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Flexible Funds

Do you have a transdisciplinary idea concerning AMR and climate change that could benefit from a small grant? As a UKRI Tackling Infections network, CLIMAR has £147,500 ringfenced within its UKRI budget for flexible funds.

Please note: you must be based in an institution eligible to receive UKRI funding in order to apply.

 

 

 

What are we looking for?

Your proposal must:

 

 

 

The application process

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the maximum amount per grant, and is there a limit on its length?

Projects can be worth up to £30,729, awarded at 80% fEC, equivalent to £24,583. Funds are awarded by UKRI upon completion of the project.

A maximum of six proposals will be funded.Funded proposals have a maximum of 12 months in terms of duration. It is evisaged that these will start in 2027.  Projects cannot be extended beyond 31 December 2027.

​What is CLIMAR’s vision?

 

To examine the relationships between AMR, climate change and anthropogenic pollution facilitated by transdisciplinary approaches and informed by cross-sectoral/cross-network knowledge exchange.

 

What do you mean by ‘transdisciplinary’?

 

Research that transgresses boundaries between disciplinary knowledge or integrates different bodies of knowledge and actively co-creates knowledge between academic and societal partners such as policy makers or business.

 

What do you mean by ‘impactful’?

 

An effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia (UKRI).

What do you mean by ‘published output’?

 

A product of the research that has undergone a form of peer review or scrutiny, or which reaches a potential audience. Academic publications, online articles, media interviews, datasets, policy briefs, exhibitions, performances…

What do you mean by ‘ECR’?

 

We are following the definition of an Early Career Researcher as part of this particular UKRI funding call (viewable here), which is:

For the purposes of this funding opportunity, an academic early career researcher is an individual who has yet to achieve independence, having not established their own research group. Non-academic early career researchers are those who consider themselves early career and occupy a non-senior role.

There are no eligibility rules based on years of postdoctoral experience. Early career researchers can hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship, or be in another research staff position.

Can some of the funds be used to subcontract international organisations/partners’?

 

Under UKRI Ts and Cs,  projects involving overseas-incurred costs, including via international collaborators, are not permitted.

But international collaborators can provide in-kind contributions, or utilise other funding.

 

Who are on CLIMAR’s Evaluation Panels?

 

The Expression of Interest panel is formed from the CLIMAR leadership team, the Network Manager, and 1 ECR from within the network. The full Evaluation panel features the CLIMAR leadership team, CLIMAR Steering Group members, 1 ECR from within the Network, and a member of the Planetary Health Alliance.

 

How are you addressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in your process?

 

Following the good practice modelled by the ACCESS Network, we are taking the following measures:

  • We’re aiming to reduce bias: All EoIs will be anonymised before being sent to the Evaluation Pool.
  • We are involving CLIMAR members with reduced funding opportunities: Early Career Researchers, who due to their junior status within academia are less likely to secure large sums of funding, are involved in both the proposal criteria and the evaluation process.
  • We are promoting inclusion: Please see CLIMAR’s EDI commitments.  Our webinar is open to everyone, and will be made available to everyone after the event as a recording.​

Timeline

 

 

Early February 2026: Pre-application announcement

11 February 2026: CLIMAR Flexible Funds Webinar

2 March 2026: Application window opens

31 March 2026: Application window closes

30 April 2026: All EoI applicants notified of outcome

30 June 2026: Deadline for full applications

October 2026: Awards announced

Want to find out more?

View the slides from our Flex Fund webinar:

And view the webinar recording here:

Apply

 

The Flexible Funds Expression of Interest form will be available to download here on 1 March 2026.

Please email completed forms to CLIMARflexfunds@exeter.ac.uk by 31 March 2026.