Area of investment and support

Area of investment and support: Information and communication technologies theme

The information and communication technologies (ICT) theme supports UK scientists to deliver the very best research and training to meet the UK’s future scientific needs across the science base. This is an ongoing fundamental research theme that invests in investigator-led research, as well as more applied, multidisciplinary, user-centred and co-created research.

Budget:: Between £50 million and £60 million yearly. Skills and infrastructure investments are supported through other budget lines.
Duration:: Multiple open funding opportunities, with no deadlines. Funding is allocated quarterly for responsive mode applications, and annually for programme grants.
Partners involved:: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The scope and what we're doing

EPSRC remit for applications in ICT can be extremely broad, and we continue to support research across the full spectrum and remit of ICT, both fundamental and applied, as well as interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects. With this in mind, we have co-developed, together with other key academic stakeholders, a guiding framework encompassing seven core portfolios and related cross-cutting themes.

The guiding framework for ICT

The framework was designed to:

support applicants to submit novel and impactful applications
support applicants to understand the breadth of the ICT remit, through a set of future-proofed, all-encompassing portfolio descriptions
highlight those cross-cutting themes that are outside of the research portfolio space, and relevant to their research proposals

Some research areas falling predominantly within other EPSRC theme remits intersect with our guiding framework, including:

fundamental AI
quantum technology
advanced materials
engineering (including space technology and robotics)
manufacturing and circular economy research
resilience, security and cryptographic aspects of ICT

See the EPSRC ICT guiding framework for full details

The seven portfolios for ICT

The EPSRC ICT theme aims to simplify the existing 26 research areas and create portfolios that would be truly inclusive of all the research that is funded, as well as have an element of future-proofing, for longevity. Our remit encompasses the following broad seven portfolios:

fundamentals of computing
artificial intelligence technologies
data science
people, interaction and ICT
audio, vision, speech and senses
communications systems
semiconductors (electronics and photonics)

The cross-cutting themes for ICT

EPSRC ICT theme have designed eight cross-cutting themes that sit outside of traditional ICT research areas, which we encourage applicants to consider. We recognise that these themes overlap and that each can inform progress or direction in others.

The themes are:

Enabling research for societal benefit
Building a multidisciplinary research ecosystem
Enabling and underpinning creative research
Supporting future sustainable technologies
Unlocking the potential of user-centred, user co-created research
Enabling the push towards commercialisation
Supporting research to enable resilient, secure and trustworthy ICT
Building in the ethical, responsible research and innovation (RRI) as well as trusted research and innovation (TR&I) considerations

Why we invest in this area

Investing in curiosity and investigator-led research is a vital part of a healthy and vibrant research base. The ICT theme supports research that has the potential to transform research disciplines and to develop knowledge that may lead to significant economic, social, environmental and technological benefits in the medium to long term.

See the evidence sources used to inform our research strategies.

Opportunities, support and resources available

You can apply for funding to support an EPSRC research proposal in the area of information and communications technologies, including digital sciences, technologies and economy, at any time under any open EPSRC scheme, including standard mode, programme grants and fellowships.

Standard (sometimes known as ‘responsive’) funding opportunities are open to a wide range of research and approaches within EPSRC’s remit.

See EPSRC funding opportunities

Past projects, outcomes and impact

EPSRC’s Visualising our portfolio (VoP) is a tool on Tableau for users to visually interact with the EPSRC portfolio and data relationships. Find out more about research theme connections and funding for information and communication technologies in VoP.

Find previously funded projects in the ICT theme on EPSRC’s funding application outcomes in Tableau.