NERC Independent Research Fellowships

NERC Independent Research Fellowship

Supports early-career environmental researchers in the United Kingdom by funding personal fellowships for independent programmes in environmental science.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The NERC Independent Research Fellowship (IRF) 2026 is a five-year personal award designed to support early-career environmental researchers in establishing an independent research identity. The total fund for this cycle is £7.25 million. There is no published cap on individual award value; NERC funds 80% of full economic cost, with the host institution covering the remaining 20%. Equipment requests above £25,000 are explicitly excluded from allowable costs. The 2026 application window closes on 16 June 2026.

The fellowship is open to researchers of any nationality, but must be held at a UK organisation eligible for NERC funding. The core eligibility criterion is career stage: applicants must be transitioning to independence and must not yet hold a permanent lecturer or equivalent post. Research must fall within NERC's environmental science remit, which covers climate systems, ocean science, ecology, earth processes, atmospheric science, and related areas. The award is delivered through UK research organisations, not to individuals directly; fellows are employed by their host institution for the fellowship duration.

The IRF is one of NERC's most competitive personal fellowship schemes. Assessors look for a compelling and original research vision, evidence that the applicant is ready to lead independent work, and a clear case that the host institution provides the environment needed for the proposed programme to succeed. Applicants should distinguish their independent agenda from their doctoral or postdoctoral supervisor's programme. The explicit exclusion of major equipment signals that the fellowship is intended to fund salary, consumables, fieldwork, and collaboration costs rather than infrastructure — proposals centred on computational or observational methodology using existing facilities are typically better aligned.