Scientists looking into the long term environmental effects of last year’s Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will receive $22m.

The funding is the first part of BP’s commitment to provide $500 million over ten years to support independent scientific research into the effects of the spill and to develop innovative new ways to deal with future oil spills.

Groups of scientists can apply for the cash which will come in the form of grants ranging from $100,000 to $1m per year for up to three years. They will be looking at a variety of things from the effect on the ecosystem, how long it takes for oil to breakdown, public health issues, what chemically happens to the pollutants and how best to deal with such disasters in the future.