Funding call 2026
The Turner Kirk Sprint Challenge Fund 2026: Innovative Solutions to the Biodiversity and Climate Crises
Public Call 2026-27
The Challenge
The Turner Kirk Sprint Challenge Fund brings together scientists from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Centre for Environmental Policy, Department of Life Sciences and Department of Mathematics to develop collaborative interdisciplinary projects addressing the biodiversity and climate crises, considering both nature and people.
The Challenge is designed to enable multidisciplinary teams to test bold new ideas, build lasting collaborations, and generate the preliminary results needed to support larger external funding applications.
The Fund
A total of £40,000 in seed funding will be awarded to two or three multidisciplinary teams. Successful teams will have six months to develop and test their ideas.
Funding can be used at the teams’ discretion, provided it enables something new to happen that would not otherwise be achievable.
Scope and development phase
Building on previous iterations of the Challenge, the 2026–27 programme includes a development phase to give researchers time to connect across departments, identify complementary expertise and develop ideas before the formal call for proposals opens.
The scope has also been broadened to encourage people- and planet-friendly research addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. We also now welcome proposals from PhD students and postdoctoral researchers as well as more senior researchers.
Who can take part?
The Challenge is open to multidisciplinary teams of conservation scientists and mathematicians based at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, involving researchers from the Centre for Environmental Policy, Department of Life Sciences and Department of Mathematics.
Researchers interested in taking part are strongly encouraged to engage in the development and networking activities ahead of the formal call for proposals.
Application
The formal call for proposals will open on 28 January 2027. Teams will be required to submit a short funding proposal of no more than two pages using the Application Form provided.
The deadline for proposals is 15 March 2027.
Following shortlisting, selected teams will be invited to pitch their proposals in person on 29 April 2027. Awards will be announced on 30 April 2027.
Review Panel
Shortlisting of applications will be undertaken by a Review Panel comprising:
• Dr Ewan Kirk, Turner Kirk Trust
• Dr Patricia Turner, Turner Kirk Trust
• Professor Dan Crisan, Professor of Mathematics (Department of Mathematics)
• Dr Morena Mills, Professor in Environmental Policy and Practice (Centre for Environmental Policy)
Shortlisted proposals will be invited to pitch their ideas in person on 29 April 2027.
Expectations of funded teams
• Projects will commence on 31 May 2027 and run for six months, concluding on 30 November 2027.
• A short interim progress report will be required midway through the project.
• A final report will be required on completion, including reflection on progress, lessons learned and tangible next steps.
• Funded teams will be expected to participate in the in-person showcase event on 9 December 2027.
• Teams will be expected to produce a media pack/press release to help disseminate their research and support further funding activity.
Information and networking
An online Q&A Session will take place on 9 November 2026, followed by an in-person Workshop and Networking Session on 28 January 2027, when the formal call for proposals will open.
These sessions are intended to provide information about the Challenge, support discussion of research ideas and help foster new interdisciplinary collaborations.
Timeline – 2026–27 Turner Kirk Sprint Challenge Fund
- Launch of the 3rd Sprint Challenge Fund: 2 October 2026
- Online Q&A Session: 9 November 2026
- In-person Workshop and Networking + Call for Proposals opens: 28 January 2027
- Deadline for proposals: 15 March 2027
- Shortlisting (online): 2 April 2027
- In-person proposal pitches: 29 April 2027
- Awards announced: 30 April 2027
- Programme commences: 31 May 2027
- Interim report deadline: 3 September 2027
- Programme concludes: 30 November 2027
- Press release and final report deadline: 2 December 2027
- In-person showcase event and wrap-up: 9 December 2027
- Publicise final research findings: 16 December 2027
Enquiries
For any queries, please contact Dr Federica Pratola (f.pratola@imperial.ac.uk), Professor Dan Crisan (d.crisan@imperial.ac.uk) or Dr Morena Mills (m.mills@imperial.ac.uk).
Past winners (2024)
2024 - Dr Dante Kalise and Professor Vincent Savolainen
Hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events driven by climate change threaten animal populations, yet the mechanisms by which collective behaviour influences survival under such events remain poorly understood. Using a macaque population in Puerto Rico as a case study, research by Dr Dante Kalise (Department of Mathematics) and Professor Vincent Savolainen (Department of Life Sciences) has shown that leadership and anticipation are critical to animal survival.
2024 - Dr Dante Kalise and Professor Vincent Savolainen
Dr Dante Kalise and Professor Vincent Savolainen look at a macaque population in Puerto Rico.
Hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events driven by climate change threaten animal populations, yet the mechanisms by which collective behaviour influences survival under such events remain poorly understood. Using a macaque population in Puerto Rico as a case study, research by Dr Dante Kalise (Department of Mathematics) and Professor Vincent Savolainen (Department of Life Sciences) has shown that leadership and anticipation are critical to animal survival.
2024 - Dr Matthew Clark and Dr Adam Sykulski
Dr Matthew Clark and Dr Adam Sykulski look at the effectiveness of community-based conservation.
The effectiveness of community-based conservation under climate-induced shocks has now been quantified thanks to research by Dr Matthew Clark (Centre for Environmental Policy) and Dr Adam Sykulski (Department of Mathematics) as part of a project supported by the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ-TKT Sprint Challenge.
Past winners (2023)
2023 – Dr Domènec Ruiz-Balet
In this video, Dr Domènec Ruiz-Balet, an Associate Researcher at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, discusses his study, 'Threats and Solutions for Games in Spatial Socio-Ecological Systems'. The Turner Kirk Trust funded the project in coordination with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ as part of the Sprint Challenge initiative.
2023 – Dr Domènec Ruiz-Balet
Dr Domènec Ruiz-Balet – 'Threats and Solutions for Games in Spatial Socio-Ecological Systems'
In this video, Dr Domènec Ruiz-Balet, an Associate Researcher at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, discusses his study, 'Threats and Solutions for Games in Spatial Socio-Ecological Systems'. The Turner Kirk Trust funded the project in coordination with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ as part of the Sprint Challenge initiative.
2023 – Dr Morena Mills
Dr Morena Mills tells us about the 'Insights for Catalysing Conservation' research project.
In this video, Dr Morena Mills, Reader in Environmental Policy and Practice at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, tells us about the 'Insights for Catalysing Conservation' research project, which was funded by the Turner Kirk Trust as part of the Spring Challenge initiative, in coordination with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
2023 – Ben Howes
Ben Howes discusses 'Creating a Digital Twin to Predict Ecosystems Responses to Climate Change'.
In this video, Ben Howes, a Ph.D. Ecology Student at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, discusses his research project, 'Creating a Digital Twin to Predict Ecosystems Responses to Climate Change'. The Turner Kirk Trust funded the project as part of the Spring Challenge initiative in coordination with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
Related departments