Funding Opportunity: Global Centers in Clean Energy and Climate Change (UK)

Deadline: 11-May-23

Apply for funding to support new cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, use-inspired research on clean energy and climate change through international partnerships fostering novel breakthroughs or informing policy.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is able to support Global Centers Implementation ‘Track-1’ awards focused on clean energy and climate change topics.

UKRI funding for this opportunity will be utilised to create an ecosystem of global centres which thrive on international partnership. Specifically funding is available for UK based researchers to create partnerships which must contain a partner in the US and could also include partners in Canada or Australia. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding.

UKRI Scope

• UKRI has identified priority areas which it encourages potential participants within the UK research and innovation community to consider.
• UKRI is particularly interested in supporting interdisciplinary research and innovation in the solutions which will be needed to overcome the last 20% of emissions they do not yet have a pathway to mitigate.
• These solutions must be developed and de-risked now to enable deployment in the 2030s and collaboration internally is key to delivering their outcomes. The UK has enshrined in law a binding target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and 78% emissions reduction by 2035.
• A requirement of the UKRI funding for this opportunity is that the UK component of the global centres proposal must be at least 65% focused on delivering clean energy solutions. UK proposals can either focus on clean energy or clean energy and climate change solutions.
• These themes include cross cutting considerations:
  • the sustainability and circularity of the solutions proposed
  • solutions need to be able to be implemented in a warmer climate with more extreme weather patterns
  • energy demand reduction opportunities as energy efficiency and usage behaviours (green choices and green behaviours) will change as they decarbonise
  • systems considerations
  • solutions that also secure co-benefits such as enhanced biodiversity, resilient ecosystem services, improved air quality, health, and supply chain resilience for example
• Clean energy theme

• UKRI has identified 4 priority areas which they are particularly interested in seeing ideas in:
  • negative emission technologies
  • systems approaches to tackling the ‘final 20%’
  • targeting the difficult to decarbonise
  • removing the barriers to uptake of solutions
• Priority area 1: negative emissions technologies
  • This priority will focus on the discovery and development of new negative emissions technologies (NETs) which are able to remove harmful pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere at low concentrations.
  • NETs are mechanisms for the absorption and storage of carbon and other atmospheric GHGs. They are considered to be key to attaining net zero carbon emissions by removing GHGs from the atmosphere. It is anticipated that they could play a major role in decarbonising energy-intensive industries, such as agriculture and cement production.
  • There are uncertainties and concerns regarding the use of NETs, such as the ability to develop and deploy NETs at scale, and the wider ecological impacts of NETs.
  • This priority will include consideration of the next generation of negative emissions technologies including bioenergy (for example: bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) and direct air carbon capture and storage.
  • To support NETs development, work will need to be undertaken to understand the efficiency, economics, environmental impacts of NETs, and the public perception around climate change and NETs. Research into new policy, standards and regulatory recommendations will be needed to support the advancement of this area. It will also be important to explore the interactions between nature-based solutions and NETs.
  • For instance, this priority could address the development of new negative emissions technologies (across the spectrum of biosciences, engineering and physical sciences disciplines) which would provide a suite of options for deployment. Through the development, the environmental impacts and the economics would be considered and be a key part in the development of a suite of solutions that could be deployed.
• Priority area 2: systems approaches to tackling the ‘final 20%’
  • This priority will ensure the adoption of a systems approach, whereby technologies, behaviours and interactions are at the forefront of achieving the final 20% of emission reduction.
  • Whole system modelling is key to enable informed decisions to optimise the system which has benefits in terms of resilience, sustainability, and both environmental and economic outcomes (to varying degrees) through the consideration of social, environmental, economic, technological, regulatory, political, and legal factors.
  • There is potential to focus on:
    • consumer acceptance and behaviourial practices of net zero solutions
    • design approaches to net zero
    • development of circular systems and industrial symbiosis and understanding of the benefits and trade-offs they bring
    • exploring the unintended consequences of deployment plans and the impact on the wider system, which can inform the research needed to tackle the last 20%
    • infrastructure planning to avoid baking in further patterns resulting in future emissions
    • new policy, standards and regulatory solutions
    • systems integration considerations, considering the solutions in the context of the wider systems
    • the role of local in terms of communities driving change
    • the role of local in terms of local energy systems, local manufacturing etc.
    • the role of local in terms of local reuse and local remanufacturing reducing consumption and embodied emissions
    • the technology coupling requirements based on the solutions currently being developed
    • understanding of sustainable and equitable low-carbon behavioural practices for sustainable living and a just transition
  • For instance, this priority could see activities focused on considering the system requirements for tackling the last 20% of emissions, considering the social, environmental, economic, technological, regulatory, political, and legal factors. Activities could consider existing and proposed solutions and the impact of deployment at scale, and the system implications and trade-offs based on the options identified.
• Priority area 3: targeting the difficult to decarbonise
  • This priority will focus on the hardest to abate areas (heavy industry and heavy-duty transport, and the agri-food system) and securing decarbonisation and emissions reduction in the critical industries.
  • There are still significant research challenges in these areas. There is established need to work on the gaps in existing research to tackle the hardest challenges where finding value for money solutions or alternatives that work at scale is vital to achieving net zero. These challenges include aviation and maritime, emissions from the agri-food system, chemical production, manufacture of cement, steel, glass, paper, and heating and cooling of buildings.
  • There are also opportunities to consider other GHG reduction or removal approaches that could deliver the lowering of emissions needed to reach the UK’s net zero 2050 target.
  • Research opportunities to consider include:
    • addressing consumer acceptance and behaviourial practices of net zero solutions
    • design approaches to net zero
    • green choices and green behaviours
    • land-based decision making
    • new technological solutions for the heating and cooling of buildings, maximising the value of existing building stock
    • new policy, standards and regulatory solutions
    • novel materials discovery, transforming existing approaches and industries
    • reducing consumption and increasing resource efficiency through circular approaches and more sustainable manufacturing
    • reducing food waste
    • reducing land-based and agricultural emissions
    • substituting petrochemical process and products with those derived from biotechnology, covering the concept of ‘biorefining’ for the manufacture of materials, chemicals and energy carriers
    • understanding of sustainable and equitable low-carbon behavioural practices for sustainable living and a just transition
  • For instance, this priority could see sector-specific activities focused on identifying the research challenges that need to be addressed to reach decarbonisation targets and lowering of emissions needed to meet global targets.
  • For example, focusing on emissions from meat and land food production, could see suggestions for changes in approaches to production that would reduce embodied emissions. There may be activities focused here on capturing and creating value from emissions from current production approaches such as those covered by ‘biorefining’.
• Priority area 4: removing the barriers to uptake of solutions
  • This priority will ensure they focus on addressing the barriers to uptake through green choices and green behaviours, to technological and scientific solutions to barriers to current approaches which require further scientific exploration to maximise the potential value and impact of deployment of these interventions.
  • The majority of the technical solutions for achieving net zero are already available but they are expensive or deliver poor performance. Work is needed to improve the uptake of existing technologies through research and development to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
  • This could focus on improving efficiency of heat pumps, developing low-powered computing solutions, and investigating business models including life-cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis, alongside policy, legislative and regulatory drivers to increase uptake of existing solutions.
  • For instance, this priority could see activities focused on understanding the adoption and uptake of existing solutions and understanding the barriers that need to be addressed. This could also see consideration of small-scale demonstration activities such as living labs which see solutions being used in public to explore social patterns and the impacts.
• Climate change theme
  • In this opportunity, for UKRI funded projects, the term ‘climate change’ is used to encompass areas such as improving the resilience and sustainability of the natural and physical environment and society to climate change, to biodiversity conservation and protection. It is also used to cover the adaptation of ecosystem services, to the use of innovative (AI) and data science approaches as well as the development of new technologies for solutions in the face of a changing climate.
  • This will have an emphasis on ‘use inspired research’ and foreseeable benefits to society resulting from the project outcome. It will support international interdisciplinary collaborations to improve the resilience and sustainability of the natural and physical environment and society to climate change.
  • These ‘use inspired’ challenges recognise that the environment is both a source and a sink of GHG and the ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, leading to land degradation and loss in biodiversity and ecosystem services.
  • There is a need for integrated solutions in the face of a changing climate and they encourage the use of innovative AI and data science approaches as well as the development of new technologies.
  • As such, they are keen to encourage UK participation in the following areas listed in the NSF solicitation:
    • biodiversity protection, conservation, restoration
    • building knowledge and guidance into best practice and policy
    • circular bioeconomy for food, feed, energy, and products
    • climate ready, resilient agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries
    • climate-ready resilient cities and infrastructures
    • food and water resources and security on the changing planet
    • economics, policy, social sciences for climate-resilience solutions
    • ecosystem health and restoration
    • engineered and nature-based contributions to reducing and repairing the impact (past and future) of human activities on the natural environment
    • green or blue infrastructures
    • interplay of engineered solutions to natured based solutions
    • sustainable and resilient solutions to complex physical systems coupled with digital systems
    • transport resilience in the changing planet

Funding Tracks

• In the framework of this opportunity, UKRI is currently only able to support Global Centers partnerships which fit within the scope of the NSF solicitation category of ‘Track-1’ awards which will be focused on clean energy and climate change topics. However, subject to budget availability, UKRI may be able to support community-driven Global Center design ‘Track-2’ awards focused on clean energy and climate change topics.
• UK applicants interested in ‘Track-2’ awards should check this page which will be updated periodically to reflect UKRI’s position with this funding route.
  • Track-1: Global Center implementation
    • This route will support proposals to advance use-inspired research in climate change or clean energy that involve US teams supported by NSF, in collaboration with research teams supported by funding agencies based in Australia, Canada, or the UK.
    • UKRI is allocating up to £18 million over 5 years to support activities of eligible researchers across supported projects under this funding route. The UKRI-supported elements of Global Centers implementation ‘Track-1’ awards are expected to be up to 5 years in duration. Number of successful awards are subject to the availability of funds. UKRI expects to support the UK-components of between 3 to 5 Global Centers.
    • Due to the nature of this investment, additional reporting requirements and conditions may be applied to this investment. This will be reflected in the grant additional conditions, and those funded will need to comply with them.
    • ‘Track-1’ projects can be up to 5 years in duration and must start between 1 October 2023 and 31 December 2023. There will likely be a grant condition on end date to align with the 5-year maximum duration of ‘Track-1’ projects.
  • Track-2: community-driven Global Center design
    • Subject to budget availability, UKRI may be able to support community-driven Global Center design ‘Track-2’ awards focused on clean energy and climate change topics.
    • UK applicants interested in ‘Track-2’ awards should check this page which will be updated periodically to reflect UKRI’s position with this funding route.

Funding Information

• UKRI has up to £18 million available to fund a number of projects under this opportunity.
• The full economic cost of ‘Track-1’ projects can be up to £6,250,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost. ‘Track-1’ projects can be up to 5 years in duration and must start between 1 October 2023 and 31 December 2023.
• There will likely be a grant condition on end date to align with the 5-year maximum duration of ‘Track-1’ projects. Number of successful awards are subject to the availability of funds. UKRI expects to support the UK-components of between 3 to 5 Global Centers.
• Equipment over £10,000 in value (including VAT) is not available through this opportunity.  Smaller items of equipment (individually under £10,000) should be in the ‘directly incurred: other costs’ heading.

Eligibility Criteria

• The US’s NSF leads this collaboration which has been developed with:
  • UK: UKRI
  • Canada: NSERC and SSHRC
  • Australia: CSIRO
• The UK element of the project is open to research groups and individuals.
• Eligible organisations are:
  • UK higher education institutions
  • research council institutes
  • UKRI-approved independent research organisations
  • eligible public sector research establishments
  • eligible research and technology organisations
  • NHS bodies with research capacity
• Investigators must be academic employees, lecturer or equivalent, of an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK. Any fellows holding fellowships aimed primarily at the postdoctoral level are not eligible to apply.
• Submissions to this funding opportunity will not count towards any UKRI-specific demand management policies.
• Please note that UK applicants can be named investigators in a maximum of 2 proposals but named as a principal investigator on only 1 proposal.
• NSF principal investigators partnering with UK-based researchers must appoint a UK-based researcher who is eligible to receive funds from UKRI to act as the lead UK investigator (the UK principal investigator) on the UK portion of the grant. Additional UK researchers may join as co-investigators.
• Partnerships must be interdisciplinary and can involve researchers who are in any field of the:
  • social sciences
  • humanities
  • natural sciences
  • engineering and physical sciences
  • biotechnological and biological sciences
• A requirement of the UKRI funding for this opportunity is that the UK component of the global centres proposal must be at least 65% focused on delivering clean energy solutions. UK proposals can either focus on clean energy or clean energy and climate change solutions.
• Proposals with UKRI as an agency partner must additionally submit an application package to UKRI. This is alongside the NSF package and is purely for administrative purposes to assess the eligibility of the project team and will not be subject to further peer review or other assessment by UKRI.
• Irrespective of the composition of the research team, the UK members of the team must submit only 1 package to UKRI.

For more information, visit UK Research and Innovation.