funding Service, not Je-S. Your research office checks and submits the application. The funder will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects UKRI has already assessed, and it will not fund PhD studentships.
UK International Ocean Drilling Programme moratorium awards
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
These NERC awards fund research linked to an International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP3) expedition or a SPARC project, which uses ocean drilling archives. They are for UK researchers who have already been selected to join the science team for an IODP3 drilling or coring expedition, or a SPARC project. The money covers research during the post-cruise moratorium period for expeditions, or within the IODP3 funding period for a SPARC project. It also covers your costs for time offshore and for attending onshore science parties at IODP3 core repositories in the US, Japan and Europe. Travel and subsistence for expeditions, sampling events and science meetings are included too. Awards last 24 months. If you are a science team member, your project must start before you leave for the expedition. How much you can request depends on your career stage and the type of project. For drilling or coring expeditions, the full economic cost can be up to £62,500 for co-chief scientists, £50,000 for early career researchers and £25,000 for senior or PhD scientists. For SPARC projects, the limits are £25,000, £18,750 and £12,500 respectively. NERC funds 80% of the full economic cost, and maximum funding depends on affordability. The opportunity is open with no fixed closing date. Instead, NERC must receive your application three months before your expedition departs or your SPARC project starts. You cannot apply after that point. Please note that you can only apply if NERC has invited you, and the start application link comes by email. Awards cannot be transferred to another researcher. PhD studentship costs are not funded, and neither are equipment items of £25,000 or more. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/uk-international-ocean-drilling-programme-moratorium-awards/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.
Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding
How many Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grants are open right now?+
4 grants from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are open on GrantMatch today, of which 3 have no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
When is the next Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) deadline?+
The nearest deadline is 12 November 2026. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.
How do I apply for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.