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Research competitions
The table below sets out all our current competitions, covering both calls for full proposals and expressions of interest. Competition packs may cover individual projects or requirements documents or newsletters covering multiple projects. Further details are available within each pack.
Call for a Full Proposal
| Title Click the Pack Code for the Competition Pack. |
Pack Code | Closing date |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation of methodology to verify vegetable oil species in mixtures of oil | FFG 1144 (500 KB) | 19 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Evaluation of the Victoria Business Improvement District’s environmental improvement initiative | SEG 1101 (500 KB) | 12 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Tree health and plant biosecurity: mapping, analysis and improved understanding of stakeholders and the public to help protect tree health | FFG 1143 (500 KB) | 19 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Differences between genotypes of Phytophthora ramorum in the UK in relation to risk and disease management | FFG 1142 (500 KB) | 14 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Testing of high-level water efficiency messaging to enable analysis of what motivates water saving behaviours | WT 0967 (500 KB) | 27 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Cereal supply chain analysis | FFG 1141 (500 KB) | 9 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Analysis of the management of outbreaks of oak processionary moth in the UK | FFG 1139 (500 KB) | 29 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Costs of meeting our international biodiversity targets | ERG 1128 (350 KB) | 20 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Research to scope a food labelling mapping tool for new entrant businesses and SMEs | FFG 1138 (500 KB) | 27 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Improved methods for the early detection of oak processionary moth | FFG 1137 (500 KB) | 29 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Improved control methods for oak processionary moth | FFG 1136 (500 KB) | 29 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Motivations and drivers of antimicrobial prescribing practises in farmed animals | VMRR 1202 (500 KB) | 29 February 2012 at 12.00hrs |
| The prevention of the selection of fluoroquinolone-resistant campylobacter, E.coli and salmonella in chickens treated with enrofloxacin, by optimisation of current oral dosing regimes | VMRR 1201 (500 KB) | 29 February 2012 at 12.00hrs |
| Impacts of air pollution on semi-natural vegetation and crops – Framework contract | ERG 1124 (350 KB) | 30 January 2012 at 10.00hrs |
| Understanding of Particulate Matter in the UK – Framework Contract | ERG 1123 (340 KB) | 30 January 2012 at 10.00hrs |
| Defra and DECC Social Science Expert Panel | SEG 1100 (300 KB) | 23 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Opportunities for the supply chain to drive a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture | FFG 1135 (500 KB) | 19 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| OECD test method development: mollusc reproductive toxicity tests – development and validation of test guidelines | ERG 1122 (500 KB) | 31 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Methodology development for assessing impacts of abstraction reform options on the public water supply | WT 0966 (500 KB) | 20 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Simplification of the EU pesticides regulatory regime | HSE 1105 (500 KB) | 06 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Scoping study to develop understanding of a natural capital asset check | ERG 1120 (500 KB) | 27 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Independent systematic review of impact of on-farm mitigation measures for delivering an improved water environment | WT 0965 (500 KB) | 10 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Evidence to support the development of a sustainability roadmap for soft drinks | FFG 1133 (500 KB) | 11 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| The use of systems toxicology to re-construct molecular pathways of adverse outcome: can chemical mixture toxicity be predicted to aid environmental risk assessment and regulation? | ERG 1119 (500 KB) | 27 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Coir in growing media: a sustainability assessment | CTE 1129 (500 KB) | 11 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Biochar in growing media: a sustainability and feasibility assessment | CTE 1128 (500 KB) | 11 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Assessment of the implementation of the Soil Protection Review 2010 and Soil Management Practices in England | CTE 1122 (500 KB) | 13 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Competitive maize cultivation with reduced environmental impact | WQ 0140 (500 KB) | 08 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Extended impact assessment study of the human health and environmental criteria for endocrine disrupting substances proposed by HSE, CRD | HSE 1104 (500 KB) | 09 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering – schools project | FFG 1131 (500 KB) | 02 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering – hospital project | FFG 1130 (500 KB) | 02 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Evidence on impacts of abstraction reform options on the environment and abstractors (excluding water companies) | WT 0964 (600 KB) | 03 January 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Assessment of the impacts of climate change and changes in land use on future water requirement and availability for farming, and opportunities for adaptation | FFG 1129 (500 KB) | 15 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Better evidence for regulatory reform | ERG 1117 (500 KB) | 09 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| The Contribution of Marine Protected Areas to Protecting Highly Mobile Species In English Waters | ERG 1116 (500 KB) | 12 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Appraisal of cost effective policy instruments to tackle the impact from pesticides | ERG 1115 (600 KB) | 09 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| An investigation into the effect of historic noise policy interventions | ERG 1114 (500 KB) | 09 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Follow on work to the UK National Ecosystem Assessment | ERG 1113 (800 KB) | 08 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Payments for ecosystem services (PES) – PES pilot research projects (2011-12) | ERG 1112 (500 KB) | 05 December 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| A review of effectiveness of management schemes for European marine sites | ERG 1111 (500 KB) | 30 November 2011 at 16.00hrs |
| Best Practice Guide for Payments for Ecosystem Services | ERG 1110 (500 KB) | 21 November 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Wider implications of GHG mitigation measures in English agriculture | FFG 1124 (500 KB) | 30 November 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Ecosystem interaction | ERG 1109 (500 KB) | 30 November 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| The effects of noise on biodiversity | ERG 1108 (500 KB) | 4 November 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Black carbon research network | ERG 1107 (930 KB) | 4 November 2011 |
| Review of Effectiveness of Local Authority Action Plans and future Policy Options for Local Air Quality Management | ERG 1106 (500 KB) | 28 October 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) – Assisting with and contributing to the review and evaluation of evidence and case studies by the IPR WEEE working group | SCP 1100 (500 KB) | 24 October 2011 |
| Animal Health and Welfare Research Requirements Document | AHVLA 1100 (600 KB) | 02 December 2011 |
| Evaluation of the economic benefits from retrofitting water efficiency measures in business | WT0960 (500 KB) | 03 November 2011 |
| Identification of SOAEL and LOAEL in support of the NPSE | ERG1105 (500 KB) | 14 October 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Developing a field tool kit for ecological targeting of agricultural diffuse pollution mitigation measures | FFG1122 (980 KB) | 7 October 2011 |
| Evaluation of the catchment-based approach – pilot stage | WT0959 (640 KB) | 5 October 2011 |
| Development of a methodology to detect and measure the peat content in a bag of growing media | CTE1022 (480 KB) | 14 September 2011 |
| Validation of fertiliser manual (RB209) recommendations for grasslands | FFG1116 (480 KB) |
16 September 2011 |
| Indicators of soil quality – physical properties | CTE 1104 (480 KB) |
12 September 2011 |
| Establishing data on normal/background levels of soil contamination in England | CTE 1118 (490 KB) |
08 September 2011 |
| Restoration of blanket bog vegetation for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water regulation | CTE 1121 (510 KB) | 24 August 2011 |
| Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) development for national modelling | ERG 1101 (980 KB) | 25 July 2011 |
| Increasing the long-term resilience and robustness of waste infrastructure to the impacts of climate change | ERG 1102 (980 KB) | 22 July 2011 |
| Desk study to evaluate contributory causes of the current “yield plateau” in wheat and oilseed rape | FFG 1113 (980 KB) | 05 August 2011 |
| Development of a UK knowledge exchange network between ecosystems demonstrator projects and their interest groups | CTE 1119 (ZIP 1 MB) | 08 August 2011 |
| Economic assessment of climate adaptation | NEE 1102 (ZIP 4 MB) | 18 July 2011 |
| Veterinary Medicines Research Requirements 2011-2012 | VMRR 2011-12 (ZIP 980 KB) | 04 July 2011 |
| Efficient supply of water for agriculture: exploring collaborative approaches and use of on-farm storage | FFG 1112 (ZIP 980 KB) | 29 June 2011 |
| Developing new ammonia emissions factors for modern livestock housing and manure management systems | FFG 1111 (ZIP 980 KB) | 22 June 2011 |
Call for Expressions of Interest
| Title Click the Pack Code for the Competition Pack. |
Pack Code | Closing date |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation of the biodiversity offsetting pilot phase | CTE 1130 (500 KB) | 2 March 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Drinking water quality and health evidence programme | CTX 1112 (500 KB) | 24 February 2012 at 16.00hrs |
| Natural environment white paper evaluation framework and process evaluation | CTX 1111 (500 KB) | 6 January 2012 at 16:00hrs |
| In-depth review of evidence supporting the recommended Marine Conservation Zones | CTX 1110 (500 KB) | 2 December 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| Characterisation and targeting of measures for (non-coal) polluted mine waters | CTX 1109 (500 KB) | 9 December 2011 |
| Planning Policy and Biodiversity Offsets Phase III Research (Desk based study to apply a new biodiversity offsetting metric to an existing sample of historic real life) | CTE 1127 (500 KB) | 14 October 2011 at 16:00hrs |
| TSE and ABP Research Expressions of Interest 2012/2013 | CTX 1108 (400 KB) | 10 October 2011 |
| BICCO-NET: Biological Impacts of Climate Change Observation Network. Phase II | CTE 1126 (510 KB) | 30 September 2011 |
| Understanding the impact and addressing threats to marine ecosystems in the UK overseas territories in the Caribbean | CTE 1125 (510 KB) | 30 September 2011 |
| A review of countryside survey 2007 | CTE 1123 (520 KB) | 23 September 2011 |
| Developing the UK biodiversity indicators, 2011 – 2014 | CTE 1124 (520 KB) | 23 September 2011 |
| Lessons learnt from incorporating the valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services into the development of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPS) | CTE 1116 (510 KB) | 26 September 2011 |
| Incentive Measures and Biodiversity: A Rapid Review and Guidance Development | CTE 1115 (510 KB) | 21 Septemebr 2011 |
| Taking a strategic approach to investment In FCERM | CTX 1107 (600 KB) | 02 September 2011 |
| Testing the effectiveness of noval diffuse pollution mitigation measures in the Demonstration Test Catchments | CTX 1106 (540 KB) | 30 September 2011 |
| Testing innovative approaches for achieving sustainable behaviours: programme of action-based research 11/12 | CTX 1105 (530 KB) |
06 Spetember 2011 |
Research Requirement Documents and Newsletters covering project calls
| Title Click the Pack Code for the Competition Pack. |
Pack Code | Closing date |
|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous
| Title Click the Pack Code for the Competition Pack. |
Pack Code | Closing date |
|---|---|---|
A competition e-mail notification service is available if you wish to be notified as new competitions are advertised. A guidance note providing information on preparing and submitting a research tender to Defra (Word 55 KB) is available.
- Recent competitions
- Historical competitions (Available on the National Archives website)
The packs: important details
Each competition pack includes all the relevant information relating to the competition, including the project specification, a guidance note on completing a bid, the relevant application form and, where applicable, Defra’s standard research contract. Please read all the documents contained within the pack.
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