Funding opportunity

Pre-announcement: NMIP sandpit: Digital materials for accelerated innovation

• Opportunity status: Upcoming
• Funders: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Funding type: Grant
• Publication date: 9 September 2026
• Opening date: To be confirmed
• Closing date: To be confirmed

Apply to attend a three to five-day sandpit to develop high-impact projects that address the challenges and opportunities of integrating digital approaches to accelerate the translation of materials research.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding to receive project funding from the sandpit.

Attendance at the sandpit does not guarantee UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.

This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. The funding opportunity will open later in 2026. More information will be available on this page then.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

UKRI individual eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit UKRI’s eligibility page.

We also welcome applications from industry to attend the sandpit and develop projects as a partner at the sandpit. However, businesses are not eligible to apply for funding through this opportunity.

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

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

What we're looking for

Aim

This funding forms part of the National Materials Innovation Programme (NMIP) announced as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The NMIP aims to establish a nationally coordinated approach to the UK advanced materials sector, driving the translation and adoption of materials across key industrial sectors.

EPSRC are inviting applicants to attend a three to five-day sandpit to deliver innovative, multidisciplinary and transformative approaches to the challenges and opportunities of integrating digital approaches to accelerate the translation of materials research.

Sandpit

The sandpit will be a residential, interactive and intensive workshop that brings together a multidisciplinary cohort of participants, including researchers and potential users of research outcomes. Working collaboratively, participants will develop innovative approaches to addressing complex research challenges within a thematic area.

The sandpit will be led by a director, supported by a team of mentors. The director and mentors will participate throughout the workshop but will not be eligible to receive research funding. Their role is to guide participants, challenge assumptions, and support the identification and exploration of key research opportunities and challenges.

By the end of the sandpit, participants are expected to have developed a number of collaborative project proposals. The director and mentors will act as independent reviewers, assessing the emerging projects and making recommendations for funding.

Following the sandpit, project leads and project co-leads of proposals recommended for funding will be invited to submit a full application. These applications will undergo assessment by the sandpit panel, comprising the director and mentors, to ensure that the submitted applications remain aligned with the vision, scope and objectives of the projects presented during the sandpit.

Note this is a pre-announcement and the information may change.

How to apply

Applications to this sandpit will be via completion of an expression of interest (EOI) survey. The EOI survey will require applicants to confirm their commitment to attend the entire sandpit if shortlisted. You must be able to attend the in-person sandpit which is expected to be in January or February 2027 for up to five days.

Information about the venue and the exact format of the sandpit will be provided to the successful participants. Accommodation will be provided. However, participants must make their own travel arrangements. We welcome applications and enquiries from individuals with additional needs for whom specific provisions may need to be made, for example, those with caring responsibilities and people with disabilities.

We are committed to creating a more inclusive research base in line with our equality, diversity and inclusion action plan and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We will publish full details on how to apply when the EOI survey opens.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Full details of the assessment process will be given when the EOI survey is launched. Participants will be selected primarily against clearly defined assessment criteria, based on the information provided in their EOI. However, the panel will also look to ensure sandpit participants have expertise in a mix of disciplines and backgrounds.

Contact details

Get help with your application

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

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, content or remit of a funding 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 application 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 materials@epsrc.ukri.org

We will not be able to provide additional information about this funding opportunity in advance of its publication.

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 more efficiently, 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.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.