Large Grant full applications: November 2026 (invite only)

Open UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Closes 2026-11-05. Total fund £25 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/large-grant-full-applications-november-2026-invite-only/

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline application.

Apply for funding to support innovative, large-scale and complex projects that tackle big science questions and have the potential to produce world-leading research.

You must be:

- based at a UK research organisation eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding

- in a role that meets individual eligibility requirements

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be between £1.12 million and £3.45 million. We will fund 80% of the FEC.

Projects can last up to five years.

What we're looking for Scope

Our large grants are intended to support innovative, large-scale and complex research, tackling big environmental science questions that cannot be addressed through our other discovery science funding opportunities.

You can submit an application in any area of environmental science, provided it is predominantly within a research area or subject associated with our remit.

We also welcome multidisciplinary applications that cross into other research areas.

Applications can support pure, applied, technology-led or policy-driven research but must still address (or provide the means to address) clearly defined research questions.

We expect the projects we fund through this funding opportunity to produce world-leading research. To achieve this, they will often involve multidisciplinary approaches. We expect your application to demonstrate how any interdependent components (work packages) will interact in a single overall structure.

Collaborative projects that include diverse teams and partnerships between research organisations and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged.

Use of novel, critical technologies in your…