Applying to use NERC's marine facilities
Ship and Marine Equipment (SME) application form
All applicants for NERC marine facilities must submit an online Ship & Marine Equipment (SME) application form by creating a cruise profile through the Marine Facilities Planning website.
Before the online SME application form can be submitted researchers are required to speak to NERC Marine Planning. The primary purpose of this is to provide advice and resolve issues such as ensuring a realistic start date (which will affect cost indexation), inclusion of all relevant costs, confirmation that NERC can supply the required capability, etc, prior to submission of the SME rather than after it. For this purpose, the Marine Planning contact is Beth Woodward.
The responsibility lies with the Principal Scientist to determine if their methodology is feasible and that there is a reasonable likelihood that the facilities will be available within the required timescale. Where there are any concerns the Principal Scientist should contact Beth Woodward.
The Principal Scientist on the SME can be different from the Principal Investigator on any associated grant application, recognising the importance of this role. Guidelines have been developed to provide a clear indication of the expectations that NERC has on anyone undertaking the role of Principal Scientist.
Following submission of an SME confirmation of funding must be added to the cruise profile before it will be considered for a place in the NERC Marine Facilities Programme.
NERC Moorings Policy
If your application includes a request for Mooring Equipment from the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), then from the 1 January 2011 the NERC Moorings Policy will apply. As part of this policy, you are required to submit your risk management form 2 months prior to your funding application deadline.
Deadlines for submitting an SME
Responsive mode - the SME must be submitted by the time the grant application (Je-S) form is submitted. The Cruise Profile number should be included on the form under 'Services and Facilities'. The grant application is not valid if the SME form is not submitted, ie is still at the 'Edit SME' stage.
Please note that SME forms that require costing (eg for large grants) must be submitted at least 2 months before the grant application deadline in order to provide sufficient time for the costing process to be carried out and Marine Planning (Beth Woodward) should be notified of this need:
Large grants - SMEs should be complete and submitted past 'edit' stage by 14 September 2012 for the Large Grants round, but applicants are encouraged to submit SMEs for costing as early as possible.
Research Programmes - SMEs must be submitted by the time the grant application (Je-S) form is submitted and 2 months before any cost information is required. Marine Planning (Beth Woodward) should be notified if the SME requires costing.
National Capability - SMEs can be submitted at any time but if a costing is required should be submitted by 1 February, 2 months before the marine facilities programme deadline. Marine Planning (Beth Woodward) should be notified if the SME requires costing.
The next step: Getting a place in the NERC Marine Facilities Programme
In order to be considered for a place in the NERC Marine Facilities Programme confirmation of funding must be added to the online SME application form/cruise profile by 1 April - the marine facilities programming deadline - if the applicant is to be considered for a slot in the following year's programme; ie if confirmation of funding is added by 1 April 2012 it will be considered for a place in the Financial Year 2013-14 NERC Marine Facilities Programme.
Research grants which are approved for funding after this date will be programmed on an opportunistic basis if possible (if there is a space in the programme), or will be carried over for consideration at the following 1 April programming deadline.
Programming is undertaken according to the NERC prioritisation criteria.
Opportunistic sea time
Application for 'opportunistic sea time' may be made at much shorter notice.
This is defined as being ship-board research which does not require additional ship time (ie which does not delay the normal progress of the ship during a cruise or passage leg).
The opportunistic work must therefore be conducted simultaneously with the objectives of the main research cruise, and must not affect significantly the activities of that cruise.
Such research can often be carried out by NMF Sea Systems/BAS staff, and may not require the presence of the scientist. Where the scientist does require a presence aboard the ship, the demand on scientific berths must be very low. In such cases, applicants should write to NERC and to the principal scientist (if one will be on board), requesting the appropriate support services and co-operation. Such applications should be submitted as soon as possible.
Research grant applicants please note: applicants wishing to take advantage of short-notice time-limited scientific opportunities involving ship time should contact NERC, to discuss whether such an application for research and 'superstructure' costs could be considered under an urgency procedure.