Overview
NERC is offering £300,000 to £1 million in 100%-FEC proof-of-concept awards for autonomous atmospheric science and environmental aerial systems. The total fund is £4 million.
Complete grant details
The call supports development, integration, deployment and demonstration of autonomous solutions for atmospheric science or autonomous aerial systems for environmental applications. Projects must deliver demonstrator capability, useful environmental data and a route toward wider use and adoption, and must start by 1 February 2027.
Eligibility requirements
The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding. Eligible teams can include researchers, engineers, technicians and specialists. International researchers and organisations may participate as project partners under the official rules but their costs are not funded as international co-leads.
Tips for this grant
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Check eligibility, funding coverage, study/project level and every required document before investing time in the application.
- Prepare transcripts, references, language tests, proposal/motivation statement and proof documents early.
- Separate the scholarship deadline from any university/program admission deadline; they may be different.
- Treat “fully funded” as a source fact only when the official provider explicitly confirms the covered costs.
Verification notes
Reverified on the current UKRI page on 30 August 2026. The call is Open and confirms a £4 million total fund, £300,000–£1 million award range, 100% FEC funding and a 21 October 2026 4:00 PM UK closing time. On that date the UK is on BST, so the deadline is 15:00 UTC.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) / NERC ↗Browse current Job and Scholarship listings from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) / NERC →
