Grant bid success highlighted

The percentage of successful bids for Natural Environment Research Council research funding by the National Oceanography Centre has received special mention in the most recent edition of the Research Fortnight newsletter.

In figures published by NERC for 2010–11, the Centre achieved an excellent 37% success rate on the number of bids submitted, winning 22 grants worth £4,131,823, having applied for £14,483,823.

Meanwhile, NOC hosting partner, the University of Southampton, also achieved a 37% hit rate (receiving £5,893,016).

The largest amount of NERC funding – almost £6.9 million – went to the University of Oxford which received 21 grants, achieving a 28% success rate.

NOC Executive Director, Professor Ed Hill, said “Successful grant applications, won in open competition, are key to our ability to carry out world-class science. The figures published by NERC indicate that our applications are of increasingly high quality. They are a tribute, both to the exceptional work carried out by our scientists – and to the dedication and professionalism or our Research, Contracts & Applications team.

In total, NERC awarded 534 grants out of 2,202 applications in 2010–11 (a mean success rate for applicants of 24%). This corresponds to £118,088,025 in distributed funding, with applications totalling £532,417,330.