Aim
We aim to fund one NetworkPlus to bring together the UK and India community in telecommunications, complementing existing research and building capability. The network will act as a focal point for UK research capability and build collaboration and knowledge exchange across research and stakeholder communities across the UK and internationally. The network will identify areas for future collaboration, facilitate travel and support small pilot projects.
Scope
The NetworkPlus should generate new interdisciplinary collaborations and connect researchers to the wider telecoms stakeholder community to capitalise on the UK’s internationally leading position in telecoms technologies. The network should forge connections with India partners, to mutually strengthen advances in the telecoms space. The network should form a forum for international engagement, bring together existing research groups, and support the development of new interdisciplinary collaborations in fundamental telecoms science, telecoms technologies and systems.
We expect the NetworkPlus to drive progress in telecoms research by bringing together communities spanning academia, industry, policy, and others with expertise in other relevant areas.
Expectations
The network should deliver:
- a clear focal point for UK capability in telecoms research
- an internationally recognised point of engagement for academia, policy, industry and other stakeholders in telecoms research
- leadership of diverse, inclusive interdisciplinary research communities in telecoms across the UK and internationally
- new connections between relevant international communities, and new and existing projects, to accelerate knowledge transfer and the realisation of near and longer-term impacts
- greater community capacity and capability in telecoms research, with consideration of new methods, tools and approaches, and the training and skills required to support telecoms research in the long term
- engagement with industry to facilitate translation of research outputs into technological impacts
- externally distributed seedcorn funding for small-scale innovative research projects, pilot projects and feasibility studies
- other investments in the communications systems space will be creating a science and technology roadmap for this area. It is expected that the UK-India Future Networks Initiative (UKI-FNI) would help co-create this.
The network could achieve these deliverables by:
- facilitating knowledge exchange and driving progress in telecoms research and facilitating application of the state of the art between different areas of research
- building and supporting connections between research and non-academic stakeholders to drive greater co-creation of problems and solutions and identifying realistic translation pathways
- convening workshops and events to enable collaboration, horizon-scanning and generation of new ideas, bringing together UK and international partners
The network is also expected to take a broader role in building a diverse and inclusive research community through activities such as, but not limited to:
- convening special interest groups around equality, diversity and inclusion and career development
- supporting early and mid-career academics to engage more widely, internationally and with business
- public engagement, where appropriate
- running regular multi-stakeholder strategy meetings
This list is not exhaustive, and the successful network is not obliged to do all of the above. Applicants are encouraged to tailor their activities to the needs of the area and to be innovative in their approach.
Community networking expectations
The NetworkPlus should also bring together the projects funded through the India-UK joint opportunity in telecommunications research (DST-EPSRC) funding opportunity. This includes:
- hosting an annual showcase meeting to bring together all funded projects
- including the project leads from the funded projects as members of the NetworkPlus advisory board
- acting as an advocate for the funded projects within the wider research community
- considering funded projects to be core stakeholders, and including them in all relevant networking activities
User engagement
We encourage you to engage with research users in the conception and implementation of the network to maximise impact where appropriate. These can include:
- academia
- industry
- small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
- third sector
- end users
- policymakers
- research institutes
- learned societies
- other sectors as appropriate
Systems approach
A whole systems approach enables the development of solutions and innovations that are more impactful while minimising and mitigating unintended consequences. It is a discovery process combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding and managing technological systems alongside broader economic, environmental, social, political and behavioural considerations, taking into account complex interactions.
The network must embed a systems approach within its own work, and across its members and communities. An embedded and informed systems approach enables consideration of the trade-offs, risks and mitigations associated with different approaches.
Environmental sustainability
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s environmental sustainability strategy lays out our ambition to actively lead environmental sustainability across our sectors. This includes a vision to ensure that all major investment and funding decisions we make are directly informed by environmental sustainability, recognising environmental benefits as well as potential for environmental harm.
Environmental sustainability is a broad term but may include consideration of such broad areas as:
- reducing carbon emissions
- protecting and enhancing the natural environment and biodiversity
- waste or pollution elimination
- resource efficiency and a circular economy
EPSRC, on behalf of UKRI, expects the funded network to embed careful consideration of environmental sustainability within its own work, but also across its members and communities.
The network should ensure that environmental impact and mitigation of the proposed and programme operations, as well as any associated project outputs and outcomes, is considered.
Duration
The duration of this award is four years.
Projects must start by 1 February 2025.
Funding available
The FEC of your project can be up to £1,125,000.
EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
What we will fund
We will fund:
- UK and international community building and networking activities
- innovative workstreams and activities to advance international collaboration in THz research
- relevant non-academic staff, for example a grant manager, commercialisation experts, engagement experts, communications and impact staff, administrative support and so on
Project lead and co-leads’ salaries
These should be requested under the directly allocated cost heading.
The project lead and co-leads can request funds to cover their salary costs for the time spent on setting up and leading the network.
Funding requested under the directly incurred cost heading may include:
Travel and subsistence
Travel and subsistence enabling members of the network to meet to exchange ideas and expertise. This may include:
- travel within the UK
- visits by or to experts internationally
- travel and subsistence costs to support secondments
Where possible, collaborators should meet their own travel costs.
Administrative support
A sufficient level of administrative support should be requested to ensure the coordination, management, and smooth running of the network.
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.
Organisation of activities
Funding can 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 to connect users, industry and other stakeholders with the research base
- communication costs and for additional equipment such as personal computers and web servers
- equipment to support networking, events and communication
- other projects as appropriate for the network
- flexible funds to distribute small-scale funding for projects or feasibility studies to enable cross-disciplinary, foresight, speculative or risky early-stage research, or other projects
- networking events
- expert working groups
- online discussion forums
- lectures and seminars
- problem-solving workshops
You are encouraged to think creatively about the range of activities that could support the delivery of the network goals. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your proposed activities with us ahead of submission.
Flexible funds
Research is outside of the NetworkPlus scope. However, flexible funding can be requested to externally commission small-scale research studies, pilot projects, feasibility studies or similar small level projects (but not to demonstrator phase or beyond technology readiness level (TRL) 4). These funds must be distributed externally to the grant.
Flexible funds can be allocated to researchers at any organisation currently eligible for EPSRC funding. You will need to think carefully about how any budget for external distribution will be commissioned, and how you will ensure processes for the allocation of funds are fair and transparent.
Please note that any activities commissioned by the Network Plus using the flexible funds will be restricted to EPSRC current research organisation eligibility but will not be bound by standard EPSRC investigator eligibility criterion. It is the project lead’s responsibility to ensure ongoing governance to ensure correct usage and accountability of the funds. 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 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. Flexible funds are funded at 80% FEC by EPSRC.
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.
Appropriately skilled individuals may be costed to conduct and analyse horizon scanning activities to meet the aims and objectives of the NetworkPlus.
What we will not fund
We will not fund:
- research activities. This is a network grant and funds should not be requested to carry out research activities
- support for equipment is not available through 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.
Additional conditions
The NetworkPlus funding will be subject to the following additional conditions, in addition to our standard terms.
Community network expectations
This grant is awarded on the understanding that the project will undertake a wider networking role with the research and user community outside its membership. This may involve coordination of activities such as meetings, workshops or seminars on behalf of EPSRC. 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 (such as policy, business, non-governmental organisations) 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 form an agenda for future research in the area.
User engagement strategy
You must develop and execute a strategy for engaging with potential users of the research funded in the project. This strategy 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 must be recorded through the grant reporting process.
Project officer appointment
We will nominate a member of EPSRC staff (the project officer) who will be your primary point of contact. The project officer will ensure that the project is being run in accordance with the terms and conditions and in line with financial due diligence. The project officer 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 EPSRC-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 EPSRC. The EPSRC project officer will also be expected to attend and participate in advisory board and other appropriate meetings for the duration of the grant.
It is expected the first advisory board meeting will be held within four months of the start date of the project and there will two meetings a year with contact outside of the meeting when appropriate.
Publicity and branding
In addition to RGC 12.4 publication and acknowledgement of support, you must make reference to EPSRC and UKRI funding and include the UKRI logo and relevant branding on all online or printed materials (including 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 annual progress reports against non-financial performance metrics. A detailed list of performance metrics and instructions for reporting will be agreed with the grant holder and advisory board upon commencement of the grant.
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 six months of the start date of the grant. The terms of reference and management structure, including the project lead, co-leads and senior investigators 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 manager on the grant.
Flexible funding
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.
