NERC/ESRC Improve Understanding of the Economics of Biodiversity Call Open to Applications

The new Improve Understanding of the Economics of Biodiversity Call is jointly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). A portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects is sought across the environmental, economic and social sciences to advance research in the economics of biodiversity.

This opportunity is supported under the Economics of Biodiversity programme, which aims to inform decision-making by addressing critical gaps in current understanding of the economic values, benefits and costs that society associates with and derives from biodiversity. Biodiversity comprises all living components in ecosystems and is a core element of the natural world.

The programme will explore how economies are embedded in nature and how nature and biodiversity are integrated into economic models and decision-making processes by:

• Examining how multiple pluralistic values associated with biodiversity are captured, derived, applied and utilised.
• Investigating the ways in which socioeconomic and ecological systems are interlinked or coupled, and how this can help build and maintain resilience of these systems in response to increasing disturbances.
• Exploring how different evidence-based biodiversity valuation methods (including those beyond monetary valuations) can be embedded within mainstream local and national decision making in the UK, while also reflecting upon the needs of future generations and meeting global biodiversity and development targets.

Projects will generate new and harness existing data and evidence. They will work with stakeholders to inform the types of interventions required to maintain, enhance and optimise biodiversity and its value in supporting human activities in highly interconnected socioeconomic and ecological systems.

Projects must address at least one of the following three research themes:

• Theme one: biodiversity values in decision making.
• Theme two: biodiversity, natural capital and resilience.
• Theme three: management tools for decision-makers.

Proposals must be interdisciplinary by exploring and capitalising on different disciplines to inform research and catalyse changes in real-word decision-making. The interdisciplinary approach must bring together different disciplines represented by the NERC and ESRC remits. (Proposals that only involve collaboration between researchers within the remit of a single research council will not receive funding.)

This opportunity is open to organisations in the UK that are eligible for NERC research grant funding, such as higher education institutions, research council institutes (RCIs), independent research organisations (IROs) and public sector research establishments (PSREs) approved by NERC.

Normal individual eligibility rules apply (ie must be resident in the UK, at lecturer (or equivalent) level or above, and based in a UK higher education institution, RCI, IRO or PSRE approved by NERC).

The total call budget is provisionally £4 million. The maximum funding per project is £1 million (100% full economic cost) with a duration of up to three years. Up to £800,000 per project will be funded (80% of the project’s full economic cost). Projects should start no later than 1 August 2022.

There is a two-stage assessment process for this call: Notification of Intent and full proposal. Full proposals submitted without a prior Notification of Intent will be rejected. The Notification of Intent deadline is 7 January 2022 (16:00); the full proposal deadline is 15 February 2022 (16:00).