A conflict of interest occurs when an individual involved in the assessment of an application for funding has a personal, professional or organisational relationship with the applicants, affecting their ability to undertake their role in an objective and unbiased way. If you are asked to take part in NERC peer review, either to review a NERC application or be a member of a NERC moderating or assessment panel then you need to be aware of the NERC policy on conflicts of interest.
The NERC policy defines a conflict of interest as being associated or involved in any way with either or both of the following:
- an institution, department or individual that has submitted a funding application or would otherwise benefit from a decision
- the development or implementation of applications seeking NERC or UKRI funds or in the evaluation of research investments.
See Conflict of interest guidance for UKRI reviewers and panel members for information on what constitutes a conflict of interest for NERC, where reviewers and panel members should inform NERC about potential conflicts of interest and how these will be managed by NERC.