We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful stage one application. The start application link will be provided via email.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this Opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
- insert each new image onto a new line
- use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
- sentences or paragraphs of text
- tables
- excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
- references are easily identifiable by the assessors
- references are formatted as appropriate to your research
- persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.
Deadline
EPSRC must receive your application by 13 May 2026 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. If an application is withdrawn prior to peer review or office rejected due to substantive errors in the application, it cannot be resubmitted to the opportunity.
Personal data
Processing personal data
EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email TFSchangeEPSRC@epsrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
- declaration of interest
- additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
- conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
- the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.
Institutional matched funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Applications Outcomes.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Vision and Approach
Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than eight sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. You may include images, graphs, tables. References may be included but should not exceed one page of your document. You can have one additional page for a diagrammatic workplan and one additional page for a detailed and appropriate plan for how you will acquire and manage data (if applicable).
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’.
Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, do not include any sensitive data within the attachment.
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
For the Vision, explain how your proposed work in your hub:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is timely given current trends, context and needs
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment
- addresses the relevant big challenges identified in the application questions and how it connects to the ambitions outlined in the UK Industrial Strategy
- demonstrates strategic indispensability
Within the Vision section we also expect all the hubs to collectively provide a joint strategy to:
- develop system integration to strengthen the whole ecosystem (CDT-FORT should contribute to the development of a shared and embedded skills and training programme within the ecosystem objective)
- improve the level of commercialisation
For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
- if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
- describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- improve cross-disciplinary breadth and diversity of collaboration
- provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or similar (additional one-page A4)
- include a detailed and appropriate plan for how you will acquire and manage data (additional one-page A4)
References may be included within this section.
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 2,500
Why are you the right team to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- appropriateness of the track record and international benchmarking of the applicants
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
- intend to develop and promote the careers of all its team members, including investigators, research assistants, technicians, and aligned students
- the ability to lead and manage a large, complex investment with sufficient support, infrastructure and resources for the day-to-day running of the hub
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word limit for this section is 2,500 words; 2,000 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
Additions
Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
References may be included within this section.
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
Project partners
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
- the project partner contact name and email address
- the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value
If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Project partners: letters (or emails) of support
Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. Each letter or email you provide should:
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
- clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
- describe any additional value that they bring to the project
- have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner
Within this section, we also expect you to:
- provide up to six letters (or emails) of support
- co-ordinate across hubs to request the letters (or emails) to avoid burdening the project partners
- provide an overall statement up to two sides A4, clearly stating the outcomes from project partners collaborations up to date and forward plans with existing and new project partners
- demonstrate how your partnerships will leverage significant private funding as a result of this investment
- demonstrate a significant increase of the proportion of research and development (and innovation) expenditure from private sector sources
Project partner letters (or emails) of support can be submitted to EPSRC by 1 July 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the contributions template.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.
Facilities
Word limit: 250
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
- name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,500
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
Please note: all funding for doctoral studentships should be excluded. This funding is covered by separate questions and will ultimately be issued as a separate training grant at the award stage.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
- any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
- any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
This funding for this opportunity has been assessed under the Subsidy Control Act.
The primary award to the hubs supports non-economic research activity undertaken by academic bodies. Where the hubs provide secondary (onward) funding, the subsidy position will depend on the nature of the activity funded. Support to research organisations for non-economic activity, including activity up to the point of spin-out formation, will not constitute a subsidy. However, where secondary funding supports economic activity undertaken by spin-outs or other enterprises, it will constitute a subsidy and must comply with the Act. In such cases, support may be provided under the Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) provisions, which permit subsidies of up to £315,000 per enterprise over a rolling three-financial-year period, or under another compliant subsidy control route as appropriate.
The Terms and Conditions of award will require recipients to determine whether secondary funding constitutes a subsidy, ensure compliance with the applicable route where required, and meet all associated recording and reporting obligations under the Act.
Management strategy
Word limit: 1,000
What is your strategy for managing and monitoring your grant?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
In the text box, set out your strategy for how you will:
- use the flexibility of the resources (both for staff and finances) to manage the day-to-day strategy for ensuring individual research projects meet the overall vision for the programme
- seek external advice, including plans for any independent advisory boards
- monitor the flexible resources, including at the major decision points, and how this will be used to reassess the direction of the research programme
- fulfil an advocacy role of the engineering and physical sciences
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Your organisation’s support
Word limit: 2,000
Provide details of support from your research organisation.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide a statement of support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any additional support that might add value to the work.
The statement should also include how the host organisation will create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment for all doctoral students supported by or involved in this hub, addressing a variety of needs and supporting good wellbeing, including relevant, specific support and training for supervisors where needed. Host organisation support should meet UKRI’s statement of expectations for doctoral training.
Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority. We recognise that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.
You must also include the following details:
- a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all
- office address or web link
Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
- the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
- how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
If you are collecting or using data, identify:
- any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
- formal information standards with which your study will comply
Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) will be included in the Funding Service. These will ask about numbers, species or strain and justification about:
- genetic and biological risk
- research involving the use of animals
- conducting research with animal overseas
- research involving human participation
- research involving human tissues or biological samples
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.
Doctoral studentships
Word limit: 1,000
Doctoral training grants are only applicable to CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER and TITAN. FTH is requested to focus on commercialisation ambitions and should enter ‘N/A’ for the doctoral studentships question.
For CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER and TITAN, EPSRC request that these four hubs to work with CDT-FORT as the coordinator and collectively provide a joint response (up to 900 words) to the doctoral studentships question. All the Hubs should submit a copy of this joint response. Up to 100 words can be used to provide an additional hub-specific statement.
Does your proposal require funding for doctoral students?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
This funding opportunity provides funding for at least 12 and no more than 16 doctoral students. Each of the four hubs can request at least three and no more than four doctoral students. This offers an exciting opportunity for students to train and acquire skills that support the development of a healthy, diverse, and inclusive future communications talent pipeline. Students will benefit from the drawing together of vibrant, balanced teams which combine doctoral and post-doctoral research and build leadership for the future of the advanced connectivity technologies in the UK.
In line with the above explanation and the ‘What we are looking for’ section of this funding opportunity, please provide a justification for any doctoral studentships.
Ensure that you have included:
- a clear vision for the added value of associating doctoral training with this application, including why additional UKRI investment is needed on top of existing UKRI studentship funding, and detail of how the students’ engagement in the investment will play a notable role in establishing a sustainable research ecosystem
- how you will embed delivery of UKRI’s statement of expectations for doctoral training. You should aim to build students’ understanding of what conducting high quality research involves, and prepare globally competitive researchers for a range of sectors and careers
- how you and the host organisation will create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students and staff involved
- how you will support a cohort-based approach to training
- evidence that you have secured the appropriate research and pastoral capacity to support the number of studentships that you expect to deliver through this award
The positive, inclusive, and supportive environment created and maintained by you and the host organisation is expected to address a variety of needs and support good wellbeing. You should have an appropriate track record of supporting the training and development of others and of research and pastoral capacity to support the studentships requested.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box if you are not requesting funding for doctoral students.
Doctoral students: Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,000
Doctoral training grants are only applicable to CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER and TITAN. FTH is requested to focus on commercialisation ambitions and should enter ‘N/A’ for the ‘Doctoral studentships: Resources and cost justification’ question.
The overall or individual funding levels do not need to be justified where these have been mandated by UKRI.
Through the cost template, indicate the total number of students that you expect your programme will support (across all funding sources). Also indicate the number of full-time equivalent studentships that either UKRI has indicated it will support or you are requesting.
Outline the main uses of the following funding:
Total – RTSG – research support costs
Outline your approach to costing the research and training costs associated with individual studentship projects or tailored, individual student training in support of your vision and approach.
You do not need to justify the following unless the funding opportunity has afforded you flexibility:
Total – student stipend
Stipend costs only need to be justified where enhancements are requested above the UKRI minimum rate.
Total – fees
Include Tuition fee costs only, for example requests above UKRI’s standard level.
You should describe any co-funder contributions to the programme’s costs.
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box if you are not requesting funding for doctoral students.
