This award is to enable applicants to develop an independent research career in quantum technology.
The award provides the opportunity to carry out an ambitious programme of research and accelerate your personal and professional career development.
Applicants should clearly describe their vision for their research programme and career development over the three to five years. Applicants should explain how the fellowship award will help them achieve their vision.
The awards provide funding for an ambitious programme of research and offer opportunities for personalised training and career development.
Fellowship proposals can request funding for between three to five years. Applicants can request to spend between 50% and 100% of their time on a fellowship. Fellowships can also be held part-time, at a minimal level of 50%.
Proposals must be at least 50% EPSRC’s quantum technology remit and can cover any aspect of quantum technology research. For example:
- discovery
- innovation
- device development
- quantum software engineering.
Read the details of EPSRC’s quantum technology portfolio.
Read about the National Quantum Technology Programme (NQTP).
Additionally, in order to support research in quantum computing, several of the fellowship awards will be supported by the NQCC through this funding opportunity.
NQCC fellowship proposals should focus on aspects of quantum computing, such as:
- algorithm
- development
- standards
- benchmarking
- simulation.
To support these positions, access to prototype hardware will be available through the NQCC.
Other areas of underpinning technology such as control systems and theory, materials for quantum computing platforms and device development are also encouraged.
You should consider applying for this EPSRC or NQCC sponsored fellowship if:
- you have a PhD, or equivalent industry experience, working in the quantum technology sector and are looking at what aspects of your career you would like to develop to enable you to become an independent researcher
- you have started formulating your own research ideas for programmes of work that will deliver high-quality research with a focus on discovery, innovation, instrumentation or technique development within quantum technology
- you can demonstrate a clear career development plan, over three to five years, that will give you the skills to successfully deliver your research proposal and transition to independent researcher
- you have not previously held a significant grant (usually defined as those which included PDRA time, capital equipment or were in excess of £100,000 full economic cost)
- you are committed to being an advocate for EPSRC and the NQPT and to implement good practice in creating an inclusive research environment.
If you have already been in receipt of significant funding as defined above, or have been leading in an area of technical development, you may wish to apply for an EPSRC open fellowship or a UKRI future leader fellowship.
What your proposal could include:
- theoretical or experimental research in quantum technologies
- training and development support to enable you to expand or enhance your role and career, which can include support to develop a range of skills such as:
- project planning
- supervision and line management (through supervision of PhD students and PDRAs as appropriate)
- networking
- community outreach
- engagement
- additional technical skills that would enhance your research
- multidisciplinary research, but the proposal should be at least 50% quantum technology
- opportunity to transition into a different area of quantum technology through your proposed research programme
- industry collaboration and secondments
- partnership with other academic researchers, both in the UK and abroad
- working with a mentor to develop your career but also acting as a mentor to others, either within your own research group or institution or within another institution or industry
- a co-investigator is expected to bring complementary experience and different skills.
Your proposal must include a career development work package.
Experimental research can be on existing equipment, within the UK or abroad. Equipment may be purchased where it is considered essential to the proposal and there is no alternative provision available. Equipment costing under £10,000 is considered to be consumables. Equipment between £10,000 and £400,000 can be requested if suitably justified.
The career development fellowship will offer, amongst other things:
- flexibility to accommodate changes to family circumstances
- a cohort group of fellows to encourage and support networking
- financial support for visa applications
- the opportunity to demonstrate a wide range of skills beyond a publication list
- the opportunity to have a secondment or part-time placement working with industry
- the opportunity to collaborate with another organisation beyond your host institution
- the opportunity to develop your national and international networks.
The NQCC sponsored career development awards could also offer, for example:
- access to NQCC resources such as laboratory space
- nanofabrication through partner organisations
- access to prototype quantum computer resources.
Research organisations should show their commitment to applicants by providing additional support and resources as evidenced in the host organisation statement (EPSRC).
Information for the research organisation
We expect eligible research organisations to submit the most suitable candidates for these fellowships and identify the additional support and resources they will provide the applicant with if successful.
If you are a research organisation, you must:
- make sure that the experience, aims and aspirations of the applicant are suitable for a fellowship application
- commit to supporting the applicant to ensure their knowledge and expertise in implementing good practice in creating an inclusive research environment is continually updated
- ensure the applicant has considered their knowledge of ethical, responsible innovation and thought about how they could further this knowledge. Read the guidance on how to build international collaborations (CPNI)
- identify the additional support you will provide to ensure successful project delivery and opportunities for the applicant to expand or enhance their current role
- offer opportunities for the applicant to develop supervisory skills, for example, by supervising PhD students
- consider if they need a mentor, and what aspects of their development their mentor will help with
- agree a mutually acceptable balance of time devoted to fellowship and non-fellowship activities such as teaching or demonstrating
- leadership opportunities.
Funding available
You can apply for between three and five years’ funding.
You can spend between 50% and 100% of your time on a fellowship.
The amount of time spent on a fellowship can vary over the funding period. This also allows time for other career development activities.
Up to one day a week teaching time is allowed at 100% of your time.
Grants can start from 1 April 2022.
If you want to work part-time, you can hold your EPSRC fellowship part-time as well, at a minimum of 50% of your time. In these circumstances the duration of your fellowship can be extended pro rata.
Applicants can spend up to a day a week teaching.
We will fund 80% of the full economic cost of your project. You may request funding for:
- staff costs
- equipment and other items needed to carry out the project
- costs related to impact
- travel and subsistence
- career development activities and training.
Individual items of equipment between £10,000 and £400,000 can be included on proposals for individual research projects if:
- the equipment is essential to the proposed research
- no appropriate alternative provision can be accessed.
Additional justification of the requirement for individual items of equipment between £10,000 and £400,000 and details of the proposed contribution to the cost of the equipment must be provided in the justification of resources (JoR).
For any items or combined assets with a value above £138,000 (including VAT), a two-page equipment business case must also be included in the proposal documentation.
Read our guidance on how to prepare an equipment business case (EPSRC).
EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost of equipment.
Read our guidance on equipment below £10,000 (including VAT).
Read more information on equipment funding (EPSRC).
Read about equipment sharing (EPSRC).
Responsible innovation
EPSRC is fully committed to develop and promote responsible innovation. Research has the ability to not only produce understanding, knowledge and value, but also unintended:
- consequences
- questions
- ethical dilemmas
- social transformations.
We recognise that we have a duty of care to promote approaches to responsible innovation that will:
- initiate ongoing reflection about the potential ethical and societal implications of the research that we sponsor
- encourage our research community to do likewise.
Therefore, applicants are expected to work within the EPSRC framework for responsible innovation.
Read information and advice on how to get the most out of international collaboration whilst protecting intellectual property, sensitive research and personal information (CPNI).
This is for applicants planning to include international collaborators on their proposal.
