If you are writing a proposal for one of the recent funding opportunities, please read this. Answers may have been updated, even since the ASM.

This is a compilation of questions and answers arising from the virtual drop-in session, correspondence and from the Annual Science Meeting. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

This page was last updated on 02/07/26. The latest updates are highlighted in italics.

Q: How many projects will be funded?

A: one project for the “multiple model” call and up to 4 for the “Novel approaches” call.

Q: What is the scope of the call?

A: (i) Global. It should address process/characteristics that are globally important even if they are geographically regional. (ii) Open ocean. The focus is pelagic and on regions of water depth >1000m

Q: Are human impacts like pollution and mCDR in scope?

A: No, the only human impact in scope is the influence of climate change.

Q: Where should contingency plans go in the application for US project members not being able to participate?

A: These should go in the Approach section. A table can be used but words count towards the limit. Do not embed a table as an image. This is not permitted.

Q: Where should a justification of US researcher costs go?

A: All costs associated with the NASA funded team must be placed in the “International collaboration” section and include budget narrative and budget detail as described in the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM), section 10.8.

Q: Has there been contact from Stage 2 projects asking for data transfer from Stage 1B projects to Stage 2 projects to be facilitated?

A: Yes. People involved in proposals are being directed to the list of data and contacts on the BIO-Carbon ( https://bio-carbon.ac.uk/bio-carbon-data ) and EXPORTS ( https://oceanexports.org/data_tree.html ) webpages. If in doubt please contact Adrian Martin (Bio-Carbon) or Dave Siegel (EXPORTS).

Q: Once successful Stage 2 projects are funded will there be some facilitated way of data sharing between Stage 1B projects and Stage 2 projects?

A: Yes and suggestions are encouraged. A one day meeting/call in spring 2027 where 1a, 1b and 2 projects share aims and data (needs) is a good one made already. Activity needs to take place early in 2027 as 1b and 2 projects should only overlap by ~10 months. At present the onus will be on stage 2 PIs to keep up-to-date on the status of 1a and 1b data they need.

Q: How will knowledge transfer from 1a and 1b projects to 2 projects one they are selected be facilitated?

A: See response on data transfer above.

Q: Do projects have to use BIO-Carbon or EXPORTS data?

A: It is strongly encouraged, but making use of data from other projects such as APERO, OceanICU etc is also encouraged. There is a lot of activity in this field internationally that can be of value.

Q: Do stage 2 proposals need to name the people who own 1a or 1b datasets if they plan to use them?

A: Not unless they are involved in the proposal. Contact with data owners is encouraged though, to make sure the status of the dataset is fully understood. Please also keep data owners informed if the data will be subsequently used in a publication and offer co-authorship if appropriate.

Q: Do proposals to the “Novel approaches” call have to include running a global model?

A: No, but they need to demonstrate how they will significantly improve the capabilities of global modelling, including future scenarios.

Q: Are the objectives of the 2 funding calls to answer the 3 BIO-Carbon questions?

A: There are 6 questions highlighted in the text for the two calls to ensure that the objectives of BIO-Carbon and EXPORTS are covered. Note that not all will be a strong focus of EXPORTS (e.g. potential for seawater to keep taking up CO2) but if no US researchers are included in a proposal for such a reason then a justification needs to be given why.

Q: Do US funds need to match UK funds for each proposal?
A: No. US researchers should include what they think is necessary for their role in the project. NASA will distribute its total funds across the call to best suit its aims. It does not have specific allocations for each project in each call.

Q: What is the process of proposal selection and funding?

A: A single panel (hopefully in September) will assess proposals. Proposals will only be assessed once. The panel will have people put forward by both BIO-Carbon and EXPORTS to facilitate this. The panel will make recommendations. NERC and NASA will take those recommendations, plus considerations such as coverage of objectives, to decide which proposals will be funded. US leads on successful projects will then apply to NASA formally via NSPIRES. This will not involve another review of the science. It will solely be to enter the phase of negotiation on funds as NASA seeks to allocate its available funding across projects.

Q: What happens if the total funds requested by US teams on successful projects exceeds the NASA funding available?

A: NASA reserve the right to negotiate with selectees. This is often done. The contingency plan requested by the calls’ text should cover potential scenarios.

Q: When will projects start?

A: UK project members need to start in January 2027. Although it is hoped that US team members can too, it is possible there might be some delay.

Q: Is it required to have a US lead for each proposal, as well as a UK lead?

A: Yes, this is stated in the call.

Q: Can people involved in projects change after the submission of the Notification of Intent?

A: Yes, but not the lead PI. We would also appreciate it if you let us know of any changes that do happen please - it helps speed up the assembly of the review panel.

Q: Can international collaborators not from the US be involved in proposals?

A: Yes, like any other NERC project, international collaborators are welcome, but subject to the usual conditions.

Q: When registering with the Funding Service, is it mandatory for project co-leads to complete the EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) survey?

A: No, project co-leads can skip the EDI survey each time the Funding Service is logged into.