EPSRC standard research grant (via Clean energy theme)

EPSRC standard research grant (via Clean energy theme) is sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The clean energy theme leads research on the discovery, development and deployment of clean energy technologies through a whole systems approach, aiming to deliver affordable, sustainable, and secure energy solutions for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050 and drive green growth.

EPSRC programme grant outline stage – UKRI Funding opportunity: EPSRC programme grant outline stage Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 1 October 2024 9:00am UK time Last updated: 1 December 2025 - see all updates Programme grants provide flexible funding to world-leading research groups addressing significant major research challenges.

Funding should bring together the expertise of a team of internationally recognised scientists or engineers to focus on one strategic research theme. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC ) see programme grants as critical mass investments, which cover a diverse engineering and physical sciences portfolio . They benefit UK research through the concentration of high-performing talent.

Funding can be awarded for up to six years. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. Applications are paused from 1 December 2025 for energy and decarbonisation (clean growth), manufacturing and circular economy and quantum technologies.

All other themes are still open for applications. See scope for more details. If you are considering applying for the programme grant scheme, please note you are expected to contact the relevant theme contact ahead of submitting your application, who will be able to help advise on the scheme conditions, fit to EPSRC strategy, and how to begin the process.

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation . EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page .

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual . 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. 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 . 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: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI .

EPSRC is looking for proposals that: bring together the best researchers to tackle bigger, more open-ended challenges in a coherent and holistic way build partnerships between universities and promote cross-disciplinary working provide freedom to conduct feasibility studies, cross-fertilise ideas and build up new skill sets create greater visibility nationally and internationally among other researchers and industry help to bring in other researchers, attract more funding and promote UK science allow early career researchers in the team to be given greater independence and responsibility, and promote their career development offer grant holders flexibility to allocate resources between different projects and respond quickly to new challenges Programme grants provide flexible funding to world-leading research groups seeking to address significant research challenges across the EPSRC remit.

EPSRC expects successful applications to be collaborative and address key challenges across single or multiple disciplines. Programme grants are not solely large grants but are strategic in nature and should meet all of the key features described below.

To ensure we can continue to support a balanced research portfolio, EPSRC is pausing programme grant applications from 1 December 2025, for at least 12 months in the following thematic areas: energy and decarbonisation (clean growth) manufacturing and circular economy (sustainable manufacturing and mobility) Key features of a programme grant A programme grant is seen as a scheme that attracts best with best and allows researchers to tackle bigger, more open-ended problems, tackled through a more coherent or holistic approach.

The stability in tackling a longer-range vision helps motivate teams, provides the freedom required to take risks, and enables longer term planning. The scale of activity is seen to create stronger links between the institutes involved and greater visibility at a national and international level.

The size of programme grants allows for the assembly of the best team and collaborators, all with complementary expertise leading to the development of effective multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary working. The duration of programme grants allows investment by the team in building effective collaborations.

The scale of a programme grant leads to industry interest beyond the original project partners and greater input from the wider community, including industry, resulting in more external visibility on the research direction for the area. The programme grant mechanism provides freedom to scope new opportunities, allows the team to cross-fertilise ideas, and build up new skills sets.

This allows the team to develop new themes, and to trade ideas and resources. The stability of the grant allows early career researchers (ECRs) in the team to express their creativity and pose ideas for investigation. In addition, the grant holder can concentrate on the science challenges rather than grant writing.

Programme grants are seen to have greater visibility and recognition within the research organisations involved and the relevant research communities at both a national and international level. This gives the programme grant team more influence than smaller scale research activities.

They are able to attract more visits and engagement with high quality researchers and external stakeholders, leverage other funding, and influence wider strategies. The visibility also enhances the opportunities for outreach and advocacy, promoting UK science. Programme grants are seen as a good environment for ECRs with longer term career development.

The flexibility and longer durations allow the investigators to empower junior team members giving them greater independence through more responsibility and leadership over activities. Postdoctoral staff gain a broader experience due to the breadth of skills and expertise in the team and there are greater opportunities for secondments, mentoring and involvement in management.

This makes programme grants an attractive employment prospect leading to higher quality recruitment. PhD students are often aligned to programme grant teams, also benefiting from interacting with a team of broader expertise and activity. The flexibility programme grant holders are afforded is seen as a real strength of the scheme.

It enables a more dynamic allocation of resources and a nimble approach to recruitment, and the individual projects being undertaken. The scheme does not allow for flexible pots of cash or unassigned funds. , Instead, funding should be provisionally assigned at the start of the project, for example to post-doctoral research assistants or consumables.

This funding can then be reallocated and redeployed subject to project needs. The independent advisory boards are seen as a crucial element of identifying what projects should be shut down, freeing up resources for other strands. The resulting agility allows the team to undertake aggressive triage if necessary and respond more quickly to new and evolving challenges.

Management and monitoring Programme grants should have effective management and monitoring arrangements for the investment. This should include a risk management strategy and a strategy for how the flexibility of resources will be managed.

We expect all programme grants to establish and run an independent advisory board, or equivalent body, to provide advice and recommendations on the strategic scientific and research direction and activities (such as impact, advocacy and outreach) of the programme grant. This independent advisory board must meet at least annually. This group should have at least 50% independent membership and an independent chair.

We strongly encourage you to consider costing in project management and other administrative support such as employing a full-time equivalent project manager, and not relying on the project lead for these duties. We are fully committed to develop and promote responsible innovation.

Research has the ability to not only produce 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 and to encourage our research community to do likewise.

Responsible innovation creates spaces and processes to explore innovation and its consequences in an open, inclusive and timely way, going beyond consideration of ethics, public engagement, risk and regulation. Innovation is a collective responsibility, where funders, researchers, interested and affected parties, including the public, all have an important role to play.

We expect you to work within the EPSRC framework for responsible innovation. You should look to consider the sustainability of the research activities during the lifetime of the programme grant and following the end of the programme grant. Consideration should be given to all available funding mechanisms.

The duration of this award is up to six years. EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost. The funding available depends on the theme of your project.

Please contact the relevant theme contact for indicative available funding. Equipment (up to £400,000 per item) Quotes for equipment do not need to be included in your application, but please retain quotes for equipment costing more than £138,000 as we may ask for these at post-panel stage before releasing funds.

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.

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. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead. 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. 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.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. 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 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. From September 2024, EPSRC will run the programme grant outline opportunity as an open funding opportunity. We will not publish closing dates for individual rounds, instead we will batch applications internally.

You should apply when your application is ready for submission and not be concerned about a closing date. Due to systems requirements, a closing date will appear on the Funding Service approximately 12 months from the publication of this opportunity. Please do not wait for this date to submit your application, we will be processing applications throughout 2024 and 2025.

Due to the agile development of the Funding Service, we will need to make changes to this opportunity to allow technical updates or new policies to be implemented. No changes are planned to EPSRC programme grant opportunities before September 2025. However, if updates are required, we will communicate these changes at least eight weeks before they are implemented (excluding major public holiday periods).

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 opportunity.

EPSRC, as part of 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 .

Institutional Matched Funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at a Tableau tool web page . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . 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: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . Strategic vision and fit to programme grant scheme Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than five 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. You can have an additional page for 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 Strategic vision and fit to programme grant scheme 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 is the strategic vision of the proposal, and how does the proposed project fit the programme grant scheme?

What the assessors are looking for in your response For the strategic vision, explain how your proposed work: fits within EPSRC’s strategic priorities and the wider research landscape enables a unique contribution to the research field that is timely to the research landscape underpins EPSRC research areas and strategic priorities For the fit to programme grant scheme, explain how you have designed your work so that: the programme grant scheme is the most appropriate route for the proposed research there is clear use of inter-linked projects that require a programme of connected research activities there is a clear structure in place to take advantage of the flexibility provided by a programme grant there is a clear management and advisory structure, and the project has the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work References may be included within this section.

What are the expected costs of the proposed work? What the assessors are looking for in your response provide the approximate total values in GBP (£) for the expected directly incurred, directly allocated, indirect costs and exceptions view the guidance on the costs you can apply for 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. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

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. Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility? What the assessors are looking for in your response If you need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures.

Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the: name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB) proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list confirmation you have their agreement where required Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above.

If you do not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. How we will assess your application We will assess your application using the following process. Please note that your outline proposal will be assessed by an EPSRC internal staff panel.

Your outline proposal should be aimed at this audience instead of the peer review community. The EPSRC internal staff panel does not assess the technical feasibility of your proposal. You should focus on evidencing the clarity and coherence of your descriptions against the assessment criteria.

An EPSRC internal staff panel will review and score your application against the assessment criteria for the outline stage. The panel will be observed by an external member of the EPSRC community. The panel will then recommend proposals to be invited to submit a full proposal.

If successful, you will be provided with guidance on submitting your full proposal on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. If you are invited to submit a full proposal, we will assess your application using the following process. We will invite experts to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity.

You will not be able to nominate reviewers for applications on the new Funding Service. Research councils will continue to select expert reviewers. We are monitoring the requirement for applicant-nominated reviewers as we review policies and processes as part of the continued development of the new Funding Service.

We will review the comments and scores for each application. Shortlisted applications will go to a panel who will make a funding recommendation. If your application is shortlisted, you will have 14 days to respond to reviewers’ comments.

For shortlisted applications submitted, an expert interview panel will conduct interviews with applicants against all the full proposal assessment criteria for this funding opportunity. The interview panel will then make a funding recommendation. EPSRC will make the final funding decision based on the interview panel funding recommendation and budget available.

At the outline stage, feedback will be provided to all applicants when they are informed of the outcome. At the full proposal stage, feedback will be provided to all applicants when they are informed of the outcome. 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 .

Outline assessment criteria For the strategic vision, explain how your proposed work: fits within EPSRC’s strategic priorities and the wider research landscape enables a unique contribution to the research field that is timely to the research landscape underpins EPSRC research areas and strategic priorities Fit to programme grant scheme For the fit to programme grant scheme, explain how you have designed your work so that: the programme grant scheme is the most appropriate route for the proposed research there is clear use of inter-linked projects that require a programme of connected research activities there is a clear structure in place to take advantage of the flexibility provided by a programme grant there is a clear management and advisory structure, and the project has the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work Full proposal assessment criteria The criteria we will assess your application against are: applicant and team capability to deliver resources and cost justification your organisation’s support ethics and responsible research and innovation 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 UK Research and Innovation (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.

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 your EPSRC programme grant contact . 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 Our phone lines are open: Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm 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 . 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) 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 .

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 UK Research and Innovation (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: disruptive working patterns and conditions 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.

Added an alert box in the summary section to day applications are paused from 1 December 2025 for energy and decarbonisation (clean growth), manufacturing and circular economy and quantum technologies. All other themes are still open for applications. Paragraph added to the end of 'Institutional Matched Funding' in the 'How to apply' section.

'Institutional Matched Funding' added to 'How to apply' section. Updated second paragraph under How to apply - Project partners This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .