Your collaborative team will need to decide whether NERC or NSF will be the lead agency. You should base this decision on where you plan to carry out the majority of research, or which agency is expected to provide the majority of the funding.
Where advice is required about the lead agency or fit of the application to applicable funding schemes, you should email the relevant contact at the proposed lead funding agency to discuss the research project.
This funding opportunity does not represent a separate research funding scheme. Full applications must be submitted under existing programmes at the relevant lead agency. Namely, these existing programmes are:
- NERC’s ‘pushing the frontiers’ and ‘large grants outlines’ funding schemes
- NSF’s GEO and BIO-DEB core solicitations, specifically those in the:
- GEO Divisions of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, Earth Sciences, Ocean Sciences, and Polar Programs
- DEB core clusters of Ecosystem Science, Evolutionary Processes, Population and Community Ecology, and Systematics and Biodiversity Science
Expression of interest
This funding opportunity requires the submission of an expression of interest before the submission of an application to the relevant scheme within the selected lead agency.
The expression of interest should include:
- the research teams (project lead, project co-leads and named researchers) that are involved in both the UK and US
- a brief summary of the proposed research, including:
- the main objectives
- the methodologies to be used
- the outputs, impact and beneficiaries
- any NERC research facilities required
- estimates of total funding to be requested from both the NSF and NERC, following the financial rules for each agency (including all research-related and institutional administrative costs for the US budget request)
The lead agency will share the expression of interest with the non-lead agency to check for eligibility and to confirm support for the application.
If the expression of interest meets both agencies’ requirements, then you will be invited to submit a full application to the relevant funding scheme. Otherwise, you will be notified your expression of interest has been rejected.
NERC and NSF aim to respond to all expression of interest submissions within one month.
NERC-led expression of interest
If your application is for NERC as the lead agency, the UK-based project lead will need to submit an expression of interest form. You must do this by the deadline included within the specific funding opportunity to which you are applying.
The deadline for submitting the form is typically two months before the funding scheme closing date to which you are applying. If you do not meet this deadline then your application will not be taken forward.
If the outcome of your expression of interest is not available within the given timeframe, the UK-based project lead may be invited to submit the full application. However, if the expression of interest is then declined your application will be withdrawn.
NSF-led expression of interest
If your application is for NSF as the lead agency, then your US-based project lead needs to submit an expression of interest to either nsfgeo-nerc@nsf.gov or nsfdeb-nerc@nsf.gov as appropriate.
Full application
Full applications must be submitted within one year of receiving expression of interest approval after which time a new expression on interest will be required.
NERC-led full application
If your expression of interest is approved your UK-based project lead will be invited to submit the full application.
You must comply with the application preparation requirements for the appropriate scheme. Applications should be submitted through the UKRI Funding Service in line with the relevant funding finder entry.
Please be aware of the following in your application on the Funding Service:
- you must include NERC-NSFGEO or NERC-NSFDEB (as appropriate) at the beginning of your title
- you should include NSFGEO or NSFDEB in the text box in the section ‘NERC international partnership joint funding’
- you should not include your US team in your ‘Core team’, but rather you should include them as project partners and include the in-kind contribution as that being requested of NSF
- you should include the US-based team and activities within the sections on ‘Vision’, ‘Approach’ and ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’
The total combined budgets for both NSF and NERC contributions must be within the funding limit for the applicable funding opportunity.
Funding being requested from NSF should be entered on the separate NSF budget form (Word, 33KB). The completed NSF budget form together with the relevant justification of resources should be uploaded as a single PDF within the relevant section in the Funding Service.
NSF-led full application
If your expression of interest is approved your US-based project lead will be invited to submit the full application.
You must comply with the application preparation requirements outlined in NSF’s application and award policies and procedures guide.
The application must be submitted through NSF’s FastLane system, Grants.gov, or Research.gov to the appropriate programme. UK personnel should be listed as ‘unfunded collaborators’ and follow NSF guidance on required documents.
Funding being requested from NERC should be entered in a separate NERC budget form (Word, 28KB) and clearly differentiated and justified in the application. Additionally, any planned use of NERC facilities must be applied for as per the standard guidance and any required forms included as part of the application to NSF. Failure to do so may result in NERC not supporting your access to the requested facilities.
