NERC - Specific Requirements

Contents:

- Antarctic Logistics Support

- Reference

- Head of Department Statement

Research Programme Fellowship Scheme

Responsive Mode Fellowship Scheme (Independent Research Fellowship Call)

Each application must be accompanied by a case for support. Further details of what is required in the case for support can be found in the handbook (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/application/howtoapply/forms/grantshandbook.pdf) for NERC responsive mode fellowships (Independent Research Fellowships) and in the individual Announcement of Opportunity for research programme fellowships. The supporting case must not exceed:

• Eight sides of A4, (including figures and references) for research programme fellowships
  

• Ten sides of A4 (including figures and references) for responsive mode – NERC independent research fellowships.

Further details are available here http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/application/howtoapply/#xcollapse1

All attachments must be printed in single-spaced typescript of minimum font size 11 point (Arial font or equivalent), with margins of at least 2cm

References, annotations, and text within graphs and tables must also be minimum font size 11 point. Photo-reduced type must not be used. Applicants should avoid the use of colour graphs or pictures, which will not be reproduced in colour for referees. Any proposal in which the attachments do not comply with these specifications will be rejected

Please ensure that all pages in any attachment accompanying an application are sequentially numbered.

Antarctic Logistics Support

Applicants who have submitted the Preliminary Request for Antarctic Logistic Support form to BAS and have been given approval to submit a full application to NERC by the logistics panel must attach the form, as supplied with the approval reference identifier in the header, to their full proposal.

Please note that the Preliminary Request for Antarctic Logistics Support form does not get sent out to Peer Review, but is used by BAS for their logistic planning.

The approved Preliminary Requests for Antarctic Logistic Support will only be valid for a 12 month period from the date of application to BAS. Therefore, if you have received approval for logistic support and your Fellowship application is unsuccessful you will have to submit another Preliminary Request for Antarctic Logistic Support form to BAS, if you wish to submit a Fellowship application requesting Antarctic logistic support.

Any applications that request Antarctic Logistic Support and attach the Preliminary Request for Antarctic Logistics Support form without having received prior approval will not be accepted by NERC.

Reference:

For those Schemes that require confidential personal references to be submitted with the application, the submitting organisation is responsible for attaching the references prior to submitting the proposal to NERC.  The submitting organisation will need to provide the applicant with details of a contact, who should be in the appropriate Submitter or Approver pool, which they can pass to their personal referees. The referees should then send their references to that contact for them to attach to the proposal.

Personal references MUST be attached as document type ‘Reference’, otherwise they will not be confidential.

Back to top

Head of Department Statement:

In order to demonstrate a commitment to the development of NERC Independent Research Fellowships the Head of Department of the host institution will be required to outline:

• Institutional support available, including infrastructure and facilities;

• Support for personal development of the fellow, including mentoring, annual review, training courses;

• Access to start up or travel funds and possibility of PhD students.

• Justification for a higher than average starting salary.

The Head of Department Statement is attached by the submitter or approver, but the applicant should have visibility of the final statement (i.e. should be sent a copy of the final version).

Back to top

Back to General Guidance