National capability
National capability enables the UK to deliver world-leading environmental science, support national strategic needs, and respond to emergencies. It includes the research and development activities which keeps this capability at the cutting edge.
NERC provides national capability by supporting:
- Environmental surveys and monitoring
- Shared services and facilities
- Skills and expertise
- Research infrastructure
- Related training and knowledge exchange
NERC research centres and other service and facilities providers play a leading role for the UK in managing and delivering this capability. It is mainly about long-term investment and will rarely be subject to open competition.
In the Chancellor's 2012 autumn statement, RCUK was allocated £484m to invest in research capital to ensure the future sustainability of UK research competitiveness.
£36·1m of this was allocated to NERC to support its world-class environmental research. This capital funding will be invested across a range of scientific areas including:
Further details of how NERC and the other research councils will invest in the capability that will underpin future scientific research are outlined in the RCUK Strategic Framework for Capital Investment 
.