through the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC) subject to conditions which can be found here.

In order to apply for access to the data, you must: both of which can by achieved by following the appropriate links on the BADC home page. You will then be contacted by the NERC MST Radar Facility Project Scientist, who will ask you to complete a Supporting Scientific Case (SSC) form.
Click here to download an SSC form in MS-Word format
The rest of this page contains guidance notes on how to complete the SSC form. Please do not hesitate to contact the NERC MST Radar Facility Project Scientist if you require an SSC form in a format other than MS-Word or if you require any additional help with completing it.

GENERAL DETAILS
Title of the project for which data access is being requested - free text
This should be concise and descriptive.

Project type - select one option
Most projects are expected to be of the Standard type. However, projects which are unlikely to lead to a research output, e.g. an undergraduate project or where access to the data is simply for teaching purposes, should be of the Pilot type. The only difference between the two types of application is the level of detail required in the Project Description.

Date of submitting this form - in day/month/year format

Expected end date of the project - in month/year format
In the case of a student, this will typically be the expected end date of their period of study/research. In the case of a post-doctoral researcher or above, this will typically be the end date of the grant which funds the project. This information is used by Facility staff for guidance only. Data access and user support will typically continue for as long as is necessary.

DETAILS OF THE PERSON REQUIRING DATA ACCESS THROUGH THE BADC
If more than one person requires access for the same project, please add (i.e. cut and paste) a table for each additional person.
Title and full name - free text
Where the applicant has an academic title, e.g Dr or Prof, this should be given. Otherwise a title such as Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs should be given. The applicant's full name - including middle names or initials - should be given.

Status - free text
In the case of a student, both the degree being studied for (e.g. BSc, MSc or PhD) and the subject area (e.g. atmospheric physics) should be given. Other examples of "status" include post-doctoral researcher, research fellow, lecturer, reader, and professor.

E-mail address - free text

Telephone number - free text
It is not mandatory to include this information. It is unlikely to be relevant in the case of a BSc or MSc student. However, it is helpful if PhD students and above include an office telephone number.

Name and address of place of work - free text
In the case of an applicant based at a University, the name of the Department should be included in the address. In the case of a non-UK-based applicant, the name of the country should be included.

DETAILS OF THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR THE PROJECT
Each project requires a Principal Investigator (PI), who must be eligible for a NERC grant. In short, this is someone who is permanently employed at a UK-based research organisation (e.g. a Higher Education Institution or a Research Council) at lecturer level, at an equivalent level, or above (post-doctoral researchers on fixed-term contracts are not eligible). It does not have to be someone who is actually in receipt of a NERC grant. Full details regarding PI eligibility can be found on the NERC website.

In the case of a student (at any level), the PI will typically be their supervisor.

In the case of a non-UK-based applicant/project, the PI will default to being the Facility's Project Scientist if no suitable UK-based collaborator exists - see Conditions of data access and use for further details. If this is the case, details should additionally be given of a PI-equivalent in the applicant's own country. Please cut and paste an additional table for this purpose.

In all cases, since NERC resources are effectively being allocated to the PI (in the form of data), it is important that the person requiring data access through the BADC receives the PI's permission before an application is made in their name. Fill in the PI's details following the guidance given above for the person requiring data access.

DETAILS OF FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT
Source of funding for the project - free text
Abbreviations can be used in the case of British Research Councils - e.g. NERC, STFC, EPSRC. Otherwise the name of the source of funding should be given in full.

The following fields only need to be completed if NERC is the source of funding for the project.

Funding mode - select one
Options are Directed, Blue Skies, Core Strategic, Commercial/Repayment, and Infrastructure. This information is given on a NERC grant. If the person requiring data access is centrally funded, e.g. through NCAS, the Core Strategic option should be selected.

Funding type - select one
Options are Studentship, Research Grant, and Other. This information is given on a NERC grant. If the person requiring data access is centrally funded, e.g. through NCAS, the Other option should be selected.

Grant number - free text

NERC SCIENCE AREAS ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT - mark each one that applies.
At least one of the first four options - Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, Terrestrial & Freshwater - must be selected. Virtually all projects which have made use of data from the NERC MST Radar Facility have fallen under the Atmospheric area. Consequently this is the option which should be selected if the project does not obviously fit into any of the other areas. More than one of these first four areas may be selected if appropriate. For example, projects within NERC's Flood Risk from Extreme Events (FREE) programme may additionally/instead fall under the Terrestrial & Freshwater area.

If any of the final three areas - Earth Observation, Science-Based Archaeology and Polar - is appropriate, it should be selected in addition. More than one of these may be selected if appropriate. In practice, only the Earth Observation area is ever likely to be appropriate - for projects which are fundamentally associated with satellite observations (in addition to data from the NERC MST Radar Facility).

More details about the scope of the science areas can be found on the NERC website.


NERC SCIENCE PRIORITY AREAS ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT - mark each one that applies.
At least one area must be selected even if none looks immediately appropriate. Examples are given below of the sorts of actual research areas which may be fitted into some of the different science priority areas. More than one science priority area may be selected if appropriate.

Climate System: projects focusing on any atmospheric constituents or phenomena which can affect the climate, e.g. aerosols, clouds, water vapour, ozone, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, atmospheric tides, atmospheric (gravity) waves

Biodiversity: projects focusing on any atmospheric constituents or phenomena which affect life forms, e.g. the effects of winds on bird/bat/insect feeding/migration patterns

Sustainable Use Of Natural Resources: projects concerned with energy generation or energy use, e.g. wind-energy, aircraft flying procedures

Earth System Science: projects which look at the Earth system as a whole, e.g. the interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean

Natural Hazards: projects focusing on any atmospheric constituents or phenomena which can be hazardous, e.g. volcanic dust, extreme wind events, rainfall, snow, flooding

Environment, Pollution and Human Health: projects focusing on any atmospheric constituents or phenomena which can affect human health, e.g. the dispersion of airborne pollutants by wind

Technologies: projects focusing on new instruments and analysis techniques, e.g. novel ways of processing or interpreting MST radar data


PROJECT DESCRIPTION - free text
The level of detail required depends on the Project Type.

Standard application. This will be peer reviewed by members of the NERC Atmospheric Radar Facilities Steering Committee (NARFSC) - see the conditions of data use and access for further details. Consequently the project description should be sufficiently detailed to allow its scientific merits to be evaluated. It should address the objectives of the project, its scientific relevance, and the proposed approach. It can be assumed that the NARFSC members will be familiar with common terms and concepts associated with the atmospheric sciences. Other specialist terms and concepts may need to be clarified. The project description should be approximately 1 page in length. If the project requires the MST radar, or any other of the Facility's instruments, to be operated in a special mode, details should be given.

Pilot application. This will simply be noted (rather than peer-reviewed) by members of the NARFSC. Consequently the project description does not need to be very long or very detailed. The completed SSC should be mailed back to the Facility's Project Scientist. Data access will typically be granted within 24 hours.

Internal Links:
Return to the top of the page
Contacting the NERC MST Radar Facility Project Scientist
Conditions of data access and use
Download a Supporting Scientific Case (SSC) form in MS-Word format
External Links:
The British Atmospheric Data Centre Home Page
Eligibility for acting as a NERC Principal Investigator (PI)
The scope of NERC's science areas