Area of investment and support

Area of investment and support: Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund

The aim of the Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund is to support UK environmental science researchers to forge new partnerships and networks with the best international researchers, wherever they are located, and seed collaborations that will be sustained beyond the lifetime of the grant.

Budget:
£1 million a year with up to £100,000 per project
Duration:
ongoing
Partners involved:
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

The scope and what we're doing

The aim of the Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund is to support UK environmental science researchers to forge new partnerships and networks with the best international researchers, wherever they are located, and seed collaborations that will be sustained beyond the lifetime of the grant.

The Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund supports a single level of grant with one closing date in spring each year. One or more new international project partners are mandatory.

The Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund objectives are to:

  • support new international collaborations with the best researchers wherever they are located that will result in excellent research that is developing new knowledge that cannot be achieved by individual national research communities alone or by existing collaborations
  • support development of long-term partnerships with international scientists that have potential to become self-sustaining beyond the lifetime of the grant, for example, through accessing new collaborative research funding opportunities
  • pilot new collaborative research ideas with international partners or enhance existing funded research through adding an international dimension or expanding the international partners already engaged.

Why we're doing it

Environmental science is inherently global in nature. Many of the biggest environmental challenges the world faces do not respect national boundaries. Advancing our understanding of the environment and developing innovative solutions to these challenges requires UK researchers to collaborate with the best international researchers wherever they are located.

UK researchers benefit from international collaboration, both in terms of successful funding applications and the impact of the resulting research. It is important that NERC continues to support the development of international collaborations that maintain and increase these benefits across the UK environmental science research community.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has provided pump-priming funds to support the development of new long term international collaborations since 2010 through its International Opportunities Fund.

NERC replaced the International Opportunities Fund scheme with the Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund in 2017. The new scheme provides better and more flexible support to enable UK researchers to establish sustainable long term partnerships with international collaborators and reap the benefits that these relationships deliver.

Opportunities, support and resources available

The Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund supports a single level of grant with one closing date in spring each year.

Who to contact

Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund

Email: gpsf@nerc.ukri.org

Last updated: 17 October 2022

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