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.
Research offices that have not already received an invitation to open an account should email support@funding-service.ukri.org
Watch our research office webinars about the new UKRI Funding Service.
Submitting your application
To apply:
- Select the ‘Start application’ button at the start of this page.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Once happy, your research office will submit it to UKRI for assessment. Only they can do this.
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.
EPSRC will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity.
If your application is successful, some personal information will be published via the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Deadline
The closing date for the first responsive mode round on the Funding Service will be on 28 September 2023 at 4:00pm.
We must receive your application by this date. You should ensure that you are aware of and follow any internal institutional submission deadlines that may be in place.
The subsequent fellowships round on the Funding Service will open on 2 October 2023.
We will not be returning applications for amendment. If an application is withdrawn prior to peer review or office rejected due to substantive errors in the application, it cannot be resubmitted to the same round.
UKRI Funding Service: section guidance
Summary
Word count: 550
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 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 work in terms of:
- its context
- the challenge the project addresses and how it will be applied to this
- its aims and objectives
- its potential applications and benefits
Applicants
- fellow
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
For fellowships, the role of Fellow will be responsible for intellectual leadership and management (equivalent to project lead). You can only list one fellow on the application.
Find out about UKRI’s new grant roles.
We generally do not allow project co-leads to be named on fellowship applications. This is because a fellowship is an individual award for an applicant, based on their individual circumstances and career.
We would only consider project co-leads on a fellowship application if they are contributing expertise that is not available in the skills set of the fellow and such expertise is essential to the success of the fellowship; for example, clinicians as project co-lead on fellowships associated with healthcare technologies research.
In all cases, the project co-lead would not be permitted to take over the operation of the fellowship if the fellow leaves the project.
1. Section: EPSRC thematic area alignment
Word count: 1
Question: Select the primary EPSRC thematic area your application most closely aligns to.
In the text box, copy the letter corresponding to your selected theme:
A. artificial intelligence (AI)
B. digital security and resilience
C. energy and decarbonisation
D. engineering
E. healthcare technologies
F. information and communication technologies (ICT)
G. manufacturing
H. mathematical sciences
I. physical sciences and advanced materials
J. quantum technologies
Additional guidance
This is for administrative purposes to help the initial application processing. We will check your choice and make a final decision on which theme will lead the peer review of your application.
2. Section: Fellowship focus areas
Word count: 4
Question: Select which are the focus areas for your fellowship.
In the text box, copy the letters corresponding to your selected areas (with no spaces): You may select as many as are relevant.
A: Discovery science
B: Innovation
C: Instrument and technique development
D: Software engineering
Additional guidance
This is for administrative purposes to help us to monitor the types of fellowship applications we receive.
3. Section: Vision and Approach
You should upload the Vision and Approach document as a six page PDF, plus an additional page for a diagrammatic workplan. The document must have single line spacing, margins of at least 2cm and be typed using Arial 11pt, or another ‘sans serif’ font with an equivalent size to Arial 11pt.
Question: What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
For the Vision, 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, generates 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:
- identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be
For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work 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
- if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
- if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
- 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, its location, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposal
- provide a project plan including milestones and timelines
4. Section: Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word count: 2,500 (2,000 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions)
Question: 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
- the appropriate research environment for the work to succeed and individuals to achieve their goals
- contributed to developing a modern research environment and wider community (for example, research integrity, RRI, EDI, advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement or outreach)
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant your team (investigators, researchers, other (technical) staff for example research software engineers, data scientists and so on, and partners), 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. 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 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
You should complete this as a narrative and you should avoid CV type format. You can use short lists if they help readability.
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 describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
5. Section: Personal aspirations and continued professional development
Word count: 500
Question: How will this fellowship develop you and your career?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, you should explain:
- how the award of the fellowship will progress your career over and above your current trajectory
- the professional development goals you have put in place to enable your career development, and the plans you have put in place to enable you to reach these goals
- why you need this award at this time to achieve this career progression
- how the programme will benefit you on your career journey
You should give details of your:
- knowledge of ethical, responsible and inclusive research culture as well as research expertise
- future career aspirations and potential developments
6. Section: Team and community leadership
Word count: 500
Question: How will you develop and support teams and people around you and lead in the creation of a modern research environment?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, you should explain:
- how you will ensure continued research and professional development of staff or other colleagues you will be managing on the project, to have a positive research experience with opportunities or support to progress their own careers
- how you will lead by example in developing a modern research environment and wider community development (for example, research integrity, RRI, EDI, advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement or outreach)
7. Section: Research organisation support
Word count: 500
Question: What support is being provided from the research organisation in underpinning your fellowship?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Considering your career trajectory and how the support offered forms a cohesive career development package for you, use the text box to explain who you have engaged with in your research organisation (name and role) and what they have said your research organisation will provide, covering:
- how your expertise fits within the wider interest and strategies of the university and department
- what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations
- what mentoring and support arrangements are proposed and how they are appropriate to you
- what practical or financial support is being provided and how this improves the application
8 Section: References
Word count: 1,000
Question: List the references you have used 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.
9a Section: Project partners: contributions
Word count: 1000
Question: 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.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation that is contributing to the application and will have an integral role in the proposed research. Project partners cannot normally receive funding directly from the grant. Two exceptions to this are:
- where a project partner is providing services or equipment that will go through a formal procurement process audited by the host research organisation
- the project partner can receive small amounts of funding from the grant, such as for travel and subsistence to attend project meetings. These will need to be requested and fully justified in the application
9b Section: Project partners: letters (or emails) of support
Word count: 10
Question: 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 guidance on project partners letters of support for further information Project partners letter of support – UKRI
Unless specifically requested, 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.
10 Section: Facilities
Word count: 250
Question: 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 under the following headings:
- facility name: the name of facility, copied and pasted from this list (DOCX, 35KB)
- usage: the proposed usage time or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on that list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required – copy the following text: ‘I confirm that I have contacted the facility and their agreement that, should you be offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on my project for the usage specified.’
Do not put the facility contact details in your response.
11 Section: Sensitive information
Word count: 10
Question: 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 you do not have anything to share, 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, enter the words ‘email sent’ in the text box.
Then email the Funding Service helpdesk on support@funding-service.ukri.org. You must include in the subject line: <EPSRC responsive mode, sensitive info, Funding Service application number>.
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- applicant 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, see UKRI’s privacy notice.
12 Section: Resources and cost justification
Using the costs table within the resources and cost summary, provide details of the total funding required under each fund heading. You should include high-level costs only, not a detailed breakdown of individual items. You should use the textbox for the justification of resources to provide further details on what is being requested and why it is needed to deliver your proposed work.
Question: What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
Word count: 1000
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, 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
This resources and cost justification should not simply be a list of the resources requested, as this will already be given in the costs table. Costings should be justified on the basis of full economic costs (FEC) of the project, not just on the costs expected from UKRI. For some items we do not expect you to justify the monetary value, rather the type of resource, such as amount of time or type of staff requested.
Where you do not provide adequate justification for a resource, we may deduct it from any funding awarded.
You should identify:
- support for activities to either increase impact, for public engagement, knowledge exchange or to support responsible innovation
- support for access to facilities, infrastructure or procurement of equipment
- support for preserving, long-term storage, or sharing of data
- support from your organisation or partner organisations and how that enhances value for money
13 Section: Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word count: 500
Question: 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.
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
