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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to appoint a Programme Coordinator for the 'Aviation’s non-CO2 Impacts on the Climate programme'. The core objective is to ensure cross-programme integration, stakeholder engagement, and effective communication to maximize the outcomes and impacts of the overall program, which funds research projects addressing non-CO2 climate effects from aviation. This opportunity is SECTOR-SPECIFIC, primarily targeting the aviation and atmospheric science sectors, with a clear focus on environmental and climate change research. The target recipient is an individual, or an individual supported by a team, from a UK research organization eligible for NERC funding. Key Filtering Criteria:

Applicant must be based at a UK research organization eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding.
The individual leading the project must be in a role equivalent to Lecturer level or above, with relevant expertise and experience in interdisciplinary research, aviation, or atmospheric science.
Strong focus on strategic thinking, high-level stakeholder engagement, and effective communication.
The grant is a one-time funding opportunity for this specific coordinator role, but it is integral to a larger, ongoing NERC-led research programme.

Financial Structure

This grant opportunity provides funding to support the Programme Coordinator role for the 'Aviation’s non-CO2 Impacts on the Climate programme'. Funding Amounts & Rate

Total Full Economic Cost (FEC): Your project's FEC can be up to £478,750.
Grant Funding: NERC will fund 80% of the FEC, meaning a maximum grant amount of £383,000 (80% of £478,750).

Cost Sharing & Co-financing

Applicant Contribution: You will be responsible for securing the remaining 20% of the FEC, which is the standard expectation for UKRI grants.
Project Partners: Project partners (collaborating organizations) are generally expected to fund their own involvement. Only minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, may be funded by the grant for project partners.

Eligible Costs

Personnel: Costs for the coordinator and any justified project staff.
Travel & Subsistence: Significant travel for collaboration and networking activities, travel between collaborating organizations, and travel for the programme coordinator must be included in your application.
Meetings & Events: Costs for organizing and hosting:
- A kick-off meeting.
- Three annual program meetings (including a finale event). These event costs should be included within your overall budget but will be withheld by NERC and released upon submission of plans to the program team.
Communication Resources: Expenses related to communication activities.
Administrative Support: Costs for any necessary administrative support.
Consumables: Any consumables beyond typical requirements or required in exceptional quantities.
Reasonable Adjustments: Costs associated with reasonable adjustments for disability that increase as a direct result of working on the project.

Ineligible Costs

Direct Funder Involvement: As mentioned, DfT, DBT, and ATI should not be included as project partners on your application, and their costs are not covered.
Project Partner Core Costs: The primary costs of project partners' involvement are generally ineligible for funding and must be covered by the partner organization.
Government Organization Co-leads: For government organizations, NERC will generally only fund travel and subsistence costs for their contribution.

Indirect Cost Policies

Indirect Costs: The lead research organization and potentially other eligible collaborating organizations (e.g., project co-leads from UK research organizations) may attract estates and indirect costs. This is subject to meeting 'double charging' requirements (ensuring these costs are not already covered elsewhere).
Exceptions: Public contributors (e.g., people with lived experience) involved as 'specialists' will not attract estates and indirect costs. Specific rules apply to other organization types (e.g., government co-leads), where only direct costs like travel and subsistence might be eligible. This indicates that estates and indirect costs may not apply to all collaborating organization types.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this funding opportunity, you and your organization must meet specific criteria: Organizational Eligibility

Lead Organization Type: You must be based at a UK research organization eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding. This includes:
- Higher education institutions
- Research Council Institutes
- Recognized independent research organizations
- Public Sector Research Establishments
- Catapults
UK-Based: The lead organization must be based in the UK.
NERC Eligibility: Your organization must be approved to receive NERC funding. If not, it can apply for approval, but this process takes time.

Individual Applicant (Project Lead) Eligibility

Role: The project lead must hold a position at Lecturer level or equivalent or above within their organization. NERC staff at band six level and above are also eligible.
Employment/Affiliation: You must be either employed by the submitting research organization or have an existing formal arrangement that allows you to conduct research there and receive necessary support. If you're moving organizations, this arrangement must be in place before the grant starts.
Contract Duration: Your contract or formal commitment with the organization must extend beyond the grant end date (March 2028), unless you are a research council fellow whose award does not extend beyond this date.
Application Limit: You may be involved in no more than one application submitted to this specific funding opportunity.
Required Expertise & Experience:
- A good understanding of interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary research.
- Experience in the field of aviation or atmospheric science, or related fields (prior knowledge of non-CO2 impacts on aviation is a benefit).
- Skills and capabilities in navigating a challenging policy environment, including building relationships, strategic thinking, and clear communication with industry and policy stakeholders.
- Demonstrated impact within the aviation research or industrial community, or both.
- A track record of running multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research programs that delivered demonstrable impact and translated research outputs to users (e.g., industry, UK government).

Project Co-leads (Team Members)

Eligibility: Project co-leads can be based at eligible UK research organizations, UK businesses, third sector organizations, or government organizations.
International Co-leads: International project co-leads are allowed, specifically from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) or Norway, under specific agreements. They must meet the same criteria as UK project co-leads but cannot take over as the project lead.
Cost Limitations for Co-leads: Costs associated with project co-leads from UK businesses, third sector, or government organizations must not exceed 30% of the overall Full Economic Cost (FEC) of the grant. Eligible costs differ by organization type (e.g., for government organizations, only travel and subsistence are funded).

Exclusions

Project Partners: The Department for Transport (DfT), Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) should not be included as project partners on your application, as they are co-funders and partners of the overall program.
Other Funding Opportunities: The appointed programme coordinator and any associated team members will not be eligible to bid for other funding opportunities that are part of the 'Aviation’s non-CO2 Impacts on the Climate programme'.
Ineligible Individual Roles: Research assistants, junior technicians, and other researchers employed on short-term projects or research council grants are not eligible to apply as project leads. Holders of fellowships not awarded following open competition are also ineligible to lead.

Note: The grant is for the coordinator role, which leads integration across other funded projects, rather than for a standalone research project itself.

Application Process

Applying for the Programme Coordinator role requires careful attention to detail and adherence to the UKRI Funding Service procedures. The process is entirely online. Application Platform

UKRI Funding Service: Applications must be submitted through the new UKRI Funding Service. The Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system cannot be used for this opportunity.
Registration: Ensure your organization is registered on the UKRI Funding Service. Allow at least 10 working days for new organization registration.

Application Timeline

Publication Date: 3 July 2025
Opening Date: 11 July 2025, 9:00 AM UK time
Closing Date: 18 September 2025, 4:00 PM UK time (This is the strict deadline; no applications will be accepted after this time).
Interview Period: Interviews are expected to be held in October 2025 (date to be confirmed).
Assessment Completion: UKRI aims to complete the assessment process within two months of the funding opportunity closing date.
Project Start Date: The role is expected to start no later than December 2025.
Project End Date: The role will last until 31 March 2028.

Application Procedure

Start Application: Select 'Start application' on the funding opportunity page in the UKRI Funding Finder.
Confirm Project Lead: The project lead is responsible for completing the application.
Sign In/Create Account: Sign in to your Funding Service account or create one if you don't have one.
Complete Sections: Answer questions directly in text boxes. You can save and return to your application. If documents need uploading, follow in-service instructions.
Review: Check your application in 'read-only' view before sending it.
Send to Research Office: Send the completed application to your organization’s Administration Account for checking and submission to UKRI. Ensure this is done with sufficient time for internal checks before the external deadline.
Images: Visual forms (images) are permitted where relevant to convey important visual information not easily put into words. Images must have descriptive captions, be on new lines, and be under 5MB (JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP format). Sentences, paragraphs, or tables are not permitted within images.
References & Hyperlinks: References should be included within the word limits of the appropriate sections. Hyperlinks can only be used for reference information; do not link to external resources to extend your application.
No Changes After Submission: Once submitted, applications cannot be changed or returned for amendment. Non-compliance with guidance may lead to rejection.

Required Documentation & Materials (Application Sections & Word Limits)

Summary: 550 words (plain English, suitable for public release).
Vision: 1,500 words (aims, objectives, benefits).
Approach: 2,500 words (delivery plan, methodology, risk management, stakeholder engagement, event plans).
Applicant and Team Capability to Deliver: 1,500 words (using R4RI format, covering experience, skills, leadership, and contribution to research environment).
Coordinator Role and Team Capability to Deliver: 1,000 words (specific skills and expertise for coordinator role, e.g., thought leadership, team leadership, strategic thinking, communication, partnership management).
Project Partners: Details about any collaborating organizations' contributions (if applicable).
Resources and Cost Justification: 1,500 words (justification for all requested resources, particularly staff, travel, communication, administrative support, and consumables).

Reporting Obligations & Post-Award Requirements

Annual Reporting: If successful, you will be required to report research outcomes annually on Researchfish for up to five years post-grant end, in line with standard UKRI terms and conditions.
Programme Meetings: The coordinator will immediately begin planning for a cross-programme event and annual programme meetings.
Progress Reporting: Regular reporting to the Programme Board (anticipated at least twice annually) and a final report to funders at the end of the role.
Monitoring & Evaluation: Additional information may be required for monitoring and evaluation purposes throughout the program's lifetime.
Formal Agreements: Formal collaboration agreements must be put in place if an award is made.
Interview: Successful candidates will undergo an interview stage in October 2025, which includes a presentation and Q&A session.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications for the Programme Coordinator role will be rigorously assessed against the following key areas. A formal interview assessment panel, including representatives from NERC, DfT, DBT, and ATI, will conduct interviews and make funding recommendations. Core Assessment Areas:

Vision (1,500 words):
- Clarity of Objectives: How well you outline the key aims and objectives for the programme coordinator role.
- Importance: Justification of why these aims are important.
- Success Strategy: How you will achieve these objectives.
- Benefits: Identification of potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be.
Approach (2,500 words):
- Effectiveness & Appropriateness: How your proposed approach is effective and suitable for achieving the stated objectives.
- Feasibility & Risk Management: Comprehensive identification of risks to delivery and clear strategies for how they will be managed and mitigated. Plans should show flexibility.
- Impact Maximization: How you will maximize the translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts.
- Research Environment: How your (and your team's) research environment contributes to the work's success.
- Detailed Project Plan: Inclusion of a detailed plan, including milestones and timelines (e.g., Gantt chart).
- Communication Strategy: Proposed methodology for communication with internal (funders, projects) and external (stakeholders, industry, policy) groups, including quality assurance.
- Meeting Strategy: Approach to balancing hybrid, virtual, and mixed meetings, including assumptions on travel.
- Event Planning: Plans for budgeting and organizing the kick-off meeting, annual program meetings, and an end-of-program event.
- Stakeholder Engagement: How you will convene projects, identify challenges, and engage with the interdisciplinary stakeholder community (e.g., comprehensive stakeholder mapping, inclusive engagement strategies).
- Time Commitment: Justification of the time commitment to the role and management alongside other commitments.
Applicant and Team Capability to Deliver (1,500 words, using R4RI format):
- Relevant Experience: Evidence of appropriate experience (suited to career stage).
- Skills & Expertise Balance: Demonstration of the right balance of skills and expertise within yourself and your team.
- Leadership & Management: Evidence of leadership and management skills, and an approach to developing others.
- Positive Research Environment: Contributions to fostering a positive research environment and wider community.
- R4RI Modules: Responses structured under:
  - Contributions to new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge.
  - Contributions to the development of others and effective working relationships.
  - Contributions to the wider research and innovation community.
  - Contributions to broader research/innovation users and audiences, and wider societal benefit.
Coordinator Role and Team Capability to Deliver (1,000 words):
- Thought Leadership: Ability to synthesize interdisciplinary information into a compelling narrative and communicate it effectively to relevant stakeholders.
- Team Leadership: Ability to guide and inspire others, maximize potential, and experience leading successful interdisciplinary programs/projects with national impact.
- Strategic Thinking: Focus on maximizing the impact of interdisciplinary research, aptitude for identifying/exploring research opportunities, and decision-making for vision delivery.
- Communication & Engagement Skills: Excellent communication/interpersonal skills, ability to implement comprehensive stakeholder mapping, and skills for effective knowledge exchange.
- Partnership Management Skills: Ability to foster long-term partnerships with private sector and government, develop shared vision, and maintain relationships.
Resources and Cost Justification (1,500 words):
- Comprehensiveness & Appropriateness: All requested resources are fully justified and suitable for the proposed work.
- Optimal Use: Demonstration of how resources will be used optimally to achieve intended outcomes and maximize impact.
- Specific Justifications: Justification for coordinator and project staff, significant travel, communication resources, administrative support, and any unusual consumables.

Compliance & Special Requirements

This grant opportunity comes with several compliance requirements and special considerations to ensure responsible and ethical conduct throughout the project lifecycle. Regulatory Compliance

UKRI Terms and Conditions: All grant holders must comply with standard UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) terms and conditions for funding.
Formal Collaboration Agreements: If an award is made, formal collaboration agreements between all participating organizations will be required.
Modern Slavery Act 2015: Applicants are expected to adhere to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, demonstrating commitment to the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Ethical Standards and Inclusivity

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): UKRI is committed to achieving equality of opportunity. Applications from diverse backgrounds are encouraged, and support is available for individuals with varying personal circumstances, including career breaks, caring responsibilities, flexible working, and disability/accessibility needs.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I): UKRI emphasizes integrity in international collaboration. Applicants may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects comply with TR&I principles, identifying potential risks and mitigation strategies.
Responsible Research: NERC grant holders must adopt responsible research practices as outlined in the NERC responsible business statement, focusing on reducing harm or enhancing benefit to the natural environment, local community, and promoting EDI through research activities.

Data & Intellectual Property

Data Protection: Personal information collected will be handled in line with UK data protection legislation. Applicant data will be shared with co-funders (DfT, DBT, ATI) for assessment purposes.
Intellectual Property (IP): NERC, DfT, and DBT, as funders, will have unrestricted access to the outputs of associated reports and data/outputs in terms of their use and distribution.

Specific Project Requirements

Coordinator Role Exclusivity: The appointed Programme Coordinator and any associated team members will not be eligible to apply for funding through other opportunities within the 'Aviation’s non-CO2 Impacts on the Climate programme'. This is to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure focus on the coordination role.
Virtual First Approach: It is expected that a virtual approach should be taken for most meetings, though in-person meetings are not precluded if justified.
COVID-19 Impact Consideration: Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider any unequal impacts of COVID-19 related disruptions on the applicant's capability and career development.
Generative AI Policy: Use of generative AI tools for preparing funding applications is permitted, but caution is advised. However, generative AI tools are not permitted for use by reviewers and panellists in developing their assessment to protect confidentiality.

Reporting & Accountability

Research Outcomes: Successful applicants are required to report research outcomes on Researchfish annually for up to five years post-grant end.
Funder Access to Information: Funders (NERC, DfT, DBT) will have unrestricted access to reports and outputs.
Mid-Term Review: A formal mid-term meeting with funders will take place (likely late 2026 to early 2027) to review outputs and provide feedback.
Final Reporting: A final report to funders and an end-of-programme meeting will be required in 2028.

Strategic Alignment Opportunities

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the strategic direction and impact of a significant national research program addressing a critical environmental issue (aviation's non-CO2 climate impacts). It involves high-level engagement with academia, industry, and government, including bodies like the Jet Zero Taskforce and Aerospace Growth Partnership.

Grant Details