Funding opportunity

Sandpit: moving respiratory health diagnosis into the 21st century

• Opportunity status: Open
• Funders: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Funding type: Grant
• Total fund: £4,000,000
• Publication date: 28 January 2025
• Opening date: 28 January 2025 9:00am UK time
• Closing date: 20 March 2025 4:00pm UK time

Apply for funding to develop new, innovative, multidisciplinary and transformative diagnostic and monitoring approaches to respiratory health and disease in community healthcare settings.

You must draw in part on engineering and physical sciences (EPS) principles and research.

The first stage is a ‘sandpit’ event. In this five-day in-person event, you will work with other stakeholders to develop ideas for proposals.

We expect to fund three to five collaborative projects for up to four years, sharing up to £4 million.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).

Who can apply

This sandpit will bring together a wide range of expertise, including but not limited to:

• engineering
• physical sciences
• mathematical and computer sciences
• social sciences
• life sciences
• medical and clinical sciences
• sports sciences

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

Businesses are not eligible to apply for funding through this scheme.

EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. Check if you’re eligible for EPSRC funding.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The long-term strength of the UK research base depends on harnessing all the available talent.

UKRI expects that equality and diversity is embedded at all levels and in all aspects of research practice and funding policy.

We welcome applications from academics who job share, have a part-time contract, or need flexible working arrangements.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunities for our applicants for funding and encourage applications from those from under-represented groups.

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 UKRI.

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

What we're looking for

Aim

A lack of simple, non-invasive, inexpensive diagnostic and monitoring tools prevents timely diagnosis and early management of common lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Current tests are complicated and resource-intensive, so they are only used in a minority of primary healthcare settings.

This means patients often wait years to be diagnosed and treated, by which time their lungs are irreversibly damaged.

We currently have no easy way of knowing whether the lungs are healthy or not.

To address this challenge, new techniques are required not just to diagnose respiratory disease, but also to monitor lung health.

EPSRC, in collaboration with Asthma + Lung UK, invites you to attend a sandpit to develop new, innovative, multidisciplinary and transformative diagnostic and monitoring approaches to respiratory health and disease.

Approaches should draw in part on EPS principles and research.

We have chosen a collaborative sandpit approach to generate research applications that:

• bring together EPS scientists, respiratory health scientists, clinicians, social scientists, data scientists, policymakers and industry
• have been co-designed and developed with end-users
• contain genuinely novel and speculative EPS research that can monitor lung health and diagnose disease using non-standard methods
• can allow for testing and de-risking novel ideas in this space
• can be led by researchers who have not worked in this sector before
• address key research challenges that are identified and described at the sandpit
• form new long-term collaborations between researchers, innovators and government users of research (stakeholders) in diverse research areas

Sandpit

The sandpit will be an intensive, inclusive, interactive and creative environment, supporting a diverse group of participants from a range of disciplines and backgrounds in UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) remit to work together.

We recognise the value in enabling collaboration across disciplines which may not usually come together to address the challenges being tackled.

The sandpit will provide a unique opportunity to have access to a variety of stakeholders, to drive the research towards real-world scenarios.

No prior involvement with the respiratory sector is required, but we intend sandpit participants will remain engaged with stakeholders from the respiratory sectors and be inspired to form longer term collaborations.

The sandpit will be overseen by a director, who will be supported by a team of mentors.

The director, mentors and a small number of stakeholders will attend the sandpit but will not be eligible to receive research funding.

Instead, their role will be to assist participants in defining and exploring challenges in this area.

The director and mentors will act as independent reviewers, making a funding recommendation on the emergent projects.

EPSRC may involve additional peer reviewers as required.

The sandpit process has several stages:

• defining the scope of any research to address the monitoring and diagnosing of respiratory health and disease in community settings
• cultivating a common language and terminologies amongst people from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines
• sharing understandings of the challenges, and the expertise brought by the participants to the sandpit, and perspectives from relevant stakeholders
• immersing participants in collaborative thinking processes and ideas sharing to construct innovative approaches
• capturing the outputs in the form of highly innovative research projects
• a funding decision on those projects at the sandpit using ‘real-time’ peer review

Scope

Breakthroughs in EPS have the potential to unlock innovative opportunities to revolutionise the monitoring and diagnosis of respiratory illnesses which affect approximately 12 million people in the UK.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), wearable sensors and advanced imaging and recording systems can contribute to earlier detection of conditions like:

• asthma
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• pulmonary fibrosis

These tools can provide a deeper and more equitable insight into respiratory function and pathology, facilitating a more proactive approach to respiratory care.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and integrating such advances into respiratory research, there is potential to transform the field and ultimately reduce the burden of respiratory diseases on healthcare systems and society.

This sandpit therefore seeks to create new capabilities that draw on novel EPS technologies and concepts that deliver sensitive, scalable and equitable respiratory monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.

The sandpit will enable understanding of the real-world context in which the interventions may be used.

This will be achieved by bringing researchers, innovators and problem owners from across a range of disciplines together in new collaborations for application driven research and innovation.

You will be introduced to several respiratory health scenarios by users of current technology and will be encouraged to approach problems in an interdisciplinary manner.

For that reason, we encourage applications from a range of disciplines including but not limited to:

• engineering
• physical sciences
• mathematical and computer sciences
• social sciences
• life sciences
• medical sciences
• sport sciences

You will be directed to think how respiratory health and disease can be assessed without utilising invasive methods.

Examples of concepts could include the utilisation and monitoring of:

• patient physiological movements (for example, breathing patterns, speech, posture)
• sensors from smart phones
• digital applications

Following the sandpit, if you were involved in one of the projects recommended for funding, you will be invited to submit a full application detailing your intended activities as conveyed at the sandpit.

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• iterative improvements to currently used diagnostic technologies and capabilities
• proposals that do not contain significant proportion of EPS research

Duration

The duration of the award is up to four years.

Funding available

Depending on the amount applied for, we expect to fund three to five collaborative projects, sharing up to £4 million.

The final budget allocation will be determined by the quality of the research applications received.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

We will provide accommodation during the residential component of the sandpit.

However, you must make your own travel arrangements.

This sandpit is partially residential. Where employers cannot help, EPSRC, in line with UKRI policy, will cover the costs of any additional childcare or caring responsibilities, which is deemed necessary during this period.

Equipment

Individual items of equipment between £10,000 and £400,000 can be included on proposals for individual research projects if both of the following apply:

• the equipment is essential to the proposed research
• no appropriate alternative provision can be accessed.

Find out about EPSRC’s approach to equipment funding.

Trusted research and innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

TR&I is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary.

Our TR&I principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I. You will be asked to identify potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

Further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

Applying to participate in the sandpit

Apply to participate in the sandpit by completing an expression of interest on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Engagement Hub.

Your answers will be used to assess your application and convince a panel that you have the suitable skills and attitude to participate in this sandpit.

No further documentation will be accepted.

Each question is accompanied by a specific word limit indicated at the end of each question.

By submitting an application, you indicate that you are available to attend and are committed to participate at the sandpit if you are shortlisted.

Attendance for the full five days is mandatory.

Information about the venue and the exact format of the sandpit will be provided if you are successful.

Accommodation will be provided. However, you must make your own travel arrangements. We welcome applications and enquiries from individuals with additional needs for whom specific provisions may need to be made, for example, caring responsibilities and people with disabilities.

We are committed to creating a more inclusive research base in line with our equality, diversity and inclusion action plan and encourage applications to attend the sandpit from under-represented groups.

You are welcome to apply to this sandpit if you have applied to, or attended, a previous sandpit.

Deadline

EPSRC must receive your application by 20 March 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Late submissions will not be considered.

Selected participants

EPSRC will confirm if you are successful, and the sandpit schedule, in early April 2025.

If you have been selected to attend, you will receive further briefing before the event.

If successful, you will be required to inform your university research office, in advance of the event, that you are going to attend the sandpit.

If you are part of a successful project, your institution will be required to fund 20% of the FEC project costs (as standard).

Processing personal data

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your application 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.

Publication of outcomes

If your application is successful, and you successfully receive funding through the sandpit, we may publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Questions for assessment

Describe any experience you may have in developing innovative approaches to research. This could be for example, but not limited to: applying EPS concepts and principles to new areas; the ability to cocreate novel ideas to an established problem (250 words).

The sandpit is a unique environment providing you with the opportunity to meet and work with new individuals from a diverse range of disciplines. Describe your approach to interdisciplinary teamworking and any experience you may have in this area? (250 words).

What experience do you have of communicating and engaging with diverse non-academic stakeholders? (250 words)

Using language suitable for non-experts, describe your research interests and how these, along with your experience, complement the scope of this sandpit (250 words).

Additional questions

You will be selected based primarily on your answers to the application questions.

In addition, the selection panel will reflect on your career stage and region to ensure a diverse group of participants. Therefore, you will be asked questions about these in the survey.

We are interested in understanding the pool of applicants that we are reaching with this opportunity, therefore the survey will ask for the following information:

• sex
• gender identity
• ethnicity
• disability

This information will not be used as part of the assessment process:

For each of these questions, you have the option to answer with ‘prefer not to say’.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Applications to attend the sandpit will be assessed by a selection panel consisting of the sandpit director and mentors.

As a sandpit is predicated on an ethos of innovative collaborative working, you must demonstrate both enthusiasm and appropriate personal attributes for cross-disciplinary collaborative research.

Furthermore, the ability to develop and pursue a new approach will also be a key criterion in selecting attendees.

You should not feel limited by conventional perceptions of research performed in this field.

The sandpit approach is about bringing together people who would not normally interact.

The criteria for participant selection are:

• the ability to develop innovative approaches to research
• the ability to work collaboratively and within interdisciplinary environment
• the ability to communicate and engage with diverse non-academic stakeholders
• relevant research expertise and experience
• the ability to explain research to non-experts

Within the pool of applicants selected based on these assessment criteria, the panel will look to ensure a mix of discipline and experience.

It is therefore important to give evidence of your fulfilment of the criteria in your application.

You should ensure you fully complete the expression of interest form, as this is the only information on which potential sandpit attendees will be selected.

In the event of this opportunity being substantially oversubscribed as to be unmanageable, EPSRC reserve the right to modify the assessment process.

We expect to receive a large number of applications, therefore we will not be able to give individual feedback to if you are unsuccessful.

Full application assessment

Following the sandpit, if you were involved in one of the projects recommended for funding, you will be tasked with writing a full application covering your intended activities as identified at the sandpit.

You must submit your full application by July 2025 (date to be confirmed).

Full applications will be submitted via the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service.

We will provide further guidance on this part of the process at the sandpit event.

Assessment criteria for full applications

The assessment criteria is likely to include the following criteria:

• vision of the project
• approach to the project
• capability of the applicant or applicants and the project team to deliver the project
• resources requested
• ethical and responsible research and innovation considerations of the project
• patient and public involvement and engagement
• translation and impact plan

You will be provided with funding decisions before the end of the sandpit, although these will be conditional upon the subsequent receipt of a full application.

Final funding decisions will be made in August 2025.

Any collaborative project funded through this programme must have a signed collaborative agreement between the partners before the start of any grant.

UKRI attach great importance to the dissemination of research findings and the publishing of information about the research they support in the public domain.

However, all dissemination and publication must be carried out in the manner agreed in the project’s collaboration agreement.

Read EPSRC requirements on collaboration agreements.

Attendance at the sandpit does not guarantee UKRI funding.

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.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal, contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity email: healthcare@epsrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the UK Research and Innovation Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

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

To help us process queries quicker, you should:

• highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of your email
• include the application reference number
• refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time

Additional info

Background

Respiratory disease is one of the three biggest killers claiming the lives of 115,000 people in the UK each year.

One in five (12 million), will develop a lung condition during their lifetime.

Furthermore, stark disparities persist in lung health outcomes, rooted in socio-economic and environmental factors, exacerbating inequalities among vulnerable populations.

The impact extends beyond individual health, costing the UK £188 billion a year including nearly £10 billion in direct costs for the NHS.

Millions of lives would be saved, enhanced or extended if we were able to diagnose, manage and treat lung conditions earlier.

However, our ability to get people on the right treatment early enough to prevent permanent lung damage and premature death is hampered by the absence of objective ways of assessing lung health.

Put simply, we have no equivalent of blood pressure measurement that, while a blunt tool, gives a helpful early warning sign of possible heart disease and can now be measured on a smart phone.

Breathlessness, often accompanied by audible wheezing, gasping, speech disturbance and exercise limitation, is often ignored, sometimes for years.

This is because there is no simple, easy way of telling whether the lungs are healthy or not and therefore whether further investigations to confirm or exclude a serious lung disease are necessary.

This means that millions of breathless people go undiagnosed and untreated.

Asthma and Lung UK

Asthma + Lung UK (A+LUK) is the UK’s leading lung health charity.

Its mission is to improve lung health and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to breathe freely.

The organisation combines patient advocacy, scientific research and public awareness campaigns to address the challenges faced by people living with lung conditions.

A+LUK works to accelerate the diagnosis of respiratory illnesses, promote access to effective treatments, and tackle inequalities in healthcare, particularly for those most vulnerable to lung diseases.

Through collaboration with researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers, the charity is dedicated to driving significant advancements in respiratory health and improving quality of life for millions in the UK

EPSRC health technologies strategy

The scope of this sandpit aligns with two key challenges identified in EPSRC’s health technologies strategy:

Improving population health and prevention

This priority focuses on development of novel tools and technologies to understand what normal health looks like and create models of wellness.

This includes the development of technology that measures, monitors and understands disease through data and identifies when deviations occur within an individual.

Transforming early prediction and diagnosis

This challenge focuses on the need for novel techniques that optimise patient-specific illness prediction, early and accurate diagnosis.

This could include development of low cost, portable technologies that are easy to scale up and are delivered in primary care or community setting, or development of novel non-invasive sensors and devices to detect disease earlier and more accurately.

The aim of this sandpit is development of interdisciplinary research proposals which:

• draw significantly on novel EPS
• include strong patient and public involvement and engagement
• consider translation pathways for the tool or technology

Responsible innovation and trusted research

EPSRC is fully committed to developing and promoting responsible innovation and trusted research.

Research can not only deliver shared understanding, knowledge and value, but also unintended consequences, questions, ethical dilemmas and, at times, unexpected social transformations.

We recognise that we have a duty of care to:

• promote approaches to responsible innovation that will initiate ongoing reflection about the potential ethical and societal implications of the research that we sponsor
• encourage our research community to do likewise

Projects funded through this sandpit will be required to embed principles of responsible innovation and those of trusted research throughout their activities.

Projects will be expected to engage with the relevant regulatory bodies where concerns may arise under the National Security and Investment Act (GOV.UK).

Aspects of bias, privacy, security and ethics should be considered where appropriate.

Ethical information

EPSRC will not fund a project if it believes that there are ethical concerns that have been overlooked or not appropriately accounted for.

If you are selected to submit an application, you will be required to detail ethical considerations in keeping with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) guidance under the UKRI Funding Service.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities.

We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application.

They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.