Moratorium Awards
Participation in an IODP Expedition is a prestigious opportunity and for many researchers it is a career-building experience. Each berth is a major investment by UK science of more than £300,000. Consequently, all UK participants are expected to make a substantial contribution to the scientific outputs of the expedition they are joining and support UK engagement in scientific ocean drilling. UK IODP Moratorium Awards support expedition participation and facilitate post-cruise research.
All UK-IODP expedition participants are required to:
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notify the UK IODP Programme Manager and UK-IODP Knowledge Exchange Coordinator at the earliest opportunity, that they have been offered, and have accepted, a berth on an IODP expedition
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submit a Moratorium Award application 3 months in advance of sailing
Failure to meet these requirements may result in less funding being available for a moratorium award due to budgetary constraints.
Moratorium Awards will combine funding to cover:
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Expedition participant's costs for time on board ship or, for MSP participants only, during science parties
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Travel and subsistence for travelling to/from expeditions, sampling parties and post-cruise meetings
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Support for moratorium period research work to be carried out during the moratorium period directly post-cruise
Moratorium period research funding levels: Awards will be paid at 80% FEC, with maximum limits of:
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Post-doctoral researcher: £50,000
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Faculty scientists: £25,000
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PhD students: £25,000
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Co-Chief scientists: £80,000
The awarding of the upper funding limit is subject to affordability and cuts to funding requests may be made. Future revisions to the scheme and funding limits may be required subject to budgetary constraints.
Detailed guidance may be found on the NERC website:
For further questions please contact the Programme Manager at iodp@nerc.ukri.org
Applications must be made through the JeS website
COVID-19 INFORMATION
While COVID restrictions remain in force UK IODP is able to provide assistance to cover extra costs incurred as a result.
During this time expeditions are likely to run with reduced scientist numbers onboard and with extended Onshore Science Parties. Onshore Science Party participants who were part of the original Shipboard Science Party will still be eligible to apply for moratorium grant funding.
All participants will need to ensure their institutional insurance covers travel to and from the ship and or science party location, any pre-boarding testing processes and medical cover.
Please contact NERC (iodp@nerc.ukri.org) for further information regarding additional support available and eligibility prior to submitting a grant application.
New scheme to support UK scientists with IODP-related Activities
We are pleased to announce that the current phase of the UK-IODP research programme (2020-2024) includes a new scheme to support UK scientists to undertake small scale IODP related activities. This could include but is not limited to the organisation of, or participation in, workshops, training, outreach or other events. Any activity that benefits UK IODP will be considered for funding.
Applications will be accepted from individuals employed by a UK research organisation and should include a description of what the funding will be used for and an explanation of its relevance to IODP. Any proposed workshops must make use of IODP samples, data, and/or results, or involve planning for the collection of such materials.
Applicants can apply for between £2k and £10k and must include a justification for the amount being requested, including a breakdown of costs with reasonable estimates. In exceptional circumstances requests for larger amounts of funding will be considered. Applicants should have considered other sources of funding prior to submitting applications to this scheme, particularly Magellan Plus, and must provide an explanation if they have not applied to such schemes.
This scheme is open for applications at any time during the current phase of UK-IODP research programme (2020-2024). The funding of applications by NERC will, however, be subject to UK-IODP having funding available in its budget. Early submission of applications is recommended as UK-IODP’s funding for this scheme is limited and funding for those applications recommended for support will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.
All applicants should in the first instance contact NERC (iodp@nerc.ukri.org) to discuss their funding request.
Applications will be assessed by the Chair of the UK-IODP Programme Advisory Group (PAG), who may, depending on the level of funding being requested, ask for advice from other members of the PAG. Following assessment, funding recommendations will be made to NERC.
All successful applicants will need to acknowledge UK-IODP funding and provide content based on their funded activity for the UK-IODP newsletter.
Further information and details on how to apply can be found in the Awards Facts and Figures section of the NERC UK-IODP webpage.
Image credit: Shuhao Xie & IODP JRSO