Peer Review College

Guidelines on the attributes we look for in potential College members

Although NERC has few fixed criteria for College membership, we are providing additional guidelines to help potential applicants/nominators decide on their/their nominee's suitability for membership.

Essential criteria for membership

Members should:

Be based in the UK.
Be research active (unless applying as an affiliate) and held in high esteem by their peers.
Have the ability to provide unbiased, objective, fair and detailed assessments of grant proposals.
Be able to commit sufficient time to the College to review proposals and attend panel meetings.
Be reliable and prepared to keep in regular contact with NERC.
Recent (within the last five years) experience of applying for and holding Research Council grants or equivalent funding from other bodies in the UK or abroad (unless applying as an affiliate).

Desirable attributes for membership

It is desirable for potential College members to have:

Experience of reviewing proposals for NERC and/or other funding organisations.
A strong publication and citations record (unless applying for affiliate membership).
Experience of leading a substantial research project, with responsibility for the overall management of the research and related activities. For affiliate members, experience of managing projects and people.
The ability to assess multidisciplinary proposals and those outside their main area of specialism.
Broad awareness of NERC activities and funding assessment processes.
Experience of supervising PhD students (unless applying for affiliate membership).
Involvement in knowledge exchange (KE) with research users and/or an appreciation of the importance of demonstrating the impact of NERC-funded research and the mechanisms by which this may be achieved. For affiliate members, involvement in KE with the research base.
Other experience; eg membership of review committees for other funding organisations, editorship of scientific journals, membership of relevant national or international advisory committees, acting as an external examiner.

Additional guidelines for affiliate membership

In addition, it is desirable for affiliate members to have:

Experience of involvement in the use of the results of research.
Experience of commissioning or overseeing research activities.
Undertaken policy-making, business or regulatory activities.
A broad overview of environmental research and the needs of their user community.
An appreciation of mechanisms for collaboration, engagement and KE between the research base and those who make use of research outcomes.