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
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- 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.
- 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 may 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 15 September 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it will 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)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
Postdoctoral research assistants should be included on the grant as research and innovation associate.
A research technical professional can be listed as a project lead or project co-lead (UK), provided that their:
- appointment is resourced from the central funds of their institution at the time of application
- level of responsibilities and duties is appropriate to a person with substantial research experience
- contract extends beyond the duration of the project
Please do not add industry project partners in this category, as these should be added in the ’Project partners’ section instead.
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
Purpose
Word limit: 1,650
What is the facility, why is it needed, and why should UKRI support it?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how the proposed facility:
- is timely, given current trends and context
- delivers an unmet need
- meets national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique, world leading activity or both
- meets community demand and need from a diverse and inclusive user base
- enhances and complements existing research capability at a local, regional, or national scale
- meets the strategic aims of UKRI or the government
Please describe alternative plans for how the research would be achieved should the equipment not be funded. The plans should reflect:
- host organisation strategies for this equipment
- host organisation commitment to the equipment landscape
- a summary of existing facilities beyond the host organisation, including identification of similar instruments overseas or in industry, outlining reasons why they cannot be utilised for the intended research
You should input your response to this section in the text box.
References may be included within this section.
Within this section you also have the option to create a single document that includes support letters or emails from organisations that have shown a clear intention to use the infrastructure. This document should only include letters that are highly selective and demonstrating significant support.
You are advised to only include letters from a cross-section of key users, rather than from every user. These may represent different universities within or outside any regional alliance or may indicate relevance to key collaborators within industrial sectors. Only one letter is permitted per organisation.
You are encouraged to work with key EPSRC investments, such as the Future Connectivity Hubs to support their application, evidence community demand and identify where there are collaborative working opportunities. Applicants should include a letter or letters of support from EPSRC Future Connectivity Hubs consortium within this section.
Each letter or email you provide should clearly explain the value, relevance and possible benefits of the work to users.
Each letter should be no more than two pages in length.
Please do not include letters of support from project partners in this section. We have a separate section for ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’.
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Purpose letters of support from key users’.
Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please 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.
Vision
Word limit: 1,650
What are you hoping to achieve with the proposed facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how the proposed facility will:
- enable high quality, novel or transformative research
- offer training opportunities for the wider community
- if applicable, have measurable impact beyond the immediate team, including on world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
- has the potential to advance current understanding and generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is relevant to identified stakeholders, including users
- be of international importance
- meets the six defined objectives in this call document
- identifies the potential local, regional and or national impacts, both direct and indirect, and who the beneficiaries might be
- enhances the UK’s research and innovation capabilities through local and or regional activity
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please also provide a detailed plan of research which includes a description of the projects that will be supported by the equipment, with sufficient experimental detail to allow the panel to assess the quality of the research, including preliminary results where possible.
Approach
Word limit: 1,650
What are your plans to manage the proposed facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
We expect you to show how your approach:
- is feasible, identifying any risks to delivery and citing appropriate mitigation
- provides details of access and usage estimates, particularly where a culture of equipment sharing may extend use to external users
- provides long-term technical support which will be available for the requested equipment
- provides training and development of technical staff
- describes how the research environment (in terms of the place, its location, complementary expertise, facilities and relevance to the proposal) will contribute to the successful utilisation of the equipment
- has been designed so that it will generate local, regional, national and international impacts
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please also provide a plan for prioritising access to and maximising usage of the infrastructure. This should include any application and assessment processes and an estimate for the balance of users from the host institution, academics from external institutions and industrial users.
Sustainability
Word limit: 1,650
What steps have you taken to ensure the sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of your proposed asset?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
For the sustainability, explain how the proposed facility:
- is as economically, environmentally and socially sustainable as possible
- delivers large scale societal, environmental and economic benefits
- will have its lifetime maximised, including stating what the expected lifetime is and, where relevant, how the asset will be sustainably decommissioned
Within the ‘Sustainability’ section we also expect you to explain:
- how long-term operational and maintenance costs, including staffing, will be supported
- how the proposed asset will be integrated into an existing UKRI service, facility, equipment pool, or similar
- how the proposed asset is complementary to UKRI or host institute carbon reduction targets
- if relevant, how the proposed asset contributes to a broader approach to environmental sustainability, such an enhancing biodiversity or clean air, as well as reducing carbon emissions
- your plans for sustainability and legacy beyond the end of UKRI funding. These could include cost recovery models, securing additional funding, development or expansion after the initial period of funding
- how you have considered equality, diversity and inclusion, including equitable access, in the design and planned use of the asset to maximise benefit to the UK environmental sciences community
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 1,650
Why are you the right individual or team to procure and manage the proposed equipment?
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)
- the right balance of skills and expertise
- the appropriate leadership and management skills and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (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 to 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 below. You should 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 following 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).
You should complete this section 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 (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of 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
- provide an overall statement of two sides A4, clearly stating the outcomes from proposed project partners collaborations and forward plans with existing and new project partners
- demonstrate how your partnership will leverage significant private funding as a result of this investment
- demonstrate a significant increase of the proportion of research and innovation expenditure from private sector sources
This document should only include letters that are highly selective and demonstrating significant contribution.
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 ‘Project partners’ section.
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.
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 support that will be provided to the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.
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.
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 and RRI considerations, 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 you should identify:
- any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)
- formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
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.
Animal Involvement and”3Rs”
You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.
If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page. You may be asked about:
- what animals you are involving
- the severity of the procedures you are using
- where the procedures will take place
- welfare standards you aim to meet
- the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs
You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.
To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals.
What counts as an animal
UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.
Genetically modified organisms and biological risk
You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.
If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include
- the intended use of the organism or genetic technology
- the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.
Human Participation in Health-related Research
You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.
If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what type of human participation your project includes
- the project design for human participation
- the phase of the clinical trial
- whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so how the project will be registered
- whether diversity and inclusion will be considered
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,500
What will you need to procure to deliver the proposed equipment and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more substantial costs, 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’
- details of the equipment requested
- details of the service or maintenance service requested (if applicable)
- details of any cash contributions to the equipment from other sources reasons for choosing a quoted equipment (versus other quotes)
- reasons for requesting a particular specification of equipment or a particular manufacturer
- how the funding spend profile defined within ‘what we are looking for’ will be met
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
Facility design, governance, and operation requirements
Word limit: 1,650
What are your plans to design, govern and operate the proposed facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide statements on how the facility design, governance, and operation requirements are met.
Facility design, governance, and operation requirement (additional assessment criterion)
The aim of the optical wireless communications facility is threefold; building a UK sovereign capability, contributing to national resilience and catalysing economic growth. These three priorities should be pursued together, recognising that different types of activity may contribute in different ways.
Overall, the facility must support the development of UK sovereign optical wireless communications capability, while also enabling broader research and innovation that contributes to UK national resilience and economic growth.
Location and design
The facility must be located in the UK. The location should provide access to a strong and diverse knowledge base, with a proven track record in optical wireless communications technologies.
The facility should be designed to be accessible to a broad range of researchers and innovators from across the UK. Furthermore, as a post-award requirement, the facility design should be co-developed with UK Government National Security and Defence stakeholders, including relevant national technical authorities such as National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority, while also addressing the needs of UK academia and industry.
Operation and access plan
The facility must support clear operational compartmentalisation and be capable of supporting classified or sensitive work up to, but not exceeding, Secret level, within appropriate security frameworks.
The facility must enable:
- significant open-access capability, enabling collaboration with academia, industry, and trusted international partners where appropriate
- controlled work requiring restrictions
- sovereign activities independently undertaken by appropriately vetted UK personnel
The facility should actively encourage and enable participation from UK nationals, including through skills development, access opportunities, and leadership roles.
The access plan (including both the facility and data access) should also include the host institution requirement on security arrangements for different types of user groups. In particular, the facility design and operational framework should incorporate robust data access protocols and controlled sharing mechanisms to ensure that sensitive information is accessed appropriately and disseminated only on a need-to-know basis.
As a minimum requirement, the host institution should have the capability to utilise the MoD cyber security model to carry out risk assessments and consider the cyber security standard for suppliers. The suppliers and sub-contractors of this optical wireless facility must meet the contractual cyber security requirements of Defence Condition 658 and Defence Standard 05-138.
Governance
You must provide a comprehensive facility governance and management plan outlining approaches to user and stakeholder engagement, including coordination with Government to support UK sovereign capability and with industry and academia to enable economic growth. The approaches should include project governance structures, including how the facility obtains advice on risk and issue management.
Additionally, the leadership team must encourage and enable participation in the facility by UK nationals, including but not limited to plans for skills development and facility access for this cohort of researchers.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.
Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessments of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.
You will be asked about:
- which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to
- who you intend to collaborate with and how
- if your project requires an export control licence
Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.
