Applications Invited for New Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) Research Programme
Funded through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund, the £12.4 million Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) Research Programme is being jointly delivered by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Marine Scotland are also involved as partners.
Through the SMMR initiative, improvements will be delivered in the understanding of societal perspectives and behaviours concerning the marine environment and integrate this into systems-based approaches that support the development and analysis of interventions, and inform effective decision-making for marine management and policy. It will also deliver an enduring step change in the capability of the marine transdisciplinary research community and its close working relationship with policy, regulatory and industry stakeholders.
It is recognised that healthy marine environments promote economic, social and environmental prosperity, and support coastal communities, jobs, livelihoods and food security. The SMMR initiative seeks to develop holistic systems-based approaches to the marine environment to improve analysis of interventions, improve understanding of societal perspectives, behaviours and values, and develop the integrated modelling tools required to inform effective decision-making for marine management and policy development.
Projects funded through this call must address at least two of the programme’s three themes:
Theme 1: Understanding the different value systems people hold when they connect with the marine environment and how this affects their decision making, in order to inform and direct policy development.
Theme 2: Development and integration of modelling tools to support coastal and marine natural capital approaches and accounting.
Theme 3: Development of interventions that support government policy to improve the marine environment for the next generation.
The aim is to fund a balanced portfolio of projects across the three themes and a range of environmental and economic contexts. Applicants are encouraged to take a case study approach and to utilise innovative methods to optimise new data collection and re-use of existing data. Proposals are required to be interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together environmental scientists with economists and social scientists. Proposals are required to focus on the UK’s marine environment.
Funding proposals will be accepted from UKRI eligible research organisations (ie applicants at UK higher education institutions, research council institutes and recognised independent research organisations). Public sector research establishments (PSREs) with 10 or more researchers with PhDs (or equivalent) are eligible to apply.
Funding is available for a maximum of six projects, with each costing up to £1.5 million (at 80% fEC). Projects will be funded for up to 36 months, with the possibility of funding being provided for a further 12 months.
The following deadlines apply to this scheme:
Notification of Intent (NoI) deadline: 12 June 2020 (12:00)
Full proposal deadline: 6 October 2020 (16:00)
The NoI is mandatory. Applicants who fail to complete the NoI online form are not permitted to submit a full proposal.
More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.