You can request funding for researchers at different organisations to work together on a project. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) accepts two or more organisations to submit two proposals that together make a coherent project.
Applying for funding
There are two ways to apply for funding:
1. The lead organisation submits one proposal
The lead organisation can, on behalf of all organisations involved in a project, submit one proposal through the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system.
If the project is funded, money will be awarded to the lead organisation who are responsible for distributing it between the collaborating organisations.
The lead organisation should submit one proposal and attach all the relevant documentation for the project – researchers from non-lead organisations can be co-investigators on the proposal.
2. Each organisation submits separate proposals
Each organisation can submit its own proposal through Je-S, which requires contributors to identify a lead proposal in the ‘Joint Proposals’ section to make it clear that proposals are part of a larger project.
If the project is funded, funding will be awarded to each organisation according to the resources requested in their proposals. In this situation, each organisation submits a different proposal form on Je-S for their funding. The organisation with the lead proposal is responsible for attaching the case for support, work plan and justification of resources covering all parts of the project.
The lead organisation should also include details of any project partners and their contributions, and attach the project partner letters of support on Je-S: these details are automatically copied from the lead to joint projects.
Joint projects should only attach technical assessments and equipment quotes relevant to their proposal, and CVs where appropriate.
EPSRC only accepts one proposal per organisation, and investigators on one proposal should not be named as an investigator on any of the other proposals.
How EPSRC treats projects consisting of multiple proposals
EPSRC treats joint projects as a single entity, and processes the funding application only when all parts of the project have been received. We will ask reviewers and panel members to assess the project as a whole, rather than assessing the constituent parts separately.
Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not fund separate parts of a proposal. If the project is funded, EPSRC expects partners to work and manage the project together.
Last updated: 21 April 2023