Environmental Sciences Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund

Environmental Sciences Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund

Supports United Kingdom and global environmental teams with seed grants for cross-border collaboration.

The Environmental Sciences Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund (GPSF) 2026 is a NERC-administered scheme designed to catalyse new international collaborations in environmental science. The 2026 round opened on 5 May 2026 and closes on 16 July 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. The total UK funding pool is £1 million, co-funded with FAPESP in Brazil and NSTC in Taiwan, meaning applicants with partners in those countries may access co-funding from the respective national agencies.

Awards are capped at £100,000 per project, with NERC funding at 80% fEC for UK costs; international travel and subsistence costs are funded at 100% fEC and capped at £15,000 per project. Projects may run for up to 24 months and must start by 1 February 2027. A defining requirement is that the project must include at least one new international partner — teams with existing active partnerships do not qualify. Additionally, applicants cannot hold an active GPSF grant at the 16 July 2026 closing date. Eligible applicants are UK universities and NERC-eligible research organisations; individuals and private companies are not eligible.

Eligible activities include staff exchanges, secondments, network establishment, feasibility studies, and workshops, provided they serve to build a genuinely new international research relationship with long-term potential. Partners from any country are welcome as collaborators, but only those in Brazil or Taiwan benefit from the bilateral co-funding arrangement. Proposals should clearly articulate the scientific rationale for the specific international partnership, demonstrate that the relationship is new, and map a credible pathway from this seedcorn activity to a substantive collaborative research programme.