UK International Ocean Drilling

Application Platform: UKRI Funding Service

Application Sections: Summary, vision, approach, applicant and team capability to deliver, ethics and responsible research and innovation, project partners, facilities, data management and sharing, and resources and cost justification.

Assessment Process: Applications are assessed by an expert panel based on vision, approach, applicant and team capability to deliver, and responsible research considerations.

Co-Funders: Not specified

Collaboration Rules: Multidisciplinary research and collaboration with other UK organisations is encouraged.

Competitiveness: Not specified

Consortium Requirements: Not specified

Decision Risks: Applications may be rejected if they do not follow guidance, fail eligibility requirements or fall outside the programme scope.

Decision Timeline: Not specified

Eligible Expenses: Facilities costs, cruise costs and costs associated with site survey investigations and data processing.

Eligible Scope: Projects must support development of proposals for ocean drilling expeditions through ship borne geophysical surveys or virtual processing of existing geophysical data to characterise potential drilling sites.

Funding Intensity: NERC funds 80% of the full economic cost of the project.

Important Notes: The funding supports development of UK led scientific ocean drilling proposals aligned with the International Ocean Drilling Programme strategy.

Ineligible Projects: PhD studentship costs and requests for equipment costing £25,000 or more.

International Collaboration Requirement: International collaborators may participate as project partners but normally fund their own involvement, with only minor incidental costs supported where necessary.

Interview Stage: Not specified

Key Requirements: Applicants must have submitted a proposal or pre proposal for a drilling expedition through the IODP3 Gateway system and the project must support development of that expedition proposal.

Lead Organisation Requirement: The project lead must be based at an eligible UK research organisation.

Match Funding Requirement: No institutional matched funding required beyond the remaining 20% full economic cost contribution.

Project Duration: Up to 24 months

Project End Date: Not specified

Project Start Date: Not specified

Publication Date: 2025-08-22 00:00:00

Renewal Rules: Applicants may be involved in a maximum of two applications to this opportunity and only one may be as project lead.

Research Category: Environmental and Earth science research.

Research Organisation Funding: Funding is awarded to eligible UK research organisations under the full economic cost model.

Subcontractors: Not specified

Total Fund Available: £800,000