Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC)

This international joint funding opportunity will support research projects in the field of semiconductors.

Your application must involve researchers from Japan and the UK.

UK applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding.
Japanese applicants must be eligible for JST funding.

Applicants may request up to:

  • £1.33 million (80% full economic cost (FEC)) for the UK component
  • ¥234 million (including 30% overhead expenses) for the Japanese component

We envisage funding three projects, with a fixed start date (anticipated 1 November 2024) and a duration of 41 months.

Who can apply

For support under this funding opportunity, applicants and organisations must be eligible to apply for funding from their respective country’s funding agency.

Applications must include a project lead from the UK and Japan.

For UK applicants, you must be based at a UK based research organisation eligible for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding. Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

Who is eligible to apply

EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply to this funding opportunity, applicants in the UK must meet EPSRC eligibility requirements. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page.

UK research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Applicants in Japan must meet the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) eligibility requirements.

Who is not eligible to apply

Applicants not based in Japan or the UK.

International applicants

The UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation Agreement does not apply to this funding opportunity. As such grants submitted to this funding opportunity cannot include a Norway-based international co-project lead.

Resubmissions

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder.

Find out more about EPSRC’s resubmissions policy.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

  • career breaks
  • support for people with caring responsibilities
  • flexible working
  • alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.

What we're looking for

Aim

Based on the implementation principles of the ALCA-Next programme in Japan and the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) in the UK, this partnership programme aims to support internationally competitive collaborative research projects between Japan and the UK focusing on semiconductor research.

Scope

Research projects should address one or more of the following four priority areas of joint interest for both Japan and the UK:

  • low power hardware for artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including:
    • low power design technologies and methods
    • innovative architectures for improving energy efficiency
    • hardware or software systems approach to low power devices
    • search or generation of algorithm or architecture design space for energy efficiency
    • 3D or 2.5D integrated circuit (IC) processes, circuits, and architectures for emerging materials and new computing paradigms
    • compatibility of AI algorithms with semiconductor hardware
    • photonics to address any of these points above, for example low power or low heat or more energy efficient parallel processing
  • power devices or radio frequency (RF) devices, including:
    • materials, SiC -related material processes, evaluation and calculation
    • compound semiconductors more broadly, including GaN, Ga2O3 , GaAs, InP, AlN, BN
    • applications in power electronics, radio transmission, materials for photonics
    • active electronics or thermal management, for example diamond
  • security by design, including:
    • trusted electronics
    • security architectures at the design stage so that they are intrinsically part of integrated circuits
    • discrete designs to enable security as part of a package or board
    • approaches for secured-by-design system-on-chip (SoC), for example capability architectures such as Morello and across SoC
    • a focus on hardware and manufacture
  • semiconductor photonics, including:
    • exploring materials for heterogeneous integration, for example as a route to low power electronics, for example photonics, silicon, compound semiconductors, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
    • materials platforms for photonic integrated circuits, for example silicon photonics, compound semiconductors, emerging materials platforms
    • photonic logic
    • photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
    • photonic communication across chip and inter-chip (inter package)
    • novel devices, for example low power modulators, efficient coupling to or from PICs, specific reconfigurable devices for AI

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Duration

Funded projects will have a fixed start date and it’s anticipated this will be 1 November 2024.

The duration of this award can be up to 41 months, lasting until 31 March 2028.

Funding available

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has a total of £3.99 million for this activity. Funding will be available for up to three research projects.

Applications should adhere to the following country-specific requirement:

  • UK budget requests should be up to £1.33 million (80% of the FEC)
  • Japanese budget requests should be up to ¥234 million (including 30% overhead expenses)

What we will fund

  • equipment (up to £400,000 per item)

Quotes for equipment do not need to be included in your application, but please retain quotes for equipment costing more than £138,000 as we may ask for these at post-panel stage before releasing funds.

International collaboration

If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UK Research and Innovation (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.

How to apply

The Japan and the UK team will need to submit their applications by parallel submission, using the designated application form (Japan-UK Joint Opportunity in Semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) Application Form (DOCX, 93.8KB)) to draft a joint proposal and submit it to the application websites of their respective countries.

The Japan-based project lead will need to submit a full application to the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) using Cross-Ministerial Research and Development Management System (e-Rad).

The UK project lead will be responsible for submitting a PDF copy of the application submitted to JST using the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. The UK project lead will be required to incorporate additional information on budget breakdown and ethical considerations.

Project leads in UK and Japan should ensure that there are no differences in the content of the application submitted within the designated application form document (Japan-UK Joint Opportunity in Semiconductor Research (JST-EPSRC) Application Form).

Applicants are requested to submit a prior notice to JST indicating their intent to apply to this funding opportunity. More information can be found on JST’s web page. The deadline for submitting this is 18 June 2024.

UKRI Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new 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.

  1. Confirm you are the project lead.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
  6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

  • use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
  • insert each new image onto a new line
  • provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
  • ensure files are smaller than 5 MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) must receive your application by 4:00pm UK time (BST) on 18 July 2024.

JST must receive your application by 12:00pm Japan time (JST) on 18 July 2024.

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 applications will not be returned for amendment. 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.

Publication of outcomes

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What EPSRC has funded.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

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
  • professional enabling staff
  • research and innovation associate
  • technician
  • visiting researcher
  • researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

Please do not include details of Japanese applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Japanese applicants

Please provide the following details of the Japanese applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead Japanese applicants will be.

Please do not include details of Japanese applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

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

The following questions will be included in the Japan-UK Joint Opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) Application Form:

  • Vision
  • Contribution to carbon neutrality
  • Approach
  • Research partnership
  • Applicant and team capability to deliver
  • Resources and cost justification
  • Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

For UK applicants, the following questions will be included in the Funding Service:

  • Additional documentation: JST-EPSRC joint application form
  • Project partners
  • Project partners letters (or emails) of support
  • Facilities
  • Ethics and responsible research and innovation (Additional sub-questions)
  • Data management and sharing

Application questions

Vision

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

  • is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
  • has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate 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

Within the Vision section we also expect you to explain how your proposed work:

  • is relevant to the scope of the funding opportunity including at least one of the priority areas of joint interest for JST and EPSRC

References may be included within this section.

Contribution to carbon neutrality

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

Please describe a scenario in which the introduction of the technologies into society will lead to carbon neutrality, while also providing scientific evidence.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate the potential of the work proposed to contribute to carbon neutrality, including:

  • the JST Advanced Technologies for Carbon Neutrality (ALCA-Next) objectives
  • centring and embedding environmental sustainability throughout the project aims, objectives, operations and research outcomes, considering the context of each project’s specific research area, based on UKRI’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy

Approach

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

How are you going to deliver your proposed work? In doing so, please clarify the division of the research between the teams in Japan and the UK.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach 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
  • uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
  • summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
  • 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:

  • provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or similar

References may be included within this section.

Research partnership

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

How does your proposed work involve collaboration between UK and Japan?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how the research partnership:

  • involves high-level international joint research aimed at enhancing scientific and technological capabilities for both countries
  • demonstrates a clear and feasible division of roles between the Japanese and UK research, throughout the research period
  • has an appropriate plan for building and expanding the international collaboration
  • involves research exchanges and collaborations that are equitable and mutually beneficial for both countries

Applicant and team capability to deliver

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

Why are you the right individual or 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
  • 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

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 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.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service. For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Resources and cost justification

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and justification does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

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 £10,000
  • 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’

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

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

This question is included in the Japan-UK joint opportunity in semiconductor research (JST-EPSRC) application form and does not need to be entered again in the Funding Service. For further details, please see the guidance on the application form.

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 or responsible research and innovation considerations
  • how you will manage these considerations

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) will be included in the Funding Service. These will ask about numbers, species/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

Additional documentation: JST-EPSRC joint application form

This question is included in the Funding Service.

Word limit: 10

Please upload a single PDF attachment with the JST-EPSRC joint application form as it will be submitted to JST’s Cross-Ministerial Research and Development Management System (e-Rad).

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘JST-EPSRC Joint Application Form’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Project partners

This question is included in the Funding Service.

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.

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

This question is included in the Funding Service.

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
  • the page limit is two sides A4 per partner

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

This question is included in the Funding Service.

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, 35KB)
  • 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.

Data management and sharing

This question is included in the Funding Service.

Word limit: 1,000

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Project applications received by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will be reviewed by the two agencies to confirm that your application:

  • is within the scope of this opportunity
  • successfully meets the eligibility requirements for both agencies

Subject to successful eligibility and scope checks, applications will be subject to an assessment process led by JST.

JST will coordinate and manage the review of applications in consultation with EPSRC.

Full information on the assessment process can be found on JST’s web page (PDF, 357KB)).

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Assessment criteria

The criteria we will assess your application against are:

  • vision
  • contribution to carbon neutrality
  • approach
  • research partnership
  • applicant and team capability to deliver
  • resources and cost justification
  • ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

Important note: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact:

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) contact email: alca-next@jst.go.jp

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) contact email: ict.theme@epsrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

  • Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

Find out more information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, please contact 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.

Additional info

Background

International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)

This programme is funded by the UK government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). ISPF is managed by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The £337 million fund supports collaboration between UK researchers and innovators and their peers around the world on the major themes of our time: planet, health, technology, and talent.

Webinar for potential applicants

We held a webinar on 21 March 2024. This provided more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Watch the webinar recording (Zoom)

Passcode: aOy7*Sg5

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

  • breaks and delays
  • disruptive working patterns and conditions
  • the loss of ongoing work
  • role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Guidance for completing an application form (PDF, 126KB)

Equality impact assessment (PDF, 193KB)

Updates

  • 9 July 2024
    Guidance for completing an application form added to the 'Additional info' section, under 'Supporting documents'.
  • 8 July 2024
    Equality impact assessment document added to the 'Additional info' section, under 'Supporting documents'.

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