Executive summary
When: 23-25th July
Where : Kents Hill Park, Training and Conference Centre, Swallow House, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.
We invite applications to participate in a synthesis ‘sandpit’ that aims to align STFC science programmes of Data Science, Technology and Facilities with the three pillars of the current NERC delivery plan: Benefiting natural resources, Resilience to natural hazards; and, Managing environmental change (Fig. 1). Addressing the environmental challenges of our changing world requires interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial collaboration. The objective of the ‘sandpit’ is to establish shared goals between the NERC community with the skills and facilities supported by STFC informed by key stakeholder priorities to deliver innovative solutions to environmental challenges and realize real-world impact.
Participants at the sandpit will have the opportunity to develop project proposals which will be assessed and may attract funding either to support scoping studies (~£15k) or a more extended working group/pilot study activities (~£30k) as pump-priming for pursuit of more substantive future funding. The outline sandpit program and details of project development are provided below. All costs associated with participation will be covered by the sandpit organizers.
We can support (T&S) up to 34 participants, self-nominations can be made by completing a short on-line self-nomination form (Selection criteria and information requested). Nominations will be close on Monday 1st July (midnight) with notification of participation by Wednesday 3rd of July.
Figure 1: Theme matrix for proposed sandpit. The intersection between STFC science programs and NERC delivery plans shown are indicative areas that may be explored at the sandpit. However, proposals are not limited to these areas and we encourage innovative synthesis.