NERC Launches a Fifth Round of Highlight Topics

NERC is investing £16 million in a fifth round of Highlight Topics, a route for funding strategic research that focuses on defined topic areas to be delivered through independent projects.

The Highlight Topics in this fifth call are:

Marine noise pollution: Understanding chronic effects.

Understanding the likelihood and impact of UK wildfires.

Impact of experimental deep-sea mining in the Central Pacific: A new inter-disciplinary challenge for UK environmental science.

Assessing large scale ecological responses to environmental change.

The impact of legacy waste in the coastal zone.

Advancing capabilities to predict UK and European weather conditions one season ahead.

The mineral systems approach to exploration and discovery of new sediment-hosted copper (Co,V) deposits.

Proposals must address issues within a single highlight topic; proposals addressing more than one highlight topic will not be accepted.

The scheme is open to applicants based in UK higher education institutions, NERC research centres and independent research organisations (IROs) approved by NERC.

No more than two projects at up to £2 million will be funded for each topic (for ‘Impact of experimental deep-sea mining’, no more than one project at up to £4 million will be funded).

A notification of intent to submit a proposal should be submitted by the deadline of 21 February 2019 (4pm).

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.