Large Grant full applications: November 2026 (invite only)

What the assessor looks for

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• is timely given current trends, context, and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
• meets the strategic aims of the funding opportunity
• identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be
• justify clearly why a large-scale project is necessary to achieve your objectives and explain why this work cannot be delivered as several smaller projects through other funding routes

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
• summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
• demonstrate how any interdependent components (work packages) will interact in a single overall structure
• provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines
• demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work
• sentences or paragraphs of text that are not duplicated within the text body
• excessive quantities of images

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the balance of skills and expertise needed to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and approach to developing others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, while minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
• human participants
• genetically modified organisms

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• confirmation that the piece of equipment is not readily available for use within your host institution, or any other assessable location. For example, referring to any asset registers consulted such as NERC’s equipment data website
• evidence that all other reasonable options have been considered
• if the equipment requested will replace existing equipment, details of what will happen to the existing equipment (if relevant)
• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the supervisory arrangements including supervisor name(s), organisation, proposed start and end dates
• what the project will be and how the student will develop new research ideas
• how the research undertaken through the studentship will be closely associated with the work carried out in the grant but still constitute a distinct project

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.