Our site is using cookies to record anonymous visitor statistics and enhance your user experience.   OK | Find out more

Natural Environment Research Council Home
Skip to content

Theme action plans - Phase 1

28 July 2008

In November 2007, NERC launched its new strategy, Next Generation Science for Planet Earth.

NERC's strategic goal is to deliver world-leading environmental research at the frontiers of knowledge:

  • enabling society to respond urgently to global climate change and the increasing pressures on natural resources,
  • contributing to UK leadership in predicting the regional and local impacts of environmental change from days to decades, and
  • creating and supporting vibrant, integrated research communities.

NERC has identified seven themes under which its science will fall:

  • Climate system
  • Biodiversity
  • Environment, pollution and human health
  • Sustainable use of natural resources
  • Natural hazards
  • Earth system science
  • Technologies

We have appointed theme leaders who have developed theme action plans. These help us identify the strategic research we need to invest in to deliver the challenges set out in the new strategy. (Described in detail in the Theme Reports.)

To complement the strategic research funded through the science themes, NERC continues to provide strong support for responsive research and training.

NERC's governing Council approved the first phase of the theme action plans in July 2008; short summaries of the approved actions are now available. Like the strategy itself, the theme action plans will be updated annually. Over the coming months, NERC will start putting into action the new activities set out in the plans, investing approximately £53m over the next few years.

NERC engaged with the research community and stakeholders to develop the theme action plans. In the coming months, we will explore partnerships for many of the activities set out in the plans.

We will publish the full first phase theme action plans in September.

NERC will start several new large-scale research programmes. These include:

  • Changing Water Cycle (approximately £11m),
  • Ocean Acidification (approximately £7m),
  • Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) (approximately £10m),
  • Storm Risk Mitigation (approximately £5m).

We will also develop several smaller research programmes, as well as capacity building and start-up initiatives. These include:

  • An Environmental Nanoscience research programme, which will study the environmental impacts of nanoparticles in water, soils and air,
  • Quantifying uncertainty in predictions of regional and local climate change and climate impacts,
  • Carbon capture and storage, focusing on the sustainability of CO2 sequestration,
  • Understanding the consequences of using land for renewable energy production.
  • A number of joint posts to support the proposed Joint Climate Research Programme with the Met Office.

A number of scoping studies will also start, with a view to leading to the proposal of larger investments in future theme action plans.

Briefing note: 08/08

Related links

 

Press links

 

Recent press news