The announcement of the seven successful projects can be found here! 

A series of webinars sharing their results is taking place in Summer 2026 – find out more and sign up here.

1. Scope of Call

The UKCCSRC invited proposals for the research topics below. These are rapid response research projects that aim to address priority areas identified by research and industry groups. The topics are therefore specifically focused in terms of their remit and scope. The projects will add to a body of work to support successful UK CCS deployment. Note: the priority areas outlined in this funding call are not exhaustive.

2. Call Process and Timeline

Key dates for the UKCCSRC Flexible Funding 2026 Call are:

• Open for submissions: 14th January 2026
• Closed to submissions: 5pm, 24th February 2026
• Decisions: 13th March 2026 (or earlier)
• Start Dates: as soon as possible after decision
• End Dates: no later than 30th June 2026 (due to the current grant end date of the UKCCSRC Network+, no extensions will be given beyond this date)

3. Funding

Upto £70k is available, but the UKCCSRC Board is not obliged to allocate all of these funds during this call.

This call is for proposals to a fixed budget amount of £10k (100% FEC) . Costings should be submitted at 100% and include only EPSRC eligible costs, with no element of profit. Research organisations will be paid at 100% of FEC.

No equipment purchase expenditure will be covered, but applicants can request funds at reasonable UK academic research rates for the use of established research facilities.

Your institution will also have to qualify to be a supplier of the University of Sheffield (if not already qualified), and a competent authority will have to verify that the agreed work programme will be undertaken against a purchase order placed by the University of Sheffield, with invoicing on satisfactory completion.

No extensions will be awarded beyond 30th June 2026, due to the funding end date of the UKCCSRC Network+.

4. Eligibility

Co-Investigators in the UKCCSRC Network+ grant may not apply, or be associated with the projects directly or indirectly.  Where necessary, this requirement will be assessed by the UKCCSRC Board whose decision shall be final.

Members of all organisations eligible to receive EPSRC funding may participate in proposals, subject to them personally also meeting the EPSRC funding requirements. Note that the EPSRC’s Repeatedly Unsuccessful Applicants policy does not apply to this call. All proposals must have a UKCCSRC academic member as the Principal Investigator (see membership requirements) and individual UKCCSRC members can be PI in no more than one proposal.

UKCCSRC ECR members are also eligible to apply to this call provided they can satisfy the requirements of their institution for preparing a proposal and receiving and spending funds and the proposal is accompanied by a letter to that effect from a competent authority at their institution. UKCCSRC ECR eligibility (see membership criteria) includes PhD students and early career research staff based at UK universities that meet the (non-technical) conditions for eligibility for the EPSRC first grant scheme. See here for UKCCSRC ECR eligibility.  For further detail, please visit the Focused Funding FAQs page.

5. Application submission process

Proposals should be submitted as a one-page A4 document, single spaced, 11 point font, with at least 10mm margins.  Please send this to info@ukccsrc.ac.uk by 5pm, 24th February 2026.

The exact format is at the discretion of the proposer, but it must include the following information:

• Applicant information (including full name, contact information, affiliated institute) and researcher team, relevant expertise/track record
• Which focused topic the proposal is addressing, and details of proposed research and activities
• Outline cost breakdown into:
  • supervision costs
  • research staff costs
  • T&S costs
  • other costs with descriptions
  • estates and other directly allocated charges (at agreed Research Council rates)
• Deliverables and impact plan

6. Co-funding, industrial support and collaboration

There is no requirement for co-funding or industry or other collaboration, but these are not precluded.

7. Application assessment process

Proposals will be assessed by independent reviewers reporting to the UKCCSRC Board, and funding will be decided finally and solely by the Board based on their recommendations. The review process will include consideration of the factors in the table below.  The Board may interpret and apply them as it sees fit to suit the particular circumstances.

All applications must be approved at the applicant’s home institution before they are submitted to the UKCCSRC.  An official letter of support is not required at this stage, unless you are an ECR who does not have the sort of academic post allowing you to be a PI on EPSRC grants – see Focused Funding FAQs for more info.

8. Expected grant duration

Grants will be expected to run for a period of up to three months.

All approved proposals should be able to start no later than 1st April 2026.  Any grants that are not making progress as planned by this date, or at any time subsequently, will have their funding allocation reviewed and may be withdrawn.

All approved proposals must end by 30th June 2026 in order to meet the objectives of the funding call. There will be no extensions past this point under any circumstances.

9. Additional documentation 

UKCCSRC Equality Impact Assessment Form

If you have any questions about the UKCCSRC Flexible Funding 2026 Call, please get in touch with the UKCCSRC Secretariat on info@ukccsrc.ac.uk.  Answers to questions we receive can be found on this Focused Funding FAQs page.

A1. Atmospheric modelling for amine plant emissions

Background: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68dfb0a9ef1c2f72bc1e4d98/The_cumulative_air_quality_impacts_of_net_zero_technologies_-_a_case_study_of_the_Humber_and_Teesside_industrial_clusters_-_report.pdf                                                                             

Advancing the understanding of the fate of amine-related atmospheric emissions from post-combustion CO2 capture plants is necessary to improve environmental assessments for the deployment of CCS. Current atmospheric reaction and dispersion models use simplified assumptions and may miss significant pathways.

We seek proposals that will contribute to advance the state-of-the-art in atmospheric modelling of amine plant emissions, in particular using open-access modelling platforms or ones where a full description of the methods is possible, especially ones which extend current work that is largely based on assumed MEA emissions.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with environmental regulators organised by the UKCCSRC – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.

A2. Continuous monitoring for ultra-low levels of amine and other species in post-combustion capture plant emissions

Background: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68dfb0a9ef1c2f72bc1e4d98/The_cumulative_air_quality_impacts_of_net_zero_technologies_-_a_case_study_of_the_Humber_and_Teesside_industrial_clusters_-_report.pdf 

Real-time monitoring of amine-related atmospheric emissions from post-combustion CO2 capture plants is necessary to ensure the satisfactory environmental performance of amine post-combustion capture plants.  Current methods do not appear to be able to handle on-line measurements for amines at the order of 0.1-1 mg/Nm3 with high precision and even lower levels of other compounds such as nitrosamines.

We seek proposals that will contribute to advance the state-of-the-art in online flue gas amine compound monitoring, in particular using industrially-deployable equipment.  These will include the apparatus to generate a suitable model gas stream with appropriate levels of the relevant substances for test and calibration purposes.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with environmental regulators organised by the UKCCSRC – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans and agree species of interest, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.  

B. Analysis of solvent degradation products

Amine solvents form degradation products, such as nitrosamine and nitramines, which accumulate operationally over time in the solvent inventory. Measuring and quantifying these degradation products in the liquid phase is a necessary step to provide evidence for Health and Safety guidelines on Over Exposure Limit Values to the personnel and staff operating post-combustion capture amine plants.

We seek proposals to demonstrate or develop UK capabilities that are an advancement on current measurement/analysis methods for quantifying levels of relevant solvent degradation products in amine solvents.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with environmental regulators organised by the UKCCSRC – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans and agree species of interest, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible. 

C. Biological or other low-cost treatments for amine capture plant wastewater streams

Volatile degradation products (e.g. ammonia, aldehydes, and traces of a wide range of amine solvent constituents) from amine post-combustion capture plants may be rejected into water streams instead of to air. The main constituents of concern are all C,H,O,N species (any sulphur and metals are expected to leave in the reclaimer wastes). There is scope for biological and/or other treatments of these waste waters. Such work would complement projects on analysis of solvent degradation products. 

We seek proposals for research to perform a preliminary assessment of treatment options for specified synthetic post-combustion capture plant water samples.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with environmental regulators organised by the UKCCSRC – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans and discuss species of interest, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.  

D1. Legacy wells – brine discharge detection, impacts and environmental limits 

Ensuring legacy wells do not pose risk to containment during and after CCS injection operations remains an important research topic for CCS deployment. 

Legacy wells may discharge subsurface brine into the overburden and/or into the marine environment, particularly in response to CCS injection into saline aquifers. The environmental risk posed by brine discharge will vary according to factors such as brine composition, and be affected by any long term impact to the wellbore and near well environment. 

We seek proposals for research to inform the quantification and/or detection of brine discharge from legacy wells offshore UK, and/or the impact of brine movement on marine environment, and/or on subsurface microbial communities. In particular, we seek research that can inform the conditions under which brine leakage becomes environmentally or structurally harmful in terms of single well or cumulative effects.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with the UKCCSRC monitoring academic, Board members and possibly regulators – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.

D2. Legacy wells – improved well risk assessment

Ensuring legacy wells do not pose risk to containment during and after CCS injection operations remains an important research topic for CCS deployment. 

In recent years, open-access workflows to assess legacy well risk have been developed by the academic community, with work ongoing. We seek proposals for research to further develop such legacy well risk assessment work. We welcome research that seeks to add granularity and specificity, tailored to the UK context where appropriate, to support appropriate use of such tools by CCS stakeholder communities. This could be, for example, to support a research secondment with key stakeholders.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with the UKCCSRC monitoring academic and Board members – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.

E1. Temporary CO2 buffer storage – safety considerations

Non-pipeline transport may require significant buffer storages as part of the transport chain. One of the key elements of buffer storage is to consider the safety implications around the bulk (temporary, onshore) storage of carbon dioxide as a refrigerated pressurised liquid. 

We seek proposals for research to explore the safety implications of such buffer storage, including socio-geographic variables.  This may also draw on international examples to apply to the UK context. 

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with the UKCCSRC monitoring academic, Board members and possibly regulators – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.

E2. Temporary CO2 buffer storage – “smart” use of buffer storage to make more effective use of T&S network capacity

Non-pipeline transport may require significant buffer storage as part of the transport chain. One of the key synergies from the deployment of this buffer storage may be to use it to mitigate variable flows in pipeline networks from other emitters, through flexible operation of the buffer storage and/or line packing. We welcome work that considers this in likely UK CCS deployment scenarios, and that possibly also draws on international examples to apply to the UK context. 

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with the UKCCSRC monitoring academic, Board members and possibly regulators – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.  

F. Use of fibre-optic telecommunications sensing for CCS monitoring

The North Sea has a network of fibre-optic cables already in place for various telecommunications purposes. There is growing interest in the potential use of data collected via these existing cables to monitor subsurface fluid flow and related effects from CCS injection operations, and the environmental baseline prior to injection – especially since using these ‘dark fibres’ could reduce need to lay and maintain new cables and instruments. 

We seek proposals for research to explore topics that inform and accelerate the potential use of onshore or subsea fibre data to support CCS deployment. Example topics could include improved processing workflows, use of AI and ML, or other challenges and opportunities that make use of the presence of dark fibres.

As well as providing a report on their work, the successful applicants will be required to attend two web meetings with the UKCCSRC monitoring academic, Board members and possibly regulators – an initial meeting to present and discuss their plans, and a final one to present the results.  We also request that the project is presented as a poster at the UKCCSRC conference in Sheffield, on 24-25 June 2026, if possible.