NERC Pre-Announcement – Integrating Finance and Biodiversity for a Nature Positive Future

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has announced details of a future funding call entitled Integrating Finance and Biodiversity for a Nature Positive Future to create research networks to integrate finance and biodiversity for the future of nature.

Funding will be available to:

• Develop research networks that will convene and catalyse a multi-stakeholder community.
• Support proof of concept projects to explore the gaps and integration between the financial system and biodiversity.

This call will be the first phase of a new £5 million four-year interdisciplinary Nature Positive Future (NPF) programme aimed at aligning financial decision-making with the value of biodiversity.

Projects are required to have a Principal Investigator based in a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding (ie approved higher education institutions, research council institutes, independent research organisations and public sector research establishments). NERC individual eligibility rules apply (refer to Section C of the NERC research grant and fellowships handbook).

The scheme’s total budget is expected to be £1.5 million. The full economic cost of the project can be up to £150,000. NERC will fund 80% of the full economic cost. Projects must last for 12 months.

NERC will allocate up to £250,000 for a coordinating and integration function for successful phase one awards. Phase two will consist of a wider hub and spoke network(s). A further £3.5 million over three years will be available for the second phase.

The call is expected to open in May 2022 and a webinar will take place in June. The application deadline will be in July 2022 and the award start date will be in January 2023.