Aim
The aim of the opportunity is to support ambitious, collaborative research programmes which are business-led, co-created and co-delivered by business and academic partners. By investing in these projects, we aim to create long-term prosperity for the UK, for example by bringing jobs and revenue growth, or addressing broader societal and sustainability issues.
EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC of your application. The business cash contribution must at least match the amount funded by EPSRC.
Funding available
Projects must apply for at least £500,000 and may last up to five years. EPSRC will pay 80% of the FEC of the project. We particularly encourage involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in this opportunity. Involvement could be as a sole primary business, or as part of a consortium.
This opportunity does not feature a separate application route for smaller scale projects. Instead, there is a single assessment route and applications may range in size from £500,000 and up. Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of one year of established partnership collaboration in their application. Less established partnerships are expected to apply for smaller grants, and larger grant applications will need to demonstrate stronger evidence of an established partnership. The assessment panel will judge this as part of the assessment process.
Funding example
If the full academic costs of the project are £625,000, then EPSRC would contribute 80% of this (£500,000). The matched contribution from the industry partners would then need to be at least £500,000.
The primary business partner, or the consortium led by the primary business partner, must (collectively) contribute match funding to the project equal to or exceeding the EPSRC contribution. In the case of a consortium, the greatest single contribution should come from the primary business partner.
Requested funds from EPSRC may include:
- staff costs
- costs related to impact
- travel and subsistence
- skills and talent training costs
- small items of equipment (under £25,000 per item) and other items required to carry out the project
- equipment (between £25,000 and £400,000 per item)
Quotes for equipment do not need to be included in your application. However, please retain quotes for equipment costing more than £138,000 as we may ask for these at post-panel stage before releasing funds. For details of how to include equipment in your application see Equipment on research grants.
Project features
Prosperity Partnerships are collaborative research partnerships that focus on important industry challenges. Applications should feature world-leading, fundamental engineering and physical sciences research, which creates long-term prosperity for the UK. They should lead to significant impacts by creating new knowledge, innovations, approaches, or technologies. It should be clear that both the business and academic researchers are making distinct intellectual contributions to the partnership.
In our assessment process, we will prioritise applications which can demonstrate clear strategic alignment to UK national priorities. For example, The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 and the associated sector plans, or other similarly prominent and current national strategies. This aspect will be assessed and used to shortlist and prioritise applications at the first assessment stage.
Projects must be at least 50% within the EPSRC remit. Cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary projects are welcomed. We may seek funding from other UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils, if there is a substantial element of the proposed work which lies outside our remit.
It is important to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. You must declare in your application if any member of your project leadership team has paid positions within both the business and research organisation partnering on the same project. If this is the case, you must also clarify the separation of duties and how you will manage the potential conflicts of interest.
Match contribution details
The business and academic partners should consider the following:
- business cash contribution will at least match the amount funded by EPSRC (see the ‘Definitive list of eligible cash contributions’ section). Any contribution not defined under the definitive list will count as ‘in-kind’
- no UKRI, public or government funding will be used as leverage
Matched contribution: single primary business partner
If there is a single primary business partner named in the application, then they must provide a cash contribution which at least matches the EPSRC funding. EPSRC funding is at 80% of full economic costs of the application. In-kind contributions will not count towards this cash component but are encouraged.
Matched contribution: consortium led by a primary business partner
The combined cash contributions from all the business partners must at least match the EPSRC funding requested. The value of the primary business partner’s cash contribution must be the greatest among business partners on this application.
Other contributions
In-kind contributions, such as data, software, management time, or facilities access are welcome and can help show business commitment to the success of the project. However, they will not count towards the industry matching contributions.
Any academic partner’s cash contribution (including the primary academic partner) does not contribute to the matching contribution requirements. There is no expectation for the academic partners to contribute significantly to the project, and it won’t affect the assessment of your application.
EPSRC does not mandate a specific audit format for the business contributions to a project. However, a record must be provided if requested that can demonstrate a continuous auditable cash transfer, or staff time-record by the business partner.
The business cash contribution can be used in conjunction with EPSRC funds for the gross academic staff salaries such as researchers, postdoctoral research associates (PDRAs), technicians, and the project manager (that is National Insurance, taxes including indirect costs such as pension).
Please note that the salary of the person who is the primary business partner must be paid by the business as it is part of the business support and is ineligible as cash or in-kind contributions.
Definitive list of eligible cash contributions
Please note that the names of grant roles have changed.
Researchers’ salaries (including project co-lead, researcher co-lead)
This should be all or part of the pro-rata, gross salary cost associated with researchers employed by universities or businesses (including co-leads, and researchers undergoing doctoral training). The expectation is that researchers will devote a significant and appropriate amount of their time on the Prosperity Partnership required for the project. This will be one of the aspects looked at by peer review to ensure that the appropriate resources are being dedicated to the project.
Research and innovation associates’ salary (including postdoctoral research associates)
This should be all or part of the gross salary cost associated with research and innovation associates employed by research organisations to work exclusively on the Prosperity Partnership. Research and innovation associates can also be employed directly by the businesses in the partnership and claim the gross salary as a cash contribution if they are exclusively committed to working on the Prosperity Partnership.
Professional enabling staff salary (including grant manager)
The pro-rata gross salary cost of professional enabling staff is an eligible cash contribution. The expectation is that they will devote a significant and appropriate amount of their time on the Prosperity Partnership required for the project.
Specialists’ and technicians’ salary
The pro-rata gross salary costs of specialists are an eligible cash contribution. A specialist is an individual who brings specialist skills and intellectual input to the project. For example, data scientist, graphic designer, high-level or specialist technician or librarian. They must be employed by the primary business partner or one of the collaborating partners and the expectation is that they will devote a significant and appropriate amount of their time on the Prosperity Partnership required for the project.
Software licences
This should be new software licences needed for the project and their maintenance cost for the duration of the grant. Software licences or intellectual property owned by the business which are already accessible by the partners will apply at marginal cost, not at market rate.
New equipment
This should be genuine new equipment purchases and should be dedicated to the objectives of the Prosperity Partnership, and their utilisation should be critical to deliver the activity. The access does not have to be restricted to the project members, but EPSRC expects that the equipment will be available to project members as required for the project. All equipment should be appropriately justified.
Equipment produced by the business
This should be equipment produced by the business, but only at the cost of manufacture, not market rate.
Equipment-specific materials
This should be specific consumable materials which are required for certain equipment, for example material used in 3D-printing.
Access to equipment and facilities
This should be access to specific equipment and facilities critical to achieve the outcomes of the project (including access to labs and use of lab equipment). If the facility is based at the academic or primary business partner, the contribution will be at the internal rate, not market rate.
Facilities refurbishment
Facilities refurbishment can be an eligible research organisation cash contribution if the upgrade will increase the capability of the facilities. This contribution must be justified in addition to any estate costs already factored in.
Business cash donation
This is a business cash donation which will be provided to the partner universities, for the universities to manage in line with the project objectives.
Supporting skills and talent
We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.
UKRI supports over 25,000 FTE research and innovation (R&I) staff directly on grants, many more if indirect costs, facility charges and strategic funding streams are included. Those skilled people and teams design our studies, deliver the R&I work and disseminate the outputs. They are the R&I system, and critical to delivering the outcomes we invest in.
Our expectations for people and teams are collated on the supporting skills and talent section of the good research resource hub. In this opportunity, we are piloting a new approach to embedding consideration of people and teams in our assessment. Some of the assessment criteria have been updated to reflect this. Find out about the background to the people and teams assessment pilot.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.
