We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UKRI 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:
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a UKRI 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
- 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 UKRI Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- 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.
Watch our research office webinars about the new UKRI Funding Service.
Deadline
We must receive your application by 31 August 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.
We will need to collect some personal information to manage your UKRI 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.
We will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Grants on the Web.
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 assessors to determine if your proposal is within their field of expertise.
Guidance for writing a summary
Succinctly describe your proposed infrastructure in terms of:
- what the proposed infrastructure is
- its context
Word count: 200
Applicants
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
You should only list 1 individual as project lead.
Research technical professionals
A research technical professional can be listed as a project lead or project co-lead, 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
Find out more about UKRI’s new grant roles.
Section: Purpose and vision
Word count: 300
Question: Why is this infrastructure needed, and why should EPSRC support it?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide evidence on how the infrastructure sought will:
Section: Approach and sustainability
Word count: 350
Question: What are your plans to manage and sustain the proposed infrastructure during and beyond the end of this funding?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, explain how in your approach to the proposed infrastructure you will:
- manage access to the infrastructure,
- identify, prioritise and support users across the landscape
- maximise the utilisation of the infrastructure
Using the text box, explain how you plan to ensure sustainability of the proposed infrastructure including:
- an appropriate cost recovery model
- training and development of specialist technical staff
- development or expansion of the user base after the initial period of funding
Section: Applicant and host institution capability to deliver
Word count: 250
Question: 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 or how your host institution:
- is the most appropriate place for the proposed infrastructure
- will use its existing capacity to best complement the proposed infrastructure
Section: Resource and cost justification
Word count: 250
Question: Are the resources requested from EPSRC and contributions from host institution justified?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, please provide the expected costs of the proposed infrastructure in pounds sterling (including VAT) by providing totals for Directly Incurred, Directly Allocated, Indirect and Exceptions cost headings:
- Make a clear distinction between cost of equipment items and the cost of any associated resources. State the anticipated funds that would be requested from:
- EPSRC
- host institution and project partners including the nature and level of contributions if applicable
- describe the timescales associated with procurement of the equipment and when you anticipate you will spend any capital provision made
- ensure the costs are as accurate as possible at this stage. The costs in a full proposal must be within + or -10% of the outline proposal
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
Section: References
Word count: 1,000
Question: List the references you’ve used to support your application.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Ensure your application is a self-contained description. You can provide hyperlinks to relevant publications or online resources. However, assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application. You must not include links to web resources in order to extend 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.
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 below, for each requested facility you should provide:
- the name of facility, copied and pasted from this list of facilities (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.
