Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Strategic infrastructure for engineering and physical sciences: Jun 2023

Apply for funding to purchase strategic infrastructure including equipment or resources. The funding seeks to improve UK scientific capability and enable cutting-edge research of high priority to EPSRC.

This funding opportunity is only for invited applicants.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding.

This funding is for either:

  • purchase and set-up of equipment
  • resources to support existing equipment

The cost of the equipment requested, including VAT, must be at least £400,000.

The resources only applications must have a maximum duration of two years.

Who can apply

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline proposal.

You must not change the principal investigator between the outline and full stage without EPSRC’s prior approval.

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 UK Research and Innovation.

What we're looking for

Scope

You can apply for two funding opportunities via the strategic infrastructure route:

  • strategic equipment
  • resource only strategic equipment

These two funding opportunities have different scopes but the application and assessment processes are via the same route.

Strategic equipment

Strategic equipment is intended to enhance UK scientific capability and support cutting-edge research of high priority to EPSRC. The request should fit within the host institution strategy and enable research that predominantly falls within EPSRC’s remit.

Strategic equipment includes a wide range of equipment. Examples include, but are not limited to, equipment enabling:

  • technology that increases novel research capability: for example, equipment enabling transformative research of high importance to EPSRC and the UK, or equipment empowering UK to become world leading as a result of the enabled research
  • research through increased capacity: for example, high-specification equipment that enables faster, higher resolution or more cost-effective results

All strategic equipment requests should include:

  • justified cost
  • appropriate use
  • appropriate strategy

Find more details on the scope of the strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Resource only strategic equipment

This funding opportunity is only for invited applicants. You must be invited by the relevant EPSRC theme lead to submit applications.

Resource only strategic equipment is intended to maximise usage of existing equipment that has already been procured, delivered and installed. This funding opportunity supports improved access and approaches to enable a better sharing of existing capital equipment. We expect that funding will provide seed or invest-to-save funding to initiate increased use and sustainability of the equipment.

The equipment may have been funded by EPSRC or other sources. The research enabled by the equipment must be within the EPSRC remit.

We do not expect that you will need more funding through this funding opportunity after the first application. You must articulate clear plans for sustainability in your application. We will not accept further applications to support sharing of the same item or items of equipment.

Find more details on the scope of the resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Duration

Strategic equipment

There are no limits on the duration of funding, but the duration must reflect that this is an equipment grant and not a research grant.

The duration should cover the procurement, delivery, installation and set-up of equipment.

If it is appropriate, the length of the funding can include:

  • the development of methods, protocols and access models
  • a small amount of time for pump-priming projects to maximise usage of the equipment

The duration should not include time for research projects.

Resource only strategic equipment

Resource only strategic equipment applications should be for a maximum duration of two years, unless agreed otherwise with EPSRC.

Funding available

Strategic equipment

Funding is available for items of equipment over £400,000, including VAT.

You can also request items of equipment under £400,000 that are essential to the running of the larger equipment.

You can request funding for up to 100% full economic cost (FEC) of the equipment. However, contributions from the host organisation are welcome.

The £400,000 minimum threshold can be met by a single item of equipment or by several items that are clearly intended to be combined in a single asset. The threshold cannot be met by the accumulated total of a number of individual items of standalone equipment.

Non-capital costs can be included where there is a clear requirement and should only be used to support the equipment requested. These will be funded at 80% FEC.

Eligible non-capital costs include:

  • staff time:
    • investigator time: this should be associated with the management of the equipment or promotion of the equipment to maximise its usage
    • research technical professionals time: as well as time associated with the management and promotion of the equipment, you should consider the professional development and sustainability of any technical staff associated with the equipment
  • impact-related activities:
    • travel costs to support engagement with existing partners
    • engagement activities: for example, workshops, seminars, networking events, exhibitions, meetings or people exchange to develop new partnerships. Engagement with expert staff can also be included. For example, knowledge exchange professionals, consultants, business planning support, commercialisation professionals or research software engineers
    • training for researchers: for example, public engagement, entrepreneurship or media
    • development or design input: for example, proof of concept, prototype or demonstrators
    • marketing design, video, web content
    • sharing of novel tools and techniques: for example, where these could be applied in other disciplines
    • data management: for example, sharing of datasets

Resource only strategic equipment

Funding via this funding opportunity should provide additional underpinning infrastructure or staff support, or both, that improves current use of equipment. You will be required to demonstrate the added value of the funds for increasing equipment usage, and the strategic demand for this.

Examples of resources that you can request include, but are not limited to:

  • pump-priming funds
  • provision of training or research services, or both, not previously available through:
    • additional roles
    • increased technician time. For example, if a technician is currently allocated 20% time to the equipment and you wish to increase this to 100%, you should request 80% of their time
  • additional investigator or staff time associated with the running of the existing equipment or provision of general support for equipment users, including training where there is a clear requirement
  • improved booking software
  • improvement advertisement of capabilities
  • impact related activities listed in the ‘Strategic equipment’ section

All costs will be funded at 80% FEC.

For both strategic equipment and resource only strategic equipment funding opportunities, the overall cost of the proposed infrastructure should not change by more than 10% in either direction compared to the outline stage. If you believe that the total cost will increase by more than 10%, contact EPSRC as soon as possible at epsrcequipmentfunding@epsrc.ukri.org

What we will not fund

Strategic equipment

We will not fund:

  • costs associated with the support of individual research projects. For example, principal investigator time for research and project specific consumables are not an allowable cost on this funding It would be for the university to consider how best to cover research project consumables through usage and charging arrangements
  • underpinning equipment that we would expect to see in a well-found lab

You should submit any application focused on creating novel instruments or performing modifications to an existing instrument through standard mode as instrument development.

Resource only strategic equipment

We will not fund:

  • capital costs through this funding opportunity, for example, items of equipment over £10,000. Individual items with a value less than £10,000 are not considered to be equipment
  • long-term research projects, for example, we do not expect to see postdoctoral researcher effort requested as part of an application. Costs for individual research projects are only eligible when these are short-term seed projects to support new users. These costs should have been proposed at the outline stage
  • replacement of existing support, maintenance, service contracts, or capital costs. For example, current staff costs for time assigned to the equipment are not eligible. It is expected that awards will provide seed funding to initiate increased use

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

How to apply

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service

We are running the funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply for this funding opportunity on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

If you do not already have an account with the UKRI Funding Service, you will be able to create one by selecting the ‘start application’ button at the start of this page. Creating an account is a two-minute process requiring you to verify your email address and set a password.

If you are a member of an organisation with a research office that we do not have contact details for, we will contact them to enable administrator access. This provides:

  • oversight of every UKRI Funding Service application opened on behalf of your organisation
  • the ability to review and submit applications

Research offices that have not already received an invitation to open an account should email support@funding-service.ukri.org

To find out more about the role of research office professionals in the application process, watch a recording of a recent research office webinar on YouTube.

Submitting your application

Applications should be prepared and submitted by the lead research organisation but should be co-created with input from all investigators, and project partners, and should represent the proposed work of the entire consortia.

To apply:

  1. Select the ‘Start application’ button at the start of this page.
  2. This will open the ‘Sign in’ page of UKRI’s Funding Service. If you do not already have an account, you’ll be able to create one. This is a two-minute process requiring you to verify your email address and set a password.
  3. Start answering the questions detailed in this section of ‘How to apply’. You can save your work and come back to it later. You can also work ‘offline’, copying and pasting into the text boxes provided for your answers.
  4. Once complete, use the service to send your application to your research office for review. They’ll check it and return it to you if it needs editing.
  5. Once happy, your research office will submit it to UKRI for assessment. Only they can do this.

As citations can be integral to a case for support, you should balance their inclusion and the benefit they provide against the inclusion of other parts of your answer to each question. Bear in mind that citations, associated reference lists or bibliographies, or both, contribute to, and are included in, the word count of the relevant section.

Deadline

EPSRC must receive your application by 29 June 2023 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

You should ensure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place.

Personal data

General text on 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.

General text on outcomes publication

If your application is successful, some personal information will be published via the UKRI Gateway to Research.

UKRI Funding Service: section guidance

Summary

In plain English, provide a summary that can be sent to potential reviewers to determine if your proposal is within their field of expertise.

This summary may be made publicly available on external facing websites, so please ensure it can be understood by a variety of readers, for example:

  • opinion-formers
  • policymakers
  • the general public
  • the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary

Succinctly describe your proposed infrastructure in terms of:

  • its context
  • the research areas and priorities it addresses
  • its aims and objectives
  • its potential applications and benefits

Word count: 550

Applicants

List the key members of your team and assign them roles, for example:

  • principal investigator
  • co-investigator
  • researcher
  • technician
  • business partner

You should only list one individual as principal investigator.

Postdoctoral research assistants

These should be included on the grant as researchers.

Research technical professionals

A research technical professional can be listed as a principal investigator or co-investigator, provided that:

  • their appointment is resourced from the central funds of their institution at the time of application
  • their level of responsibilities and duties is appropriate to a person with substantial research experience
  • their contract extends beyond the duration of the project

Non-academic staff

Non-academic staff such as programme managers and administrators, should be added under the ‘business partner’ staff category. Please do not add industry project partners in this category, as these should be added as a ‘project partner’ instead in the appropriate section.

Section: purpose: strategic equipment funding opportunity

Why is this equipment needed, and why should EPSRC support it?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box and do not upload an attachment for this section if you are applying for the resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Use this section if you are applying for the strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Explain how the equipment sought will:

  • meet national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique or world leading activity, or both
  • enhance and complement the existing regional or national research capability
  • evidence the strong demand and community need from a diverse and inclusive user base
  • meet the strategic aims of the funding organisation

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
  • institutional commitment to the equipment landscape
  • how the equipment sought is different from what is already available in the wider research landscape

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Word count: 750

Section: purpose: resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity

Why is this resource needed, and why should EPSRC support it?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box and do not upload an attachment for this section if you are applying for the strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Use this section if you are applying for the resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Explain how the resource sought will:

  • meet national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique or world leading activity, or both
  • enhance and complement the existing regional or national research capability
  • evidence the strong demand and community need from a diverse and inclusive user base
  • meet the strategic aims of the funding organisation
  • result in significant efficiencies, increased usage or greater capacity, or both, compared to the current situation

Describe alternative plans for how the research would be achieved should the resource not be funded. The plans should reflect:

  • host organisation strategies for this infrastructure
  • institutional commitment to the infrastructure landscape

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Word count: 750

Section: vision

What research will be enabled by this infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the infrastructure sought will enable research that:

  • is high quality, novel and transformative
  • is timely, given current trends and context
  • is relevant to identified stakeholders, including users
  • will have a measurable impact beyond the immediate team, with an appropriate approach to achieving impact

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Word count: 10

Section: approach

What are your plans to manage the proposed infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your approach includes:

  • a credible plan for managing the infrastructure, including a work plan with Gantt chart, associated risks, milestones and deliverables
  • 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
  • a plan for data management and accessibility

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Word count: 10

Section: sustainability

What are your plans for sustainability of the proposed infrastructure beyond the end of this funding?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Using the text box, explain how your plans for sustainability include:

  • an appropriate cost recovery model
  • a plan for training and development of specialist technical staff
  • a plan for the development or expansion of the user base after the initial period of funding and any ‘free-at-the point of access’ period

Word count: 750

Section: applicant and host institution capability to deliver

Why are you and your host institution the right individual, team and place to procure and manage this infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Using the textbox, provide evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

  • the relevant experience, appropriate to your career stage, to deliver the proposed work
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work, including the appropriate leadership and management skills on your approach to develop others

Provide evidence of why your host organisation:

  • is the most appropriate place for the proposed infrastructure
  • will use its existing inventory to best complement the proposed infrastructure

Word count: 1,000

Section: resources and cost justification

What will you need to procure and manage the proposed infrastructure and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Download this full economic costings document (DOCX, 92KB), complete it and then upload it as explained.

In the text box, provide justifications of:

  • the cost of the proposed infrastructure
  • any resources (for example staff or maintenance costs) associated with the infrastructure
  • any resources requested for activities to expand the user base, increase impact, for public engagement or to support responsible innovation
  • the nature and level of contributions from your organisation or partner organisations if applicable

For each of these, demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

For all items of equipment costing more than £25,000, you must provide a summary in the text box detailing quotations from at least three suppliers. If there are only one or two suppliers for any piece of equipment, state this and explain why.

All items of equipment costing more than £138,000 require three written quotes. Do not upload these quotes here as they are not needed in the peer review process but keep them on hand as EPSRC will ask for them as part of the audit process should your proposal be awarded funding.

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Word count: 1,500

Section: your organisation’s support

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Using the text box, provide a statement of support from your research organisation detailing why the proposed work is needed. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

The committee will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.

EPSRC recognises 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 and their position, from the TTO or research office, or both
  • office address or web link

Word count: 1,000

Section: project partners: contributions

Provide details about any project partners’ contributions using the template provided.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you do not have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.

If you do have project partners, download and complete the project partner contributions template (DOCX, 52KB) then copy and paste the table within it into the text box.

Ensure you have obtained prior agreement from project partners that, should you be offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the template.

Word count: 1,000

Section: 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 table in the previous ‘contributions’ section.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you do not have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.

If you have named project partners in the previous ‘contributions’ section, enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box.

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

Refer to EPSRC’s project partners letter of support for more guidance.

Do not provide letters of support from host and co-investigator’s research organisations.

Unless specifically requested, please do not include any personal data within the attachment.

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Word count: 10

Section: ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

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

Using the text box, demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations, and how you will manage them.

If you are collecting or using data you should 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 taken to not preclude further reuse of data
  • formal information standards with which study will be compliant

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:

  • animals
  • human participants
  • genetically modified organisms

Word count: 500

Section: genetic and biological risk

Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?

If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

In respect of animals, plants or microbes, are you proposing to:

  • use genetic modification as an experimental tool, like studying gene function in a genetically modified organism
  • release genetically modified organisms
  • ultimately develop commercial and industrial genetically modified outcomes?

If yes, provide the name of any required approving body and state if approval is already in place. If it is not, provide an indicative timeframe for obtaining the required approval.

Identify the organism or organisms as a plant, animal or microbe and specify the species and which of the three categories the research relates to.

Identify the genetic and biological risks resulting from the proposed research, their implications and any mitigation you plan on taking. Assessors will want to know you have considered the risks and their implications to justify that any identified risks do not outweigh any benefits of the proposed research.

Word count: 700

Section: research involving the use of animals

Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?

If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and do the same for the next question.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing research that requires using animals, write ‘Yes’ in the text box.

Then, download and complete the animal research questions document (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms. Then, save it as a PDF.

Word count: 10

Section: conducting research with animal overseas

Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?

If not, enter ‘N/A’ in the text box, mark as complete and move to the next question.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as per responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research, on page 14.

You should also ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement and provide a statement to confirm that:

  • all named applicants are aware of the requirements and have agreed to abide by them
  • this overseas research will be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with the principles of UK legislation
  • the expectation set out in ‘responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research’ will be applied and maintained
  • appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place

Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs, will be assessed during National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research review of research proposals. The required information should be provided by completing the template from the question ‘Research Involving the use of animals’.

For studies involving other species listed, you should select the relevant checklist or checklists from the list, complete it and save it as a PDF and use the file upload feature to attach. If you need to complete more than one checklist, you should merge them into a single document and then save it as a PDF before uploading it.

Checklists for other species:

Word count: 500

Section: research involving human participation

Will the project involve the use of human subjects or their personal information?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

If you are proposing research that requires the involvement of human subjects, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place. Then, justify the number and the diversity of the participants involved, as well as any procedures.

Provide details of any areas of substantial or moderate severity of impact.

Word count: 700

Section: research involving human tissues or biological samples

Does your proposed research involve the use of human tissues, or biological samples?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

If you’re answering ‘yes’, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.

You should justify the use of human tissue or biological samples specifying the nature and quantity of the material to be used and its source.

Word count: 700

Section: references

List the references you will use to support your application.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You should include all references in this section of the application and not in the rest of the application questions.

You should not include any other information in this section.

We advise you not to include hyperlinks as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application. If linking to web resources, to ensure the information’s integrity is maintained include, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers.

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

Word count: 250

Section: facilities

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If not, enter N/A into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

If you will need to use a facility, you should follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Where prior agreement is required, ensure you obtain their agreement that, should you be offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

In the text box, for each requested facility you should provide:

  • the name of facility, copied and pasted from the combined facilities list (DOCX, 35KB)
  • the proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicted on that list
  • confirmation you have their agreement where required

Do not put the facility contact details in your response.

Word count: 100

Section: sensitive information

Is there sensitive information you need to share with UKRI that you do not want shared with assessors?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

If you, or a key team member, need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, please enter the words ‘email sent’ in the text box.

Then contact the Funding Service helpdesk. Include your application name and number in the subject line, after the pre-populated words ‘sensitive information’.

Typical examples of confidential information include:

  • you are 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 please see UKRI’s privacy notice.

Word count: 10

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Peer review

We will invite experts to review your full application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity.

Shortlisting

We will review the comments and scores for each application.

Applications that do not receive sufficiently strong support from reviewers will be rejected at this stage.

Shortlisted applications will go to an interview panel who will make a funding recommendation.

If your application is shortlisted, you will have 14 days to respond to reviewers’ comments.

Interview

For shortlisted applications, an expert interview panel will conduct interviews with you, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. The interview panel will then prioritise applications and make a funding recommendation.

We expect interviews to be held in October and November 2023. The exact date and time for your interview will be confirmed one month in advance.

Resource only strategic equipment proposals will be assessed using the same process as strategic equipment proposals but on a separate funding list. Funding decisions for resource only strategic equipment proposals are independent of funding decisions for strategic equipment proposals.

Funding decision

EPSRC research infrastructure theme lead will make the final funding decision based on interview panel funding recommendation and budget available.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within six months of receiving your application.

Feedback

If your application was discussed at interview, we will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

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.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment criteria

What we are looking for

Section: purpose: strategic equipment funding opportunity

This section only applies to the strategic equipment funding opportunity. A separate ‘Purpose’ assessment criteria section is available for the resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Have the applicants demonstrated how the equipment sought will:

  • meet national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique or world leading activity, or both
  • enhance and complement the existing regional or national research capability
  • evidence the strong demand and community need from a diverse and inclusive user base
  • meet the strategic aims of the funding organisation

Have the applicants described 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
  • institutional commitment to the equipment landscape
  • how the equipment sought is different from what is already available in the wider research landscape
Section: purpose: resource only strategic equipment funding opportunity

This section only applies to the resource only strategic equipment opportunity. A separate ‘Purpose’ assessment criteria section is available for the strategic equipment funding opportunity.

Have the applicants demonstrated how the resource sought will:

  • meet national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique or world leading activity, or both
  • enhance and complement the existing regional or national research capability
  • evidence the strong demand and community need from a diverse and inclusive user base
  • meet the strategic aims of the funding organisation
  • result in significant efficiencies, increased usage or greater capacity, compared to the current situation

Have the applicants described alternative plans for how the research would be achieved should the resource not be funded? The plans should reflect:

  • host organisation strategies for this infrastructure
  • institutional commitment to the infrastructure landscape
Section: vision

Have the applicants demonstrated how the infrastructure sought will enable research that:

  • is high quality, novel and transformative
  • is timely, given current trends and context
  • is relevant to identified stakeholders, including users
  • will have a measurable impact beyond the immediate team, with an appropriate approach to achieving impact
Section: approach

Have the applicants demonstrated how their approach includes:

  • a credible plan for managing the infrastructure, including a work plan with Gantt chart, associated risks, milestones and deliverables
  • 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
  • a plan for data management and accessibility
Section: sustainability

Have the applicants demonstrated how their plans for sustainability include:

  • an appropriate cost recovery model
  • a plan for training and development of specialist technical staff
  • a plan for the development or expansion of the user base after the initial period of funding and any ‘free-at-the point of access’ period
Section: applicant and host institution capability to deliver

Have the applicants provided evidence of how they, and if relevant their team, have:

  • the relevant experience, appropriate to their career stage, to deliver the proposed work
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work, including the appropriate leadership and management skills on their approach to develop others

Have the applicants provided evidence of why their host organisation:

  • is the most appropriate place for the proposed infrastructure
  • will use its existing inventory to best complement the proposed infrastructure
Section: resources and cost justification

Have the applicants provided justifications of:

  • the cost of the proposed infrastructure
  • any resources (for example staff or maintenance costs) associated with the infrastructure
  • any resources requested for activities to expand the user base, increase impact, for public engagement or to support responsible innovation
  • the nature and level of contributions from their organisation or partner organisations if applicable

For each of these, have the applicants demonstrated how the resources they anticipate needing:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Contact details

Get help with your application

For help on costings and writing your application, contact your research office. Allow enough time for your organisation’s submission process.

Ask about this funding opportunity

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

We aim to respond to emails within two working days.

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

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

Additional info

Background

For more information about EPSRC’s portfolio and strategies, visit:

EPSRC wishes to encourage a culture of equipment sharing where appropriate to maximise usage within the research group, across institutions or across the UK. As such, strategic infrastructure should account for the national picture, both in terms of equipment available and research being undertaken.

The £400,000 threshold for items of equipment that you can apply for does not imply any consequences for university procurement and tendering rules.

Grant additional condition

Grants will be subject to the standard UK Research and Innovation grant conditions. The following additional grant condition will be added to this funding opportunity:

We consider the equipment over £400,000 purchased under this grant to be part of your university’s EPSRC capital equipment portfolio. You are required to provide information regarding this equipment as part of your university’s annual equipment report to EPSRC.

Supporting documents

Equality impact assessment (PDF, 149KB)

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