Our pathway for change

The Simpler and Better Funding (SBF) programme will deliver a single, consistent, user-centred service that reduces the burden of finding, applying for and managing research funding for all users.

Research councils are planning to transition different funding types onto the new Funding Service in 2023. This planning includes how councils will transition open responsive mode opportunities. You can find out more about council changes in the ‘Transitioning different funding types’ section.

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Piloting funding opportunities in the new service

The SBF programme works with each research council to launch pilots on the new platform. We continue to run pilots in the new service to test how different funding types and new, improved functionality and processes work.

So far, we have launched 16 pilots on the service. 12 of these have successfully run on the service and four are currently open for applications:

Transition from the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system to the new UKRI Funding Service

During 2023, you will see an increasing number of opportunities on the Funding Service, so that by the end of the year, the majority of opportunities which would previously have run on Je-S will be offered on the Funding Service.

Our process:

funding opportunities for all seven research councils will launch in the new service in increasing numbers through 2023
at the same time as we deliver the service, we will also be continuously enhancing it to ensure a consistent, simpler, and better funding service for all
allowing for a smooth transition in 2024, there will be an ongoing service in Je-S while we continue to build and test additional functionality in the Funding Service
this functionality will include the introduction of grant awards and post award management

We will continue to give researchers and research organisations updated information in advance of changes to help them plan.

For more information, see council transition to the new Funding Service.

Integration with Innovate UK and Research England

We will integrate Research England’s funding processes into the new service and work with Innovate UK to support applications to Innovate UK opportunities.

Improvement through iteration

We are developing the Funding Service in an agile way, we will gradually introduce functionality and pilot new features and different funding types. After testing and user feedback, we continuously refine and enhance everything we do.

We are building core capability first and continuously developing it to address any issues and enhance the service we provide. As we develop the core capability and launch opportunities, users will see a steady improvement in functionality and quality of experience, even if the initial experience is not ideal.

Ultimately, the Funding Service will offer a simpler and better experience for all our users, operating a funding process which is supported by more consistent and robust policies and guidance.

Improvements in the Funding Service

The Funding Service will make a positive difference to the research community. It will address many of the issues of complexity and unnecessary bureaucracy recognised by researchers, and which have been identified in various reviews of research funding such as the independent review into research bureaucracy. For example, some of the improvements our users will get include:

a single front door: each opportunity made available through the same site and approached in consistent ways
a clearer layout for applications, structured around questions that relate to the criteria used for deciding on an application
an application process that asks only for the information we need to decide on an application
an application process that asks for information once and uses this information again if needed later in the grant funding journey
more consistent guidance to help applicants at the point of the process where that guidance applies
an easier review process as the application questions link more directly to assessment criteria
greater consistency across UKRI opportunities with standardised application questions and assessment criteria

We have already improved some areas in response to user feedback, including:

enhancing the organisation search facility when inviting other collaborators
better visibility of expert review status and statistics
additional features added to the rich text editor when writing an application
improvements to how users can view an application, so that they can see the full question asked and the guidance that supports it

Transitioning different funding types

In 2023, we will still run opportunities in the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system while simultaneously running increasing numbers of opportunities on the new Funding Service. This will allow us to work with councils to test the core capability of the service and refine standard templates and questions.

Each type of opportunity will have its own timeline for the transition to the Funding Service. This will be made clear in published information on the UKRI funding finder in advance of any changes.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council run open-ended opportunities, which includes their responsive mode research grants.

We are planning a coordinated transition where applications to current responsive mode opportunities on Je-S can successfully conclude and applications to new responsive mode opportunities can also be invited on the Funding Service. This ensures that everything is in place to operate these opportunities successfully.

To ease the transition these will launch in a staggered fashion. Councils have announced plans on expected timelines for this transition to enable applicants and their organisations to plan 2023 submissions.

Further details on how councils will transition their opportunities to the new Funding Service will be released in advance of any change. This allows potential applicants and their organisations to understand and plan appropriately.

Find out more and keep up to date with the councils’ transition plans.

Registering and applying on the Funding Service

If you have not used the Funding Service before, the first step is to create an account by following the ‘Apply now’ button located on the page where that opportunity is listed. The process is straightforward and quick, helping you to get started on your application as soon as possible.

Find out more about registering and applying on the Funding Service.

Accessibility

As part of UKRI’s commitment to making the new Funding Service accessible, we are building it in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. We carry out accessibility testing with the Digital Accessibility Centre. User testing is carried out by their team, all of whom have disabilities and all of whom have experienced first-hand the barriers that an inaccessible website places between them and independence.

We have also conducted a survey with the National Association of Disabled Staff Network, and we are using the findings to inform the design of the new Funding Service.

Read the UKRI Funding Service accessibility statement.