We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
Applicants who are invited to apply to the funding opportunity will receive an application link when the funding opportunity opens.
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
You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline application. The start application link will be provided via email.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. 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. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this Opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit).
- insert each new image onto a new line.
- use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:
- sentences or paragraphs of text
- tables
- excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
- references are easily identifiable by the assessors
- references are formatted as appropriate to your research
- persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.
Match funding
There is no requirement for match funding from the organisations hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the grant. We advise reviewers and panel members not to consider the level of matched university funding as a factor on which to base funding decisions. Project partners are expected to contribute to the project, either with cash or in-kind contributions.
Deadline
EPSRC must receive your application by 28 August 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to 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 funding opportunity.
Personal data
Processing personal data
EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email TFSchangeEPSRC@epsrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
- declaration of interest
- additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
- conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
- the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.
Publication of outcomes
EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Applications Outcomes.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
Postdoctoral research assistants should be included on the grant as research and innovation associate.
A research technical professional can be listed as a project lead or project co-lead (UK), provided that their:
- appointment is resourced from the central funds of their institution at the time of application
- level of responsibilities and duties is appropriate to a person with substantial research experience
- contract extends beyond the duration of the project
Please do not add industry project partners in this category, as these should be added in the ’Project partners’ section instead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Purpose: strategic infrastructure
Word limit: 825
What is the infrastructure, why is it needed, and why should EPSRC support it?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Use this section if you are applying for the strategic infrastructure funding route.
Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box and do not upload an attachment for this section if you are applying for the resources to support existing strategic infrastructure funding route, then move onto the next section.
Explain how the proposed infrastructure:
- is timely, given current trends and context
- delivers an unmet need
- meets national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique, world leading activity or both
- meets community demand and need from a diverse and inclusive user base
- enhances and complements existing research capability at a local, regional, or national scale
- aligns to national strategic priorities, including the aims of EPSRC
Describe the strategic importance of the infrastructure and the enabled research. This should include:
- host organisation strategies for this infrastructure
- institutional commitment to the infrastructure landscape
- how the infrastructure sought is different from what is already available in the wider research landscape
- the potential impact should the proposed infrastructure not be funded
You should input your response to this section in the text box.
References may be included within this section.
Within this section you also have the option to create a single document that includes support letters or emails from organisations that have shown a clear intention to use the infrastructure. This document should only include letters that are highly selective and demonstrating significant support.
You are advised to only include letters from a cross-section of key users, rather than from every user. These may represent different universities within or outside any regional alliance or may indicate relevance to key collaborators within industrial sectors. Only one letter is permitted per organisation.
Each letter or email you provide should clearly explain the value, relevance and possible benefits of the work to users.
Each letter should be no more than two pages of A4 in length.
Please do not include letters of support from project partners in this section. We have a separate section for ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’.
Purpose: resources to support existing strategic infrastructure
Word limit: 825
Why are these resources needed and why should EPSRC support them?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Use this section if you are applying for the resources to support existing strategic infrastructure funding route.
Enter ‘N/A’ in the text box and do not upload an attachment for this section if you are applying for the strategic infrastructure funding route, then move onto the next section.
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 the strategic importance of the requested resources and the enabled research. This should include:
- host organisation strategies for this infrastructure
- institutional commitment to the infrastructure landscape
- the potential impact should the proposed infrastructure not be funded
You should input your response to this section in the text box.
References may be included within this section.
Within this section you also have the option to create a single document that includes support letters or emails from organisations that have shown a clear intention to use the infrastructure. This document should only include letters that are highly selective and demonstrating significant support.
You are advised to only include letters from a cross-section of key users, rather than from every user. These may represent different universities within or outside any regional alliance or may indicate relevance to key collaborators within industrial sectors. Only one letter is permitted per organisation.
Each letter or email you provide should clearly explain the value, relevance and possible benefits of the work to users.
Each letter should be no more than two pages in length.
Please do not include letters of support from project partners in this section. We have a separate section for ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’.
Vision
Word limit: 1,650
What research will be enabled by this infrastructure?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how the proposed infrastructure will:
- enable research that is high quality, novel or transformative
- enable research that is timely, given current trends and context
- offer training opportunities for the wider community
- have measurable impact beyond the immediate team, with an appropriate approach to achieving demand
- is relevant to identified stakeholders, including users
You should input your response to this section in the text box.
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
Your application may be rejected if imaged are provided without a descriptive legend in the text box or are used to replace text that could be inputted into the text box.
Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Approach
Word limit: 1,650
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 work plan including milestones, deliverables and associated risks in the form of a Gantt chart or similar. The risk analysis should, where appropriate, consider Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) implications (for information please refer to the TR&I section in ‘What are we looking for’)
- a credible management plan including 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, particularly where a culture of equipment sharing may extend use to external users
- long-term technical support which will be available for the requested infrastructure
- an accessibility plan to demonstrate how you will consider and demonstrate your pathway to ensuring and improving accessibility of this infrastructure and its user diversity during and beyond the duration of this grant
The accessibility plan should include, but is not limited to:
- how you will establish, monitor progress, maintain and report on user accessibility throughout the lifetime of the grant, for example through mechanisms such as equality impact assessments, user accessibility surveys and codes of conduct, as well as acting as role models for the community on good practice
- how you will establish, retain, and evolve a diverse and inclusive user base throughout the lifetime of the infrastructure
- your approach to team inclusion, including how you will establish and maintain a universally accessible and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and all voices in the team are valued, regardless of personal circumstances
Within the accessibility plan we would expect the inclusion of examples of the types of activities the applicant team would undertake, we expect these will evolve during the lifetime of the infrastructure.
An accessibility plan background and a questions and answers document from the February 2024 community webinar are available under the ‘Additional information’ section.
You should input your response to this section in the text box. Your response should include:
- up to 500 words for project work plan, including milestones, deliverables and associated risks in the form of a Gantt chart or similar
- up to 500 words for a detailed management plan including user prioritisation mechanisms
- up to 500 words for a detailed accessibility plan for user base and team inclusion
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Sustainability
Word limit: 1,650
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
Explain how your plans for sustainability include:
- an appropriate cost recovery model and plans for sustainability and legacy beyond the end of UKRI funding
- how long-term operational and maintenance costs, including staffing, will be supported
- a plan for training and development of specialist technical staff
- steps to enhance the environmental sustainability of the proposed infrastructure
- how the proposed infrastructure is complementary to UKRI or host institute carbon reduction targets
- a plan for the development or expansion of the user base after the initial period of funding
Within the Sustainability section we also expect you to explain, if relevant, how the proposed asset contributes to a broader approach to environmental sustainability, such an enhancing biodiversity or clean air, as well as reducing carbon emissions.
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 1,650
Why are you the right individual or team to procure and manage the proposed infrastructure?
What the assessors are looking for in your response:
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage)
- the right balance of skills and expertise
- the appropriate leadership and management skills and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on), have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed below. You should use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the following key skills each team member brings:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
Additions
Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
References may be included within this section.
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
Your organisation’s support
Word limit: 1,100
Provide details of support from your research organisation.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. If your organisation is providing funding in support of the activity, please provide details here.
The assessors will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your host institution on:
- how its contributions are in line with the scale of the proposed infrastructure, including evidencing the strategic importance of this infrastructure to the institution
- why your host institution is the most appropriate place for the proposed infrastructure
- how your host institution will use its existing inventory to best complement the proposed infrastructure
- how your host institution will support the team to meet the proposal objectives
- the plans to support sustainability and management of the proposed infrastructure
Applicants are encouraged to discuss this section with both the research offices and senior management team prior to submitting applications.
We recognise 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, their position and office or department, or all
- office address or web link
Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,500
What will you need to procure to deliver the proposed infrastructure and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more substantial costs, in particular:
- the cost of the proposed infrastructure
- reasons for requesting a particular specification of equipment or a particular manufacturer
- any equipment that will cost more than £25,000, including a summary of quotations from at least three suppliers. If there are only one or two suppliers for any piece of equipment, state this and explain why
- 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 partner organisations if applicable
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.
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
Note that due to limited functionality on the new Funding Service, you can only select the infrastructure requested at either 80% or 100% full economic cost (FEC) in the automated resource and cost form at this round of the application. For any percentages requested not at 80% or 100% FEC, you should input 100% FEC equipment costs under ‘Exceptions’ and ensure to explain in the text box the percentage FEC and value requested from EPSRC and contributed from elsewhere.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical and 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
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
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 to not preclude further reuse of data)
- formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:
- animals
- human participants
- genetically modified organisms
Project partners
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
- the project partner contact name and email address
- the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value
If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Project partners: letters (or emails) of support
Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partner’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. Each letter or email you provide should:
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
- clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
- describe any additional value that they bring to the project
- have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the project partners’ section.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 250
How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed infrastructure and associated research? For example, using the FAIR Data Principles.
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.
Facilities
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, 42KB)
- 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.
