This page provides a sample of some of the types of available research funding in the UK for natural and environmental sciences.
This includes research in climate systems, biodiversity, sustainable use of natural resources, earth systems, natural hazards, environment, pollution and human health, environmental technologies.
The NERC delivers independent research, survey, training and knowledge transfer in the environmental sciences. Their Research Grants schemes provide support for scientists to carry out research projects of international quality. They can cover travel to study at a recognised centre abroad and applicants are encourage to form collaborations between the UK and overseas. Their Postdoctoral Research Fellowship supports environmental scientists as they become independent investigators and can be used as a form of re-establishment in the UK after a period overseas.
The Royal Society is the leading independent scientific body of the UK and the Commonwealth. Their Short Visits to the UK scheme supports a UK scientist to host a visiting overseas scientist. Short Visits from the UK support a UK based scientists travelling abroad. Conference Grants support UK based scientists to either present their own paper/poster or chair a session overseas. Fellowships to the UK from Asia and Fellowships to the UK from USA encourage postdoctoral scientists to undertake research in UK laboratories. University Research Fellowships provide scientists with the opportunity to build an independent research career. Their Joint Project programme provides international collaboration, mobility and bilateral visits between the UK and the country with which the overseas collaborator is based.
The fellowships will be run by the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society to cover the broad range of natural and social science, engineering and the humanities. The fellowships aim to attract the worlds best post-doctoral researchers to Britain for a period of one to two years.
The RGS are a learned society and professional body for geography and provides funding for geographical research at postdoctoral level. Grants are for work in both the UK and overseas. The Gilchrist Educational Trust award supports overseas fieldwork carried out by small teams of university academics and researchers. The Peter Fleming Award is for a geographical research project that seeks to advance geographical science. Thesiger-Oman fellowships fund geographical research in arid regions of the world.
The European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme (FP7) has several themes under its ‘Cooperation’ programme that touch upon natural environment sciences. These include: -
Research proposals in these areas must involve some trans-national cooperation throughout the EU and beyond.
The purpose of the programme is to promote the mobility of European researchers towards the Chinese research and development area. The STF China is the pilot phase of a European Community action offering fellowship positions in China.
The ESF is an association of 77 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. The ESF fund Exploratory Workshops aimed at helping European research teams to exchange knowledge and establish new links Research Network Programmes (RNP) in Medical Sciences lay the foundation for nationally funded research groups to address major scientific and research infrastructure issues.
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