Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: TEAMxUK: Quantifying atmospheric processes in mountainous regions

Apply for funding to improve the understanding of atmospheric processes in mountainous regions across scales for:

  • weather and climate prediction
  • the UK’s management of vulnerability, risk, and resilience to associated environmental hazards and change

Up to four projects will be funded, to begin in October 2024.

You must be:

  • based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding
  • in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £587,500. We will fund 80% of the FEC.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service. For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

Before applying for funding, check the following:

Project leads and co-leads must meet our standard eligibility criteria.

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

  • encourage collaborative research with other UK organisations
  • encourage applications from diverse groups of researchers
  • welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to NERC eligibility criteria

Who is not eligible to apply

You may be involved in no more than two applications submitted to this funding opportunity. Only one of these can be as project lead.

Individuals involved in the delivery of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) observational campaign element are not eligible to apply for funding through this funding opportunity.

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

The Met Office, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and University of Innsbruck are partners in the overarching TEAMx programme and will be able to discuss prospective projects but cannot offer views on the design of responses to this NERC led funding opportunity.

It is important to note that prior engagement with these partners during the application process is not a requirement of the funding opportunity. These partners should not be included as project partners or sub-contracts on applications as they will engage with the successfully funded projects, ensuring good alignment and collaboration in the final suite of research funded in this programme.

International applicants

We do not fund overseas organisations, except for specific costs for project co-leads (previously co-investigator) from Norway and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Read more about this in the NERC eligibility guidance for applicants.

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

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan.

What we're looking for

Aim

This funding opportunity seeks to improve the understanding and model representations of orographic processes across scales for:

  • weather and climate prediction
  • the UK’s management of vulnerability, risk, and resilience to associated environmental hazards and change

Scope

This investment aims to combine new observational data and process modelling of the atmosphere with theoretical developments to improve model representations of orographic processes, and their influence, across scales.

It will focus on an end output of developing and improving Momentum, the new Unified Earth Environment Prediction Framework and replacement to the Unified Model, currently being developed by the Met Office and partners under the Next Generation Modelling Systems (NGMS) programme.

Science themes

A separate component of this TEAMx investment will collect observational data, both airborne and ground-based, during summer 2025 and winter 2025-26. Projects will focus on using data from this observational campaign but may also use data from elsewhere, if relevant. Projects should not include an observational element in their plans, and it is not possible for projects to be built around their own observational component; however, you are encouraged to partake in discussions around the design of the TEAMx observational campaign and you may propose to take part in the field.

The observational component will be led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). More details on the observational component are available on the TEAMxUK dedicated website. This contains a detailed Field Observation Plan.

It is strongly recommended that you read this information and discuss what is possible in linking to the observational component with NCAS in advance of submitting your application.

Projects should focus on at least one of the three science themes.

Theme A: mountain boundary layer processes

Boundary-layer flows are particularly sensitive to orographic variations. There is a need to improve modelling of the processes whereby orographic variations (at resolved and sub-grid scales) translate into inhomogeneity of the mean flow and of turbulence in the boundary layer. This theme looks to understand and represent these processes across the full range of boundary layer regimes, model grid spacings and dynamics. Attention will need to be paid to the representation of surface boundary conditions and exchange processes, in a scale aware and stochastic way.

Theme B: mountain waves, flow dynamics and scale interactions

The partitioning between orographic drag processes in current models is poorly constrained, resulting in misrepresentation of processes, particularly in very stable conditions. This theme addresses the need to formulate clearer distinctions between low-level orographic drag processes, their coupling to vertically propagating waves in a scale-sensitive way, and then to understand and accurately represent the remote impacts on the large-scale circulation of the drag in models. The focus will be on improving predictions of flow dynamics across the full range of synoptic regimes, while capturing the stochastic nature of these flows.

Theme C: moist orographic convection

The current parameterisations of moist convection in models do not consider explicitly the key role of orography in focusing and organisation, which can lead to errors in the evolution and timing of precipitation production. To improve predictions of convective dynamics and precipitation coverage and amount, this theme intends to develop the model representation of convection to account for orographic controls and stochasticity across scales and across the full range of synoptic regimes. It also aims to improve the representation of upscale effects of the moist convection, in order to improve the large-scale circulation in climate models.

Project requirements

Projects are not expected to undertake additional measurement campaigns.

In all themes, the proposed project work must include an element that is focused on the translation of scientific understanding into practical formulations that could be implemented in weather and climate models and specifically the Momentum Unified Earth Prediction Framework (for example, findings that are quantitative and testable).

The investment will have three cross-cutting activities, and projects should clearly demonstrate how they contribute to at least one of these:

  • theory and model development: advancing the underpinning theory, modelling frameworks and numerics required to improve models across scales
  • use of observations or process modelling: providing evidence to inform or direct parameterisation developments
  • evaluation: to test and refine new developments in models, comparing with observations, and including ensemble performance

We will look to ensure a balanced suite of complementary projects to cover the scope and activities of the programme.

Duration

We anticipate funding four projects through this funding opportunity. The duration of awards is a maximum of 42 months.

Project must start in October 2024.

We reserve the right to suspend the start of successful awards if it becomes necessary in order to align the timetable of the programme. Under extreme circumstances we may need to withdraw this funding opportunity.

Funding available

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £587,500.

NERC will fund 80% of the FEC (that is, £470,000) with the following exceptions:

  • justified equipment would be funded at 50%
  • eligible costs for international project co-lead (previously co-investigator) involvement would be funded at 100%

We will not fund the following:

  • PhD studentship costs

Costs (travel and subsistence) to participate in observational campaigns should be included within your application.

Programme requirements

Successful projects, alongside the observational component, will form the UK contribution to the international programme TEAMx (Multi-scale transport and exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountains – programme and experiment).

Successful projects will be expected to work with other projects funded through this funding opportunity and with the observational component.

Overall programme integration and coordination will be delivered by NCAS. Successful projects will be expected to share project plans and information with NCAS and with other successful projects as well as the other programme partners, which will include University of Innsbruck, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Met Office to aid integration of the overall programme.

An extra £200,000 funding will be available to fund programme integration. Further details of this are found in the ‘Additional information’ section.

Services and facilities

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

You should discuss your application with 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.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

International collaboration

If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.

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.

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.

How to apply

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.org
    Allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
  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.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

  • use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
  • insert each new image onto a new line
  • provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
  • ensure that files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to your application.

Reference should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

We must receive your application by 13 June 2024 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

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.

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 count: 550

In 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

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.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 1,000

What 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, or generate 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 Vision section we also expect you to:

  • indicate clearly how your application fits the scope of this funding opportunity, specifically
    • which theme or themes you are addressing
    • which of the three cross-cutting activities you are contributing to
    • that your work includes an element focused on the translation of scientific understanding into practical formulations that could be implemented in weather and climate models (and specifically the Momentum Unified Earth Prediction Framework)
  • identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be

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

References may be included within this section.

Approach

Word limit: 1,000

How 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
  • if applicable, uses a clearly written and transparent methodology
  • if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
  • 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

Within this Approach section we also expect you to:

  • demonstrate that it is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives, and in relation to the scope of this funding opportunity
  • demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work
  • provide a project plan including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or similar

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

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why 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

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

The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) 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 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. 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).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

References may be included within this section.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or 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
  • consideration for preventing environmental harm and enhancing environmental benefit in line with NERC’s responsible business statement

If you are collecting or using data, identify:

  • any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data
  • formal information standards with which your study will comply

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

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.

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.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

Does 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 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, 37KB)
  • 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.

If you do not need to use a facility, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.

Upload guidance

Upload a single PDF containing facility forms ensuring it is no larger than 8MB, if applicable.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives to your application 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: 500

How 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

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

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

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 2,000

What 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 equipment that will cost more than £10,000
  • 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’

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want to be assured that:

  • all resources are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • the project will make optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

If you have equipment costs, input these under the ‘Directly Incurred’ heading on the Funding Service. This will allow them to be costed at 50% at the awarding stage (and ignore the 80% FEC displayed on the Funding Service).

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Panel

We will invite experts 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 to NERC, who will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within three 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 UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

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

Assessment criteria

The criteria against which your application will be assessed are:

  • vision
  • approach
  • applicant and team capability to deliver
  • ethics and responsible research and innovation

Vision and approach relate to the originality and quality of the proposed research in respect to the degree to which your application addresses the scope of this funding opportunity through addressing the themes. The panel will also consider the capability of the team to deliver this, as well and ethics and responsible research and innovation’ implications. Consideration will also be given to ‘resources and cost justification’.

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

Contact details

Get help with your application

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

Important note: 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:

NERC team

Email: teamx@nerc.ukri.org

NCAS team

Email: charles.chemel@ncas.ac.uk

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.

You can also find information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email teamx@nerc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: TEAMxUK; 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 UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

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

Additional info

Webinar

A webinar was held in January 2024 to discuss information about this funding opportunity and observational campaign.

Watch the webinar

You will have to register with your name and email address to watch this recording.

TEAMx

This funding opportunity, alongside the observational campaign, is the UK contribution to the “Multi-scale transport and exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountains programme and experiment” (TEAMx). TEAMx will be a crucial testbed for evaluation and development of the Momentum Unified Earth Prediction Framework over complex terrain at high resolution (km and sub-km scales). This is a key step in the path towards global km-scale weather and climate prediction. In addition, the Met Office will be committing significant supercomputer time for high-resolution (sub-km) large domain simulations, which will be made available through the programme.

The two pillars of TEAMx are:

Pillar one: A field campaign, planned for 2025 in the European Alps, with large-scale deployment of micrometeorological instrumentation, ground-based profiling instruments and airborne sensors.

The focus of observations for the programme will be the TEAMx Observational Campaign in the European Alps, in both summer 2025 and winter 2025-26. This observational component for the programme will be managed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and coordinated in partnership with the wider observational effort, particularly from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Innsbruck, and will involve the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) aircraft and ground-based instrumentation.

Pillar two: Coordinated modelling studies, combining a hierarchy of tools from large-eddy simulation to regional and global models to improve exchange parameterisations (land-atmosphere exchange, turbulence, gravity wave drag, convection) across modelling grey zones.

This funding opportunity relates to the second pillar.

Integration

Applicants whose projects receive funding through this funding opportunity will be invited to an integration workshop in late 2024 (date to be confirmed), where project groups will be required to come together under a coherent programme structure designed to address the stated goals of the programme. This will identify:

  • areas of common interest
  • possible gaps
  • cross-project integration, knowledge exchange, synthesis and governance, considering also communications, and data management

The outcomes will be summarised in an integration plan submitted to the programme board within three months of projects starting.

Costs (travel and subsistence) for attendance to the workshop must be included in your application. It is expected that a maximum of three attendees from each project will attend.

We will fund an additional £200,000 across the programme to the successful projects following this integration workshop and integration plan, to enable the projects to deliver the integrated programme.

Collaboration on programme level

Project leads are required to work with NCAS throughout the lifetime of their project, contributing to monitoring and evaluation at programme level.

It is expected that those working on the observational campaign will be included as collaborators and where appropriate named as co-authors for published work.

Working with partners

The Met Office, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and University of Innsbruck will be able to discuss prospective projects but cannot offer views on the design of responses to this NERC led funding opportunity. It is important to note that working with the Met Office, KIT or University of Innsbruck is not a requirement of the funding opportunity.

These partners should not be included as project partners or sub-contracts on applications as these partners will engage with the successfully funded projects to ensure good alignment and collaboration in the final suite of research funded in this programme.

Reporting requirements

If you are successful, you will be required to report research outcomes on Researchfish in line with standard UK Research and Innovation terms and conditions for funding. This is required annually and continues for up to five years post grant end.

We may require additional information for monitoring and evaluation purposes during the programme lifetime and, according to standard grant terms and conditions, projects will be required to comply with any additional requests.

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.

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.

Updates

  • 3 April 2024
    Under 'What we're looking for', in the 'Duration' section, have added in the sentence 'Under extreme circumstances we may need to withdraw this funding opportunity'.
  • 9 February 2024
    Added webinar recording link to the 'Additional info' section.

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