Funding opportunity

UK future internet NetworkPlus: full application invite only

• Opportunity status: Open
• Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Innovate UK
• Funding type: Grant
• Total fund: £5,200,000
• Maximum award: £5,200,000
• Publication date: 9 October 2024
• Opening date: 8 October 2024 9:00am UK time
• Closing date: 3 December 2024 4:00pm UK time

Last updated: 24 October 2024 - see all updates

Only applicants who were successful at the outline stage and have been invited to submit a full application can apply.

Apply for funding for a UK future internet NetworkPlus which brings together the research community and wider stakeholders to make the UK an active leader in the development of the internet and an intelligent customer of internet technologies in the 2030s and 2040s.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £6,500,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Who can apply

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

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

This funding opportunity is being managed by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) on behalf of UKRI and EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page. This does not restrict the home discipline or areas of expertise of the applicants.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

This is a UKRI-wide funding opportunity. UKRI would like to encourage multidisciplinary and multi-institution teams to apply. Your application should demonstrate that the team combines different areas of expertise and experience as relevant to lead the UK future internet NetworkPlus and achieve the expected outcomes.

Individuals based in non-UK countries can be involved in the grant as visiting researchers, project partners, or members of advisory boards. However, they are not eligible to be project leads or co-leads, with the exception of individuals based at Norwegian institutions, who are eligible to be co-leads.

A maximum of one project lead and seven project co-leads is permitted for each application. All project co-leads must make a significant contribution to the running of the project.

Who is not eligible to apply

You may be a named applicant in no more than one application submitted to this funding opportunity. Being a named applicant in this sense refers only to being named as project lead or project co-lead in an application.

International applicants

Under the UKRI and Research Council of Norway Money Follows Cooperation agreement a project co-lead (international) (previously co-investigator) can be based in a Norwegian institution.

Resubmissions

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder.

Find out more about EPSRC’s resubmissions policy and ESRC’s resubmissions policy.

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 UKRI.

What we're looking for

The vision for each NetworkPlus application must not change significantly between the outline and full application stages. The total cost must not change by more than 10% and must not exceed the maximum value allowed under this funding opportunity.

We encourage the addition of further collaborators and project partners between outline and full proposal. The limit of one project lead and up to seven project co-leads remains the same. This constraint on the core leadership team (the number of funded co-leads) is not intended to limit the size of the broader team, which may include project partners, advisors, initial network members, or people involved in any other group or mechanism you plan into the structure of your NetworkPlus.

To support the addition of further collaborators at the full application stage, on this occasion we have published the details of successful applicants to the outline stage (PDF, 99KB). Those wishing to participate in or support a full application may contact the applicants. The applicants are encouraged to take an inclusive approach but are not required to collaborate with everyone who expresses an interest in being part of the project team.

Aim

This funding opportunity falls under UKRI’s Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes strategic theme, which seeks to improve outcomes for people and places across the UK by identifying solutions that promote economic and social prosperity. The theme particularly targets economic growth and innovation, health inequalities and community connectedness.

The funding opportunity is part of the Future of the Internet initiative, whose vision is to support a future internet that works for all across the UK and globally, is pro-prosperity, secure and resilient, globally governed, scalable and robust, and supports democratic, open societies and the public.

Together with international partners, the UK recently endorsed the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (PDF 66KB), committing to promote an open, interoperable, reliable and secure internet, operating as a single decentralized network of networks.

Understanding what the internet will look like in the 2030s or 2040s is challenging, but it is inevitable that internet technologies and the way we interact with them will change significantly as new products are developed, new communities are connected, and societal needs and geopolitical drivers evolve.

The Future of the Internet will be influenced by the decisions made by policymakers and businesses today. The UK therefore needs to understand and help to shape these changes, to ensure that the future internet will meet the needs of people across the UK, operate in a way that is consistent with our values and avoid perpetuating the shortcomings of the present internet  Examples include vulnerable wiring, patchy connectivity, digital exclusion, misinformation and online harms.

We need to consider what we want from the future internet, and how we can realise this vision.

Through this Future of the Internet initiative, UKRI aims to bring to bear the potential contribution of the academic research community across multiple disciplines This will  give the UK a world-class understanding of future internet possibilities, based on a realistic understanding of what is within our control. It will lead to well-considered options to inform policy-makers.

This initiative aims to establish new horizon-scanning capability and support science and technology priority development, establishing the UK as a leader. It will realise social and economic benefit and protect our future national interests. It seeks to support UK policymakers and other users to shape the future internet, acknowledging that the internet is an increasingly important platform for society globally.

The initiative therefore will align with and support the priority actions identified in the Integrated Review 2021, as well as Pillar 1 of the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, or subsequent policies and strategies as relevant.

This funding opportunity will fund one NetworkPlus, which will be responsible for creating a visible, collaborative and interdisciplinary UK Future of the Internet research community. It will provide a ‘front door’ for effective connection across academia, the UK security community, government, regulators and industry, and across the UK. It will and enable effective response to need and challenges between parties.

The NetworkPlus will work with UKRI and other government partners to develop an understanding of the future internet landscape and a strategy for addressing the most relevant and timely research challenges in supporting the UK’s desired future relationship with the global future internet.

This will help to inform possible future investments in support of the broader aims of the initiative, as detailed in the Additional Information section. It will also help to inform the UK future internet stakeholder community more broadly.

Scope

The UK future internet NetworkPlus will bring together the research community, policy makers and wider stakeholders to enable the UK to be an active leader in the development of the internet and an intelligent customer of internet technologies in the 2030s and 2040s.

It must take a strategic and forward-looking approach, in line with UKRI’s mission to convene, catalyse and invest in close collaboration with others to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system that connects discovery to prosperity and public good.

This funding opportunity seeks to improve outcomes for people and places across the UK. Where we refer to government or policymakers, this should be taken to include government or policymakers at the national level, as well as those in devolved administrations, regions and local authorities.

We expect the NetworkPlus to address the following objectives:

• develop a visible, collaborative, inclusive, diverse and interdisciplinary UK Future of the Internet research community, drawing on the wealth of existing expertise and providing effective connection, communication, engagement and knowledge exchange across academia, the UK security community, government, regulators and industry
• develop a cutting-edge understanding of the challenges and opportunities posed for the UK by evolving internet technologies and their sociotechnical implications and drivers, through consultation, understanding the international context and developing strategic foresight
• inform UKRI’s research strategy in the area of future internet, through collaborative thought leadership and the development of ideas with stakeholders, with the aim of supporting policymakers to create a positive future for the UK
• engage with a small number of specific places in the UK as case studies in place-based considerations for the future internet, to the mutual benefit of these places and the academic community, and to draw out learnings that may be transferable to other places

These begin to address the longer-term objectives for the Future of the Internet initiative, which are detailed under Additional Information.

Initial Future of the Internet challenge areas

For the purpose of this initiative, we are taking a broad view of the definition of the future internet, encompassing a connected network of future devices and technologies, its associated applications and services and their intersection and interaction with society.

The successful leadership team are expected to lead a process of establishing priority areas where the most value can be added to the UK Future of the Internet ecosystem, and where the UK can have the most meaningful impact, in the international context.

UKRI and government stakeholders have identified the following initial set of challenge areas for further exploration during the initiative. It is expected that each strand is addressed by the NetworkPlus, although the emphasis may vary. The intersections and synergies between these areas should also be explored. The initial challenge areas are:

• standards and regulation for the future internet and the UK’s influence on global standards development, principles such as openness and decentralisation, addressing risks of fragmentation, and promoting the resilience of the future internet
• security in the future internet for people, prosperity, democracy and freedoms, for example, mitigation of threats posed by states, terrorism, radicalisation, disinformation, cybercrime and serious and organised crime
• international, geopolitical and diplomatic aspects relating to future internet, including national security; governance, law and worldviews, as well as the UK’s relationship with the Global South in the context of the development of the future internet
• future internet technologies such as integrated or interoperable wired, wireless and satellite network infrastructure (and networks of networks), decentralised technologies and Internet of Things, software, and protocols
• people-centred considerations such as future internet access and accessibility, inclusivity, personal control and agency, identity, security, and safety
• realising a society-driven internet, including values, norms and ethics and public digital literacy
• productivity and economic value for the UK in the future internet, including the needs of people in different places

The NetworkPlus may also consider evolving areas intrinsically connected to the future internet, such as internet-based AI and implications of AI for the internet, quantum internet technologies, net zero for the internet, immersive technologies, human augmentation, skills, and Intellectual Property.

Expectations

The NetworkPlus is expected to build and support a community of academic and non-academic stakeholders, support collaboration, networking, horizon-scanning, identification of key research challenges, and generation of new ideas.

It is expected to help the community to navigate government strategies and inform the development of future strategy in this area.

The NetworkPlus team should evaluate its work as it progresses, carry out continuous learning, be agile in its activities and adapt according to feedback.

The NetworkPlus must engage widely and be inclusive, which includes:

• engaging with and drawing on relevant parts of UKRI’s communities, existing strategic investments, those who developed unsuccessful bids to this funding opportunity, and, where relevant, other investments under the UKRI Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes strategic theme
• working with research expertise from the UK Defence and National Security community and other government bodies
• undertaking a significant and interactive communications and engagement programme, including events such as conferences, roundtables and showcases, as well as creative and innovative engagement mechanisms
• developing a high-quality evidence base platform (for example, a website) to communicate and disseminate information to the academic and broader UK Future of the Internet community
• developing a considered approach to public engagement and promoting national dialogue on the subject of the future internet
• engaging and including Early Career Researchers (ECRs), for example by inclusion on the management team, or by provision of opportunities which particularly benefit ECRs

The NetworkPlus must identify and address challenges and opportunities, which includes:

• promoting knowledge exchange between academia and government, industry and other stakeholders through placements, secondments, fellowship opportunities or innovative mechanisms
• identifying research priorities and supporting the academic community to engage with these priorities to deliver research which targets critical future internet challenges, and translating academic research and expertise for a user audience
• developing and running small funding opportunities, via sandpits or open calls, to support high-risk projects, collaborative projects, feasibility studies (academic or addressing government or industry challenges), knowledge exchange or impact acceleration activities

The NetworkPlus must support UKRI’s research strategy and government strategy, which includes:

• making it easier for users to understand and access the breadth of existing and emerging evidence and expertise, to inform policy and support UK leadership in the future internet
• embedding strategic foresight for the future internet into its vision and activities
• collaborating with policymakers and regulators to consider likely futures and threats, envisage multiple scenarios, consider what futures are desirable for the UK, what levers the UK has or could have, and how they could or should be used
• developing a clear strategic vision and a framework to deliver UK thought leadership in internet governance, security, standards development and potential for economic prosperity from the future internet
• building relationships with overseas centres and institutes sharing similar objectives, employing best practice approaches in trusted research
• embedding throughout the programme of work consideration of responsible research and innovation, including environmental sustainability, trusted research, and equality, diversity, and inclusion

The NetworkPlus must engage with different places in the UK, which includes:

• incorporating a local, regional, devolved administration and national lens in its activities to identify solutions that promote economic, social and cultural prosperity
• engaging with a number of specific places in the UK to develop ‘case studies’ in how the academic community can work with specific places on the future of the internet

This list is not exhaustive.

Structure of the NetworkPlus

The NetworkPlus should deliver a preliminary consultation and community-building phase of up to a year, to ensure that its programme of activities delivers a high degree of added value in priority areas for the UK. As part of this initial phase, the NetworkPlus should:

• engage with a wide range of existing strategic investments, those who developed unsuccessful bids to this funding opportunity, and the broader research community, including to establish where this new investment can add the most value to the existing ecosystem
• build effective relationships with a range of relevant policymakers, and draw on these for the design of the programme of activities
• undertake a review of strategic documents
• agree with UKRI a governance structure, monitoring and evaluation framework, and terms of reference for the NetworkPlus.

The NetworkPlus should also develop and publish (and maintain throughout the project) a set of thought leadership documents. These should draw on expertise from relevant academic disciplines and dialogue with government stakeholders. The thought leadership documents should include:

• a roadmap for how UK academia, with partners, can inform and help catalyse a clear vision for the UK’s desired Future of the Internet
• a landscape map of the UK research and innovation landscape for the Future of the Internet

UKRI has supported three workshops as an initial scoping and community-building phase of the initiative. Outputs of these workshops may include contributions to these proposed thought leadership documents.

It is expected that funds will be made available at points during the lifetime of the NetworkPlus for the commissioning of additional activities, where the need for these activities is identified by the NetworkPlus and agreed with UKRI. The NetworkPlus team should be prepared to work with UKRI and government stakeholders to identify and pursue these opportunities.

Place-based case studies

The NetworkPlus is expected to identify places within the UK which are particularly open to engaging with the academic community on the areas of interest to the UK future internet NetworkPlus, and which would particularly benefit from this engagement.

The NetworkPlus team should engage with between two and four of these places as ‘case studies’, supporting a dialogue with the academic community which facilitates the sharing of each place’s research and evidence needs and assisting each place to access academic expertise.

This work should be of mutual benefit to the selected places and to the academic community, and learnings for further engagement on the subject of future internet in other places should be drawn out of these ‘case studies’. These places may be at any level within the UK, they could include, for example, a city, a devolved administration, a town, a region, or a geographic category (urban, rural, or coastal).

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Duration

The duration of this award is three years and ten months.

Projects must start by 1 June 2025.

Funding available

The FEC of your project as calculated at proposal stage can be up to £6,500,000.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. Our contribution may be up to £5.2 million prior to indexation.

What we will fund

Project lead and co-leads’ salaries

These should be requested under the directly allocated cost heading.

The project lead and up to seven co-leads can request funds to cover their salary costs for the time spent on setting up and leading the NetworkPlus.

The following can be requested under the Directly Incurred cost heading.

Flexible Funds

Conducting research projects is outside of the NetworkPlus scope. However, flexible funding should be used to award small grants for work within the remit of UKRI. We particularly encourage the award of small grants aimed at developing the research of early career researchers.

The expectation is that some of these small projects will lead to applications for further support from appropriate funding bodies. These funds must be distributed externally to the grant.

Flexible funds can be allocated to researchers at any organisation currently eligible for UKRI funding. You will need to think carefully about how any budget for external distribution will be commissioned through a robust peer review process, and how you will ensure processes for the allocation of funds are fair and transparent within the framework of the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Please note that any activities commissioned by the NetworkPlus using the flexible funds will be restricted to UKRI current research organisation eligibility but will not be bound by standard Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) investigator eligibility criterion.

It is the project lead’s responsibility to ensure ongoing governance to ensure correct usage and accountability of the funds (including carrying out trusted research checks where appropriate). We would expect some examples of the types of projects at the application stage, but the research challenges are expected to evolve throughout the NetworkPlus lifetime and should be co-created and collaborative in nature.

The funded projects should be expected to engage with the wider programme of activity and report their progress and outcomes to the grant holder. These outcomes should be reported as part of the wider NetworkPlus programme reporting.

Flexible funds may not be used for studentships or the kind of student costs that would be funded through a training grant.

The sum awarded under the heading of ‘Flexible funds’ can include (i.e., be used to pay for) both directly incurred and directly allocated expenditure, including indirect costs. All of these costs should be requested under the “Directly Incurred – Other” heading in your application, and must therefore be reported on the final expenditure statement (FES) as “Directly Incurred – Other” as awarded on the offer letter. A breakdown of the expenditure must be submitted along with the FES.

The ‘Flexible funds’ component of the award will be funded by UKRI at 80% FEC. For NetworkPlus grants, it is usual for the grant holding organisation to allocate flexible funds also at 80% FEC, with the receiving organisation making up the remaining 20% of the FEC.

Travel and subsistence

Travel and subsistence enabling members of the NetworkPlus to meet to exchange ideas and expertise. This may include:

• travel within the UK
• visits by or to experts overseas, subject to trusted research considerations
• travel and subsistence costs to support secondments

Where possible collaborators should meet their own travel costs.

Staff, including administrative support

Staff may be costed to carry out the activities of the NetworkPlus, including engagement, and horizon scanning activities to meet the aims and objectives of the NetworkPlus.

A sufficient level of administrative support should be requested to ensure the coordination, management, and smooth running of the NetworkPlus.

You are expected to employ a dedicated grant manager as a core member of the team, with relevant experience and costed at the appropriate grade.

Reasonable costs for monitoring and dissemination of the network’s output can also be included.

Equipment

Equipment over £10,000 is not available through this funding opportunity. We will not be funding laboratory or research equipment for this funding opportunity. We will only support equipment to facilitate communication, networking and events. We welcome innovative and creative thought.

Project partners

Project partners are expected to provide contributions to the delivery of the project and should not therefore be seeking to claim funds from UKRI. However, where there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, this will usually be paid at 80% FEC. These costs should be outlined and fully justified in the proposal and will be subject to peer review.

Other activities

Funding can also be requested for:

• activities to identify and disseminate key research challenges in the area, such as horizon-scanning studies
• activities to generate new research projects in the area, such as sandpits
• activities to facilitate impact and advance policy, such as reports, websites and briefings
• secondment support, including scoping of potential opportunities, travel and subsistence, and other appropriate costs
• activities to support career development and training
• activities such as networking events to connect users, industry and other stakeholders with the research base
• communication costs and for additional equipment such as personal computers and webservers
• equipment to support networking, events and communication
• expert working groups or problem-solving workshops
• lectures and seminars
• other projects as appropriate for the NetworkPlus, and to allow the NetworkPlus to meet the expectations set out above

What we will not fund

Research

Funds cannot be requested to support the NetworkPlus to carry out research-related activities itself. These should be sought through the normal mechanisms or commissioned via open competition using flexible funds.

Equipment

Equipment over £10,000 is not available through this funding opportunity. We will not be funding laboratory or research equipment for this funding opportunity.

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.

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. Trusted Research and Innovation (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, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where you can find additional support.

You may seek advice from the Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT), which provides research institutions with a first point of contact for official advice about national security risks linked to international research.

You should be aware of the National Security and Investment Act 2021, and where this may relate to outputs from your NetworkPlus.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

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

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. 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. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
• insert each new image onto a new line
• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
• ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service
• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019)

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

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.  EPSRC advises 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

UKRI must receive your application by 4:00pm UK time on 3 December 2024.

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

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.

Publication of outcomes

UKRI will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity online.

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)
• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
• specialist
• grant manager
• professional enabling staff
• research and innovation associate
• visiting researcher

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision and Approach

Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than 8 (eight) sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. You may include images, graphs, tables. References may be included but should not exceed one page of your document. One of your eight pages should be dedicated to a diagrammatic workplan

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, do not include any sensitive data within the attachment.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

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 area of future internet
• has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the area of future internet
• 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:

• demonstrate the alignment of the application to the funding opportunity objectives
• demonstrate a coherent strategic vision and establish clear outcomes for the NetworkPlus
• identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be
• identify key communities and future network members and collaborations
• explain how you will embed environmental sustainability within your activities

For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it:

• will deliver against the expectations outlined in the funding opportunity
• 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

Within the Approach section we also expect you to:

• Outline how you will plan within the lifetime of the NetworkPlus for the longer-term sustainability of the network and the research ideas emerging from it
• explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it:
  • supports your objectives
  • distributes funding across a diverse range of activities via robust, transparent and competitive processes
  • builds capacity in key areas and career stages.
• provide a diagrammatic workplan including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or similar (one A4 page)
• describe how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
• explain how you will embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations into your project, including activities such as stakeholder engagement, events and networking.
• explain how you will embed environmental sustainability within your activities
• explain your approach to the place-based case studies

References may be included within this section

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

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
• 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. Of this, 1,150 words are to be used for R4RI modules 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. 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

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.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Governance

Word limit: 500

How will you manage the award to successfully deliver its objectives?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed award will be managed, demonstrating that it:

• will be effectively governed, including details about advisory structures
• will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan
• has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities
• will manage and encourage partnerships with non-HEI organisations across government, industry and civil society
• has plans for monitoring your progress as well as self-evaluation throughout the lifetime of your award
• Will put in place appropriate governance and administration to deliver the range of devolved funding opportunities

Within the Governance section we also expect you to:

• Explain how you will ensure appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of activities funded via the flexible fund.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Within this section you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You must:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
• insert each new image onto a new line
• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
• Files must be: in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Stakeholder engagement

Word limit: 500

How will you engage with stakeholders to build and support a UK future internet community?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Please describe:

• how your project will engage widely, be inclusive and build relationships with relevant communities and stakeholders, including other key investments in the broader funding landscape.
• your planned approach to communications and public engagement
• how you will promote knowledge exchange

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.

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
• the page limit is 2 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 contributions template.

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.

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

If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and 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) 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

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• international collaboration costs

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

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Applicants who were successful at outline stage (stage one) will have been invited by email to submit a full proposal. Only applications based on successful outlines will be accepted for stage two.

In stage two we will assess your application using the following process.

Interview panel

Full applications will be considered by an expert interview panel against the full opportunity assessment criteria listed below. Please note that prior to the interview you will have an opportunity to respond in writing to initial written comments on your full application from members of the interview panel.

You will be invited to respond by 19 December 2024 and your response will be due by 15 January 2025. Representatives from the applicant team will be invited to be interviewed by the panel, who will have access to your application and response to the initial panel comments. Using this information, and the interview, the panel will score your application against our assessment criteria and rank it alongside other applications. The panel will make a funding recommendation.

We expect invited full application interviews to be held in January 2025.

UKRI will make the final funding decision.

Feedback

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 areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Vision and Approach
• Applicant and team capability to deliver
• Governance
• Stakeholder engagement
• Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
• Resources and cost justification

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UKRI Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact Details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please 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 please contact digital.security.resilience@epsrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the 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
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read Improving your funding experience.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, please contact 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.

Additional info

Background

This NetworkPlus will make a significant contribution towards the broader aims of the Future of the Internet initiative. Our ambition is to commission further activities under this initiative, should further funding become available. However, further funding is not confirmed and the aims of the initiative may evolve during the course of the NetworkPlus investment. The following longer-term objectives have been identified for this initiative by UKRI and government stakeholders:

• convene researchers from disparate disciplines to address the multidisciplinary challenges, and to seize the opportunities, posed by evolving internet technologies and their sociotechnical implications and drivers at a local, national and global level
• provide national and local policy makers, the UK security community, and industry with the research, evidence, and expertise needed to inform policy and support UK leadership in the future internet
• enable policymakers to take account of views across the UK for how the internet should evolve in a way that works across the UK, ensuring that the future internet is for everyone
• leverage the expertise and networks within relevant existing UKRI investments and provide greater coherence across the research and innovation community in the area of future internet

Anticipated outcomes

The following are longer-term potential outcomes of the initiative we are commencing:

• a visible, collaborative and interdisciplinary UK Future of the Internet research community, providing a ‘front door’ for effective connection across academia, the UK security community, government (local, regional and national), and industry, and across the UK, and enabling effective response to needs and challenges between parties world-leading targeted research on critical challenges across emerging internet technologies and the internet’s sociotechnical implications and drivers, drawing on relevant parts of UKRI’s communities, and working with research expertise from the national defence and security community and other government bodies
• a high-quality evidence base and platform for knowledge exchange between academia and local, regional and national policymakers, supporting policymakers’ access to views and evidence from across the UK
• a framework to deliver UK thought leadership in internet governance, security, standards development and potential for economic prosperity from the future internet
• a strengthened future internet skills base in the UK, to support local and national policymakers and the UK national security community and industry

Anticipated impacts

The potential longer-term impacts of the work we are beginning span research and innovation culture, the UK’s global reach and economic welfare, and society in the UK and worldwide. These impacts could include that:

• building on the expertise of our world leading research base, the UK is well informed, forward thinking, and on the front foot when engaging internationally on the future of the internet
• governments (local, regional, and national) have a clear, informed vision for a desired future of the internet
• policymakers are well-informed and thereby empowered to shape the internet of the future to address place-based disparities and level up digital inequality across UK society and regions. Future place-based disparities and social and economic marginalisation of groups and areas related to the development of the internet are effectively mitigated
• there is strong, effective partnership between governments (local, regional and national), regulators, industry and academia, enabling researchers to work on the most critical challenges, and enabling governments and other users to draw on a strong research base to inform policy
• the UK is a globally respected and influential thought and skill leader participating in the development of a future internet which is a safe, secure, robust and accessible platform for the society of the future across the UK and globally and supports sustainable economic growth across the UK
• the UK has new research-informed tools (for example, regulatory, policy) to support the internet as a platform for society, for example supporting increased trustworthiness of internet content, better digital literacy, public trust, and the ability to challenge content

Additional conditions

The NetworkPlus funding will be subject to the following additional conditions, in addition to our standard terms.

Community network expectations

A key requirement of this investment is that the project will undertake a wide and inclusive networking role with the research and user community, within and beyond its immediate membership. This may involve coordination of activities such as meetings, workshops or seminars on behalf of UKRI. A dedicated website must be set up within six months of the start of the grant and regularly maintained to provide a resource for engagement with the wider community.

This grant is expected to further develop the network including its academic and user (for example policy, business, NGO) membership throughout the period of funding in order to maximise its impact on a wide range of disciplines. As part of the grant, networks must identify ambitious ‘real-world’ challenges, which require a multidisciplinary approach and will form an agenda for future research in the area.

Engagement with UKRI

This grant is a strategic investment and therefore it is expected to work closely with UKRI and contribute to the delivery of Our UKRI strategies and to support our coordination activities. ​You are expected to engage with UKRI and government stakeholders, including but not limited to those suggested by UKRI, throughout the lifetime of the grant, including attending meetings with UKRI and stakeholders. The format and frequency of these meetings will be agreed at the start of the grant. We may request the NetworkPlus to undertake bespoke activities on behalf of UKRI during the course of the project and the NetworkPlus will engage with these using the existing grant funding or additional funds provided by UKRI, as appropriate.

Engagement plan

You must develop and execute an engagement plan which sets out how you will engage with government, industry and academia, and other potential stakeholders and users of the project’s outputs. This plan should be in place within six months of the start date of the grant, and should be reviewed and updated regularly as part of the formal management and reporting process agreed for this grant.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

In addition to RGC 3.4, you are expected to prepare a full equality diversity and inclusion plan for the duration of this grant to demonstrate best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the lifetime of this funding award. This plan should be in place within six months of the start date of the grant, and should be reviewed and updated regularly as part of the formal management and reporting process agreed for this grant.

Project officer appointment

We will nominate a member of our staff (the project officer) who will be your primary point of contact. The project officer will ensure that the project is delivering the expected outputs and outcomes, is being run in accordance with the terms and conditions, and in line with financial due diligence. The project officer(s) should have access to all documentation of governance and reporting bodies, in so far as it relates to the administration and application of the grant. As funding administrators, all UKRI staff have agreed to maintain the confidentiality required by all parties involved in our funded research.

Advisory board appointment

This grant must establish and run an independent advisory board, or equivalent body, to oversee the running of the project and provide advice on the strategic direction and activities of the project. The terms of reference and membership of this group (at least 50% independent membership and an independent chair) should be agreed with us. The project officer should be invited to and may wish to attend and participate in advisory board and other appropriate meetings for the duration of the grant.

Flexible funds

Notwithstanding standard grant condition RGC 4.4, the sum awarded under the heading of ‘Flexible funds’ can include both directly incurred and directly allocated expenditure. These funds must be reported on the final expenditure statement (FES) as awarded on the offer letter and a breakdown of the expenditure must be submitted along with the FES. If a breakdown of this expenditure is not received the final expenditure statements will be returned. Standard grant conditions apply to all other funds awarded on this grant.

Publicity and branding

In addition to RGC 12.4 Publication and acknowledgement of support, you must make reference to UKRI funding and include the UKRI logo and relevant branding on all online or printed materials (including presentations, the website, press releases, posters, exhibition materials and other publications) related to activities funded by this grant.

Progress reports

In addition to the requirements set out in RGC 7.4.3, you are responsible for providing progress reports against non-financial performance metrics. A detailed list of performance metrics and instructions for reporting will be agreed with the grant holder upon commencement of the grant. You must also comply with information requests relating to monitoring and evaluations activities associated with the UKRI Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes strategic theme.

Management structure

You should have established an appropriate management structure with clear lines of responsibility and authority to oversee the day-to-day running of the project. This should be in place within three months of the start date of the grant. The terms of reference and management structure must be approved by us in advance, as must any changes to this structure. The project officer will be our main contact with the project and must receive all meeting minutes of the management committees. We reserve the right to attend any meetings.

Management resourcing

Adequate resourcing to support an appropriate management structure, as specified in the funding opportunity documentation, should be costed within the grant. This includes employing a grant or programme manager on the grant.

Grant Extensions

No grant extension(s) are permitted to this grant and no payments will be made for any expenditure which falls outside of the announced end date except where explicitly approved by Us (this condition supersedes standard grant condition RGC 6). At the end of the grant period a breakdown of the expenditure should be submitted along with the Final Expenditure Statement.

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.

Webinar for potential applicants

We held a webinar on 9 July 2024, which provided more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Watch webinar recording on Zoom (passcode: E9y1S1*c)

Webinar questions and answers (PDF, 146KB)

Supporting collaboration

We have put in place a mechanism to support collaboration and consortium-building via an online survey.

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.

Updates

• 24 October 2024
  Under 'What we're looking for', in the third paragraph, have amended the first sentence to include a PDF link of successful applicants to the outline stage.