Overall Description

Research Infrastructure Renewal is an upcoming funding opportunity from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It provides targeted capital investment to renew, replace and enhance existing research infrastructure and facility capabilities for environmental science.

The investment is intended to maintain and strengthen nationally important research capabilities that are accessible to the wider environmental science community, ensuring continued access to the facilities, infrastructure and services required for world-class research and innovation.

Funding Amount

• NERC will normally accept applications requesting:
  • Minimum award: £300,000
  • Maximum award: £1 million
  • Funding rate: 100% of the project's full economic cost (FEC).
• In exceptional circumstances, applicants wishing to request an amount outside the £300,000–£1 million range must contact NERC and obtain approval before submitting the application. Requests for such exceptions must be made by 21 September 2026.
• Awards can last between 3 and 12 months. Projects must commence by 1 February 2027, and NERC expects most expenditure to occur before 31 March 2027.
• The total funding available is £8 million.

Submission Deadlines

The application period is:

• Opening: 18 August 2026 at 09:00 UK time;
• Deadline: 21 October 2026 at 16:00 UK time.

Applications cannot be submitted after the deadline. Applicants should also take account of any earlier internal deadlines established by their research organisation.

Submission Conditions

• Applications must be submitted through the UKRI Funding Service. Applications cannot be submitted through the former Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
• The project lead completes the application, but only the lead research organisation can formally submit it to UKRI. The completed application must therefore first be sent to the organisation's research office for checking and submission.
• Applications must be submitted on behalf of the infrastructure, facility, platform or capability receiving the investment, rather than on behalf of an individual research project or research group.
• NERC expects one coordinated application from each infrastructure, facility, platform or capability seeking investment. Each individual based at an eligible organisation may submit only one application as project lead and one as project co-lead.
• Applicants must demonstrate that:
  • The infrastructure is accessible to and provides significant benefit for the wider environmental science community beyond the host institution;
  • There is a clear plan for community access and use;
  • The proposed investment is sufficiently mature and deliverable within the required timeframe;
  • Procurement and implementation arrangements are compatible with the funding timetable.

Eligible Types of Applicants

Eligible applicants include individuals based at UK research organisations that are eligible for UKRI funding, including:

• Higher education institutions (HEIs);
• Independent research organisations (IROs);
• Research council institutes;
• Public sector research establishments (PSREs);
• Other UK research organisations recognised as eligible for UKRI funding.

Applications are submitted on behalf of the research infrastructure, facility, platform or capability receiving the investment. The infrastructure should provide significant benefit and access to the wider environmental science community beyond its host organisation.

Eligible Countries

• United Kingdom.
• Applicants must be based at an eligible UK research organisation and the organisation must meet standard UKRI eligibility requirements.