Network Plus: antifungal resistance in the environment (Grant)

Before applying for funding, check the following:

• NERC eligibility guidance for applicants

• eligibility of your organisation

• check your project is in our remit if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals. We:

• encourage multidisciplinary research and collaborations with other UK organisations

• welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to NERC eligibility criteria

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 partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.

You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. This includes organisations from the business or financial sectors.

Sub-contracting aspects of the work, meaning particular goods and services, to non-eligible institutions is possible in line with the NERC research grants and fellowships handbook.

Be aware that the Environment Agency must not be included as project partner on applications as they are a partner for this network.

Who is not eligible to apply

Project partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.

International researchers

As our research council (NERC) is the lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’ subject to the eligibility criteria set out in the NERC eligibility guidance for applicants.

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).

You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. This includes organisations from the business or financial sectors.

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

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan.

Aim

The aim of the Network Plus is to bring together academic researchers, business stakeholders, and policy partners to investigate the drivers and dynamics of antifungal resistance (AFR) in the environment. The network will adopt a systems approach, focusing on how AFR develops and spreads through the environment (air, land and water). The network is interested in AFR that is derived from the healthcare, agricultural, and household cleaning product sectors. By integrating expertise across disciplines and sectors, the network will address the growing challenge of AFR and its impact on ecosystems and society, with the aim of informing future research, innovation, and policy. The network will address the growing challenge of AFR and its impact on ecosystems and society, with the aim of informing future research, innovation, and policy.

Scope

Fungi are fundamental to the healthy functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems, including those we rely upon for our clean water, air and food. Antifungal agents are increasingly used across medical and agricultural sectors to prevent and treat a range of human, animal and plant diseases. Antifungals are also added to products for use in the home and garden to remove or prevent fungal colonisation such as moulds.

It is from these distinct sources that antifungal compounds make their way through different pathways into our environment through entry points such as wastewater, sludge and surface run-off. Once in the environment, the impacts of antifungal compounds on non-target fungi and fungal communities, and the emergence of AFR in these communities, are unknown. The increasingly widespread use of antifungals raises concerns about environmental contamination, the development of AFR and the wider impacts on ecosystems.

The environmental dimension of AFR is the most neglected study of antimicrobial resistance. Yet it is where the different pathways of antifungals converge and is key to understanding the potential threat AFR poses to public health, food security and ecosystems. The UK AMR National Action Plan 2024-2029 recognises the importance of AFR to the public, food, and environmental health and biosecurity. Despite the many pathways for potential interaction and opportunities for the development of AFR, the plan identifies only the direct application of antifungals from agriculture as leading to unknown impacts in the environment. It neglects the more varied pathways that collectively may contribute to the emergence of AFR.

With the environment a focal point for research gaps, there is a need and opportunity for environmental science to provide leadership and work across sectors (health, agricultural and household cleaning products). This collaboration is essential to understand the unintended consequences of widespread antifungal use, which provides a pathway for the development of resistance. Additionally, changes to management and the environment contribute to the expanding geographical range of fungal species, including those that can cause harm.

This Network Plus will adopt a systems approach, which will bring communities from across research, industry and policy to identify, prioritise and develop emerging research and knowledge exchange challenges. It will also provide leadership across disciplines and sectors and continue to expand connections and relationships throughout the duration of its funding as it adapts activities to the needs of the challenge.

Determining the pathways and distributions of AFR into the environment requires the integration of available but disparate datasets from multiple sectors. These include the medical, veterinary, agricultural, environmental, wastewater, and cleaning product sectors, as well as large-scale monitoring activities and citizen science data. This skilled community with data access and inclusion of business and policy makers can support the step change required to understand AFR flows and impacts at scales relevant to the ecosystems effected.

The successful Network Plus will focus on the environment, building interdisciplinary research, business and policy communities to explore and evidence the complexity of AFR emergence in the environment. The Network Plus will enable a step change in the connectivity and coordination of researchers and stakeholders, with these different communities working together to share data and understanding common and interrelated goals and research agendas. The Network Plus will:

• convene and strengthen collaborations across relevant stakeholders to find solutions to AFR by integrating across multiple disciplines and sectors

• generate new insights that will enhance knowledge mobilisation and improve understanding of the environment’s role in the development, emergence and spread of AFR

• manage a suite of ‘plus’ activities such as pump-priming projects, workshops and policy briefs

• inform policy and practice to generate understanding through identifying stakeholder needs, policy levers and enabling insights to feed into policy, practice and new research

• support the development of best practice to industry and society, upon which future mitigation strategies to limit AFR spread, and damage will depend

• share and amalgamate data, linking data between disciplines and sectors to encourage a more open access to a wider range of data to effectively support a system approach

• stimulate collective research outputs and implementation with lasting impact plans to ensure the realised benefits of the Network Plus continue beyond the funding period

This Network Plus will help build the community and enable it to explore challenges such as:

• knowledge of antifungal compounds using a planetary health approach

• understanding the pathways and distribution of antifungals and AFR in the environment, and the impact the functioning of ecosystems

• assessing the persistence of antifungals as they move through the environment

• understanding the impact of antifungals on the function of non-target fungal communities in the environment and wider unintended consequences

• identifying the molecular mechanisms by which antifungal compounds that enter the environment are driving the emergence of AFR in both target and non-target communities

Up to £2,857,200 (100% FEC) is available for the network activities. NERC will work with the successful network to agree how to use the remaining £1,904,800 on flexible fund activities. For now, we just need an overview of what activities will be included in the flexible fund. See ‘Flexible Funds’ for further information.

Partnering with stakeholders

You are expected to collaborate with stakeholders, for example policy, regulatory or industry. This is to ensure that the network has the necessary skills and expertise needed from across relevant sectors.

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.

Once the successful network has been awarded, it will engage with the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency monitors, regulates, and advises on the natural environment in England, including air, land, and water, and is working with NERC to position environmental considerations at the heart of this Network Plus opportunity.

As a programme partner, the Environment Agency cannot advise or support individual applications. However, once the award is made, it will work with the successful network to provide guidance on regulatory processes and evidence gaps related to activities contributing to AFR entering the natural environment, as well as on environmental monitoring and evaluation assessments.

Key requirements for the Network Plus

The network has the following requirements:

• be led by an environmental scientist and involve researchers from wider disciplines and stakeholders from wider sectors as required

• aim to be UK-wide by including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales regions

• embed principles and best practices to ensure equality, diversity and inclusivity

• take a holistic approach that builds on, and links to, other key UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and wider UK investments

• include regular monitoring, learning and evaluating on progress and reporting to the programme funders

• develop a high-quality and evidence-based platform (such as a website) to effectively communicate and disseminate information to all relevant stakeholders about this network

• engage and include early career researchers (ECRs), for example by inclusion on the management team or by provision of opportunities which particularly benefit ECRs as supports career development

• promote knowledge exchange between academia, government, industry and other stakeholders through placements, secondments or innovative mechanisms

• manage the delivery of the flexible funding to fund activities that complement the network

The network will be required to have excellent skills and experience in the following areas.

Stakeholder engagement, communication and strategy

This area requires:

• working with a range of stakeholders to support the application of research into policy and practice

• translation and communication of research findings into stakeholder relevant issues, which capture both benefits and trade-offs across the whole system

• strong leadership, strategic vision and ability to set and meet objectives

• public and community engagement

Research community leadership

This area requires:

• expertise of antifungal agents and AFR

• systems thinking and planetary health approaches

Coordination and programme management

This area requires:

• programme coordination

• knowledge mobilisation

• workshop design and facilitation

• supporting equality, diversity and inclusion in research or programme coordination

Flexible fund

Up to £1,904,800 (100% FEC) of the total grant funding must be used for the flexible fund to develop and deliver opportunities for small projects and other activities. The plus fund contribution could increase if the network is able to leverage additional funding from other partners. NERC will fund 80% of the flexible fund’s FEC. This amount should not include staff costs for the management of the flexible funding, as the appropriate resources for this will be already allocated as part of the Network Plus application.

NERC will withhold the funds allocated in the application for the flexible fund until we have agreed with the network on their use. The network application should account for and justify the flexible fund cost in their proposal, including it in the application as ‘Directly other’.

The network can use its flexible fund pot to undertake activities such as:

• workshops

• events

• funding small projects (which could include pilot studies, scoping, knowledge exchange, evidence synthesis, impact generation, capacity building, methods development or other relevant activity)

• producing key outputs

• secondments or placements

• horizon scanning

In collaboration with NERC, you will decide the amount of grant funding allocated to activities which will be supported through the flexible fund.

External advisory board

As part of the network’s governance framework, the application must articulate plans to assemble an external advisory board to support the network and oversee the development of key activities. The board will be made up of independent academic and non-academic members.

An outline of the collective skills, expertise and experience that will be sought for the board should be provided in your application. It is not necessary to name individuals at the application stage. The board should be independent and the mechanisms to ensure this should be detailed in the application.

No salary costs should be requested for members of the external advisory board.

Governance

Steering for the network will be provided by a programme executive board (PEB) that will be made up of NERC, the Environment Agency and any additional partners. The PEB will provide input throughout the duration of the award. The network will be required to provide reporting updates to the PEB on a biannual basis.

Duration

The duration of this award is for three years.

Projects must start by 1 May 2026.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £4,762,000.

We will fund 80% of the FEC with the following exceptions:

• justified equipment would be funded at 100%

• eligible costs for international project co-lead involvement would be funded at 100%

This funding opportunity sources its funds from the NERC budget.

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• PhD studentship costs

• equipment costs of £25,000 and over. You should request smaller items of equipment (under £25,000 individually) under ‘Consumables (other directly incurred costs)’ in your application

Services and facilities

You can apply to use a facility or resource in your funding application.

You should contact the facility or service at least two months before the funding opportunity’s closing date to:

• discuss the proposed work in detail

• receive confirmation that they can provide the services required within the timeframe of the funding

The facility will provide a technical assessment that includes the calculated cost of providing the service. NERC services and facilities must be costed within the limits of the funding.

You should not submit the technical assessment with the application, but you must confirm you have received it.

For more information, see the NERC research grants and fellowships handbook.

Read the full list of NERC facilities that require a technical assessment.

High Performance Computing (HPC) and the large research facilities at Harwell have their own policies for access and costing.

Trusted Research and Innovation

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how your proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

Data management

You must adhere to UKRI open research policy and NERC data policy and complete the ‘Data management and sharing’ question.

For details of data centres, see the NERC Environmental Data Service.

We will pay the data centre directly on behalf of the programme for archival and curation services, but you should ensure that you request sufficient resource to cover preparation of data for archiving by the research team. Additional services from the data centres, such as database development or a specialist in project data management during your project, will need to be discussed with the relevant data centre prior to submission. Costs for additional services will need to be funded from your grant.

Responsible research

Through our funding processes, we seek to make a positive contribution to society and the environment. This is not just through research outputs and outcomes but through the way in which research is conducted and facilities managed.

All NERC grant holders are to adopt responsible research practices as set out in the NERC responsible business statement.

Responsible research is defined as reducing harm or enhancing benefit on the environment and society through effective management of research activities and facilities. Specifically, this covers:

• the natural environment

• the local community

• equality, diversity and inclusion

You should consider the responsible research context of your project, not the host institution as a whole. You should take action to enhance your responsible research approach where practical and reasonable.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

We will invite experts to form an assessment panel to use the evidence provided in your application to assess the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

A sift stage will be applied if necessary.

Interview

We reserve the right to hold interviews and will confirm this once the funding opportunity has closed.

NERC will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within four months of the funding opportunity closing date.

Feedback

We will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

We reserve the right to work with successful applicants post assessment to discuss any aspect of the application before award (for example, discuss panel feedback or requirements from NERC).

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) principles of assessment and decision making.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application, including any personal information that it contains, with the Environment Agency (EA) so that they can participate in the assessment process.

For more information on how EA uses personal information, visit Environment Agency Privacy Policy.

Assessment areas

The areas against which your application will be assessed are:

• vision

• approach

• applicant and team capability to deliver

• ethics and responsible innovation

• flexible fund

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service 404 - Page not found - UKRI Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.Watch our recording on how to apply for an opportunity in the Funding Service.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead

2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.

3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)

• insert each new image on a new line

• use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text

• tables

• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

References should be included within the word limit of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors

• references are formatted as appropriate to your research

• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

We must receive your application by 2 December 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.You will not be able to apply after this time. Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

NERC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.NERC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the Environment Agency (EA) so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how EA use personal information, visit Environment Agency Privacy Policy.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email HealthyEnvironment@nerc.ukri.orgInclude in the subject line: Network Plus: antifungal resistance in the environment; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number.Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)

• declaration of interest

• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section

• conflict of interest for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Institutional matched funding

There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.

Publication of outcomes

NERC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on What NERC has funded.If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the project addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

• potential stakeholders and sector to collaborate with

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)

• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)

• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))

• specialist

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• visiting researcher

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.The project lead is responsible for setting up and completing the application process on the Funding Service.The project co-lead international may only be used for collaborators based at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and in Norway, where NERC has collaboration agreements in place. We do not otherwise accept project co-lead (international) applicants.UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 1,100What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)

• has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area

• is timely given current trends, context and needs

• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment

Within this section we also expect you to:

• describe the concept, context and coordination function of your project

• demonstrate the alignment of the application to the funding opportunity requirements

• clearly explain how your proposed network will create the knowledge and skills to transform our understanding of AFR in the environment and deliver innovative and effective solutions by applying and developing a diverse range of methods

References may be included within this section.You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Approach

Word limit: 2,500How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives

• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed

• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)

• summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)

• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts

• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

• will build EDI considerations into the formation, operation and governance of the hub, including how these will be operationalised

Within this section we also expect you to:

• demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the application

• evidence co-creation and user engagement

• provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines

• explain how the partnership will be planned and managed

• explain how the partnership will enable stakeholders to work together, network and build capability in a strategic area

• outline future plans for sustaining the partnership beyond this application, or for funding research which may develop from the partnership

• outline your approach to leadership and decision making across multiple organisations

References may be included within this section.You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Governance

Word limit: 500How will you manage the award to successfully deliver its objectives?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed award will be managed, demonstrating that it:

• will be effectively governed, including details about advisory structures

• will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan

• has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities

• will manage and encourage partnerships with non-HEI organisations across government, industry and civil society

• has plans for monitoring your progress as well as self-evaluation throughout the lifetime of your award

• will put in place appropriate governance and administration to deliver the range of devolved funding opportunities

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work

• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work

• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others

• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

The word count for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed below. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge

• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships

• contributions to the wider research and innovation community

• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500What are the ethical and RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations

• how you will manage these considerations

If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)

• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 2,000What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)

• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• international collaboration costs

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Flexible fund

Word limit: 1,000How will you use and manage the flexible fund?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it:

• supports your objectives

• distributes funding appropriately across a diverse range of activities

• where appropriate, distributes funding through robust, transparent competitive processes

• builds capacity in key fields and career stages

• ensures appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of funded activities

Project partners

Provide details about any project partners’ contributions.Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.Add the following project partner details:

• organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)

• project partner contact name and email address

• type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.Note that letters of support are not required for this opportunity.

Facilities

Word limit: 250Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a research council facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

If you have to attach a facility form, then upload it as a PDF. If you need to upload multiple forms, then combine them into a single PDF.Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list. If you will not need to use a facility, then you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Upload guidance

Upload a single PDF containing facility forms ensuring it is no larger than 8MB, if applicable.For the file name, use the Funding Service number the system gives when you create an application, immediately followed by the words ‘facility forms’. Then use the ‘upload’ button.Unless specifically requested, do not include any personal data within the attachment.Once you have uploaded, mark this section as complete and move to the next one.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.Indicate:

• which NERC data centre is required to archive the data

• whether the total volume of data is likely to be larger than 1TB

• any other detail on how you will comply with NERC data policy

• requirements of the proposed sensing system or capability on current digital research infrastructure (including data and compute)

• how data accessibility for both private and public end users will be enhanced

For further assistance, email: data@nerc.ukri.org

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 15 October 2025 at 10:00am UK time. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Register for the webinar (Zoom)

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant, and their wider team, to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Our commitment to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms which deprive a person of their liberty in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain, such as:

• slavery

• servitude

• human trafficking

• forced and compulsory labour

We are committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Guidance on good research

• Good research resource hub

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• NERC policies and standards

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page.

The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent funding opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your application, contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity, contact HealthyEnvironment@nerc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and funding opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.