Find guidance on applying for funding

Applying for funding from UKRI is a major undertaking. We have guidance to help you complete and submit an application.

You should read all the relevant guidance before you start your application. If you do not, your application is likely to fail.

The guidance you need to read is different for each funding opportunity.

Some funding opportunities will require you to read multiple sets of guidance. These are:

  • the guidance that’s specific to that opportunity
  • general UKRI guidance for applicants
  • general guidance for applicants from the council you’re applying to

Opportunities that require you to read all sets of guidance include:

  • all innovation grants with Innovate UK
  • most opportunities that focus on a specific research challenge or area

General UKRI guidance

General guidance will be increasing as we standardise more council-specific guidance. This is an ongoing process.

Eligibility

For funding opportunities opening on or after 22 May 2023, we have introduced new role types for opportunities running on the UKRI Funding Service only.

These changes are applicable to funding opportunities from the seven research councils only, not for Innovate UK and Research England.

For full details, see eligibility as an individual.

Duplicate submissions

From 1 April 2022, you can submit time-sensitive grant proposals to UKRI at the same time as submitting proposals to other, non-UKRI funders when they also allow duplicate submissions.

Fellowships continue to allow this, subject to any specific opportunity guidelines.

Duplicate submissions are two proposals that have:

  • a substantially comparable research endeavour or notion to use existing research and apply it in a new way, such as the development of technologies based on existing research
  • similar aims and objectives, methodology and resources

Reviewing and assessing proposals takes time. Before you make a duplicate submission, please consider whether it’s essential to the research outcome.

If you intend to submit a duplicate proposal, you should let us know either:

  • in your proposal
  • at any point after you submit your proposal, but before announcement

You will not be able to accept duplicate funding for a project.

Coronavirus research funding

Funding for research relating to COVID-19 is now part of our normal funding opportunity process.

Council-specific guidance

Outside of the UKRI general guidance, you will need to read the specific council guidance.

These include most research funding opportunities that do not have a deadline and that are open to any research project proposal.

Find the:

Research England uses a different process. Most of its funding is allocated to eligible higher education institutes based on their Research Excellence Framework assessment.

It does occasionally offer other funding opportunities. If you want to apply for one of these opportunities you should follow the specific guidance published with that opportunity.

Note that COVID-19 guidance is now part of the normal

Who to contact

If you have questions about your application, contact the funding opportunity programme manager named in the funding opportunity.

If your proposed idea spans different research areas that cross two or more councils’ remit domains and you’re unsure about where to make your application, they can advise you.

Last updated: 5 January 2024

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