Water4All 2026 call: sustainable water management
Funding
Up to £312,500
Deadline
10 November 2026
Location
England
Applications
Deadline: 10 November 2026
Overview
This call funds UK based researchers to join international teams working on sustainable water management. It is a joint call run by the Water4All partnership, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds the UK side through NERC and EPSRC. It is open now. Projects can tackle integrated monitoring and assessment, nature-based approaches to resilient water management, or smart, secure and adaptive water infrastructure. The call has four topics, but the UK only funds projects within the first three. Extreme events and circularity are outside the scope of the call. The total UK budget on a project can be up to £312,500 at full economic cost. UKRI pays 80% of that, and projects can run for up to 36 months. The total fund is £1,875,000, and UKRI expects to support at least eight projects with UK research partners. Budgets above £312,500 need extra justification. There are two steps. You must send a pre-proposal by 10 November 2026 at 2:00pm UK time. Full proposals are due by 6 April 2027 at 2:00pm UK time. Pre-proposal outcomes are expected in early February 2027. A key caveat is the partnership rule. Your consortium must include teams from at least three countries that financially take part in the call. At least two of those must be EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. UKRI will not fund PhD studentship costs, NERC ship-time costs, or equipment costing £25,000 and over. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/water4all-2026-call-sustainable-water-management/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Consortia must include teams from at least three countries financially taking part in the call.
- At least two of those countries must be EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries.
- The UK only funds projects within Topics 1, 2 and 3.
- UKRI funds 80% of full economic cost, for up to 36 months.
- The UK budget must be stated in Euro, with the Pound Sterling total and exchange rate in the justification.
- PhD studentship costs, NERC ship-time costs and equipment of £25,000 and over are not funded.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding. Your research must fit within NERC or EPSRC remit. Consortia need teams from at least three countries financially taking part in the call, including at least two EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. International researchers cannot be project co-leads on the UK component, but can join as project partners. You can be involved in no more than two applications, and only one as Project Partner Coordinator.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
UK based researchers at UKRI-eligible research organisations who want to work with international partners on sustainable water management.
Regions
Full details from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Apply for funding to increase our understanding, assessment, management, and governance of water across scales, from catchment to groundwater and from source to sea. Enable better decision-making for public authorities, water managers, and other stakeholders.
Apply through the Water4All application platform, the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS). It is a two-step process. You must submit a pre-proposal first, then a full proposal. If your project is successful, UK applicants then submit details through the UKRI Funding Service. UKRI will tell project leads how to do this.
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