Resilient economy and security through ecosystem transitions grants (Grant)

Apply for funding for research projects under the NERC-Defra co-funded Resilient Economy and Security through Ecosystem Transitions (RESET) programme Projects will improve understanding on how, when and why ecosystems transition, reorganise or collapse, to sustain functions, strengthen economic prosperity, societal resilience and national security. You must be based at an eligible UK research organisation to apply. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2.5 million. We will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding is available for up to three years. You must start by 14 February 2027. Demand management Should the level of interest exceed what can be managed within the application assessment process, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) may introduce limits on the number of applications that can be submitted. Further details will be clearly communicated where this is the case. UKRI encourages organisations to support applicants in preparing well-planned, high-quality applications that are competitive for funding relative to the funding opportunity. Resilient economy and security through ecosystem transitions: strategic research projects This funding opportunity is part of the Resilient Economy and Security through Ecosystem Transitions (RESET) programme. The programme is co-funded, co-designed and co-delivered by NERC and Defra. It has also received wider UKRI and disciplinary input throughout its development.The RESET programme vision is to generate the knowledge, evidence, tools and approaches needed to anticipate and respond to ecosystem transitions at local to global scales. RESET will deliver understanding of how ecosystem change affects resilience, security and prosperity, and will support decisions and actions that sustain ecosystem functions, strengthen economic prosperity, societal resilience and national security.The RESET programme will consist of five activities across strategic research, international partnerships, policy-facing research and a programme hub. These are: • programme hub: knowledge synthesis and integration across RESET and agile response to policy (Defra led) • strategic research projects: this funding opportunity (NERC led) • joint international research projects: UK participation in Biodiversa+2026-27 joint funding opportunity (NERC led) • nature security research project: UK security risks and resilience through global ecosystem change (Defra led) • ecosystem function and resilience sandboxes (Defra led) Aim This funding opportunity will fund interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research on UK and international ecosystems. It will generate new understanding of: • how, when and why ecosystems transition, reorganise or collapse, and how those transitions affect ecosystem functions and resilience • how these changes affect economic prosperity, national security, and wider societal outcomes, and • how transitions can be managed to minimise risks to people and society The research projects awarded by this funding opportunity are expected to generate evidence, methods and models that can be drawn upon by the hub and other activities within the RESET programme. Synthesised evidence, tools and case studies generated by the programme will be used to inform UK and international action on biodiversity. Scope Ecosystems in the UK and around the world are undergoing change at unprecedented rates as climate change and other anthropogenic drivers are altering their biotic and abiotic composition. Population declines, extinctions, species introductions, shifting trophic interactions, and changes in species composition and ranges are leading to the emergence of ‘novel ecosystems’, with no historical analogues. Novel ecosystems may be defined as “a system of abiotic, biotic and social components (and their interactions) that, by virtue of human influence, differ from those that prevailed historically, having an inherent tendency to self-organize, and manifest novel qualities without intensive human management” ( Hobbs et al 2013 ). When ecosystems change there can be both positive and negative consequences for ecosystem functions, assets, and services.Changes in species composition and shifts in abiotic conditions can lead to disruption of stable emergent properties, ecosystem function, and overall ecosystem resilience. As the pace of environmental change increases, ecosystems may no longer maintain crucial functions and services on which we depend such as water purification, nutrient cycling or carbon sequestration. Such changes could be slow or rapid, and result in subtly different or radically altered states or systems.Economic growth and security depend on sustainable and resilient ecosystems. Unexpected and unmanaged change within these ecosystems causes transitions to novel states putting these dependencies at risk. Understanding and predicting likely transitions, and emergence of novel ecosystems is key to informing near-future approaches to management designed to support the resi

This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility, and organisations who are based overseas. Check if your organisation is eligible . Who is eligible to apply This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals. We: • encourage multidisciplinary research and collaborations with other UK organisations • welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to NERC eligibility criteria The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding . This includes eligible public sector research establishments and independent research organisations. Project leads agree to participate in the distributed peer review (DPR) process to assess applications submitted to this funding opportunity. See the ‘How we will assess your application’ section for details. Project leads will be required to nominate team members to participate in this process according to their suitability and availability. Project leads should not apply to this funding opportunity if they cannot participate in the DPR process. There is no limit to the number of project co-leads per application, but it must be clear from the application what unique contribution each project co-lead will make to the success of the proposed project. Other ways different organisations can be involved include: • project partners: people who will not receive funding directly from the award but will have an integral role in the proposed project. Minor directly incurred costs, such as some travel costs, are acceptable • subcontractors: people responsible for providing a service only Defra should not be included as a project partner as they are co-funders of this programme. Defra’s arm’s length bodies who are approved UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) public sector research establishments are eligible to apply to this funding opportunity provided that they meet the wider UKRI eligibility for funding criteria. International researchers As NERC is the lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’, subject to the eligibility criteria set out in the NERC eligibility guidance for applicants . You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. This includes organisations from the business or financial sectors. Who is not eligible to apply You may be involved in no more than two applications submitted to this funding opportunity and the related RESET Hub funding opportunity. Only one of these can be as a project lead. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: • career breaks • support for people with caring responsibilities • flexible working • alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. Find out more about NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan .

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service: https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1320/apply/1348 There are two stages to apply for this UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding opportunity: • notification of intent • full application Notification of intent There is a non-mandatory notification of intent (NoI) stage for this funding opportunity. To submit an NoI, you should complete the NoI form by 16 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. The NoI form requests the basic details of your proposed project team and a brief summary of your research project. This information will not be assessed but will be used to inform assessment preparations. No content submitted by you as part of the NoI stage is considered final. Therefore, the project lead may change, as can the project co-leads, project partners and wider consortium members be added, and removed at the full submission stage. Your proposed research project area is permitted to change significantly as your application is prepared and ultimately submitted at the full submission stage. You will receive an automated email acknowledgement once you have submitted your NoI form details. There is no requirement to submit NoI in order to submit your full application. Full application We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service so ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. Watch our recording on how to apply for an opportunity in the Funding Service (YouTube) . To apply Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page. • Confirm you are the project lead. • Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. • Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section on this Funding finder page. • Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. • Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. • Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all funding opportunity requirements lies with you (the applicant). Where indicated, you can also demons