EPSRC strategic infrastructure

This competition has now closed for entry.

From 10 July 2023, you must apply for EPSRC strategic infrastructure outline proposals, including capital and digital infrastructure, via the Funding Service. Both equipment and resources can be requested through this opportunity.

The funding seeks to improve UK scientific capability and enable cutting-edge research of high priority to EPSRC.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding.

The cost of the equipment requested, including VAT, must be at least £400,000.

Proposals including only resources must have a maximum duration of two years.

Find out more on the UKRI website

Competition Details
  • Who Can Apply?
    Who Can Apply?

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

    EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page.

    A research technical professional can apply as a project lead or project co-lead, provided that:

    1/ your appointment is resourced from the central funds of their institution at the time of application

    2/ your level of responsibilities and duties is appropriate to a person with substantial research experience

    3/ your contract extends beyond the duration of the project

    International applicants

    The UKRI-Research Council of Norway Money Follow Cooperation agreement does not apply to this funding opportunity. As such strategic infrastructure grants cannot include a Norway-based Project co-Lead (international).

    Resubmissions

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

    Projects that have been submitted as outlines to previous strategic equipment funding opportunities can be resubmitted providing they address the feedback given from their previous submission.

    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 UKRI are Looking for
    What UKRI are Looking for

    Scope

    The strategic infrastructure funding opportunity, including capital and digital infrastructure, is for either:

    - purchase and set-up of strategic infrastructure

    - resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    These two funding routes have different scopes but the application and assessment processes are via the same strategic infrastructure opportunity.

    The resources to support existing strategic infrastructure route is only for applicants who received invitations from relevant theme leads from EPSRC.

    Find more details on the scope of the strategic infrastructure route

    Find more details on the scope of the resources to support existing strategic infrastructure route

    Duration

    Strategic infrastructure

    There are no limits on the duration of funding, but the duration must reflect that this is an infrastructure grant and not a research grant.

    The duration should cover the procurement, delivery, installation and set-up of infrastructure.

    If it is appropriate, the length of the funding can include:

    - the development of methods, protocols and access models

    - a small amount of time for pump-priming projects to maximise usage of the infrastructure

    The duration should not include time for research projects.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    Proposals including only resources to support existing strategic infrastructure should be for a maximum duration of two years, unless agreed otherwise with EPSRC.

    Funding available

    Strategic infrastructure

    Strategic infrastructure includes capital and digital infrastructure. Capital infrastructure includes capital equipment and digital infrastructure includes central processing units and computing hardware.

    Funding is available for items of equipment over £400,000, including VAT.

    You can also request items of equipment under £400,000 that are essential to the running of the larger equipment.

    You can request funding for up to 100% full economic cost (FEC) of the equipment. However, contributions from the host organisation are welcome.

    The £400,000 minimum threshold can be met by a single item of equipment or by several items that are clearly intended to be combined in a single asset. The threshold cannot be met by the accumulated total of a number of individual items of standalone equipment.

    Non-capital costs can be included where there is a clear requirement and should only be used to support the equipment requested. These will be funded at 80% FEC.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    Funding via this opportunity should provide additional underpinning infrastructure or staff support that improves current use of infrastructure. You will be required to demonstrate the added value of the funds for increasing equipment usage, and the strategic demand for this.

    All costs will be funded at 80% FEC.

    What we will not fund

    Strategic infrastructure

    We will not fund:

    - costs associated with the support of individual research projects. For example, project lead time for research and project specific consumables are not an allowable cost on this opportunity. It would be for the university to consider how best to cover research project consumables through usage and charging arrangements

    - underpinning infrastructure that we would expect to see in a well-found lab

    - software, research software development or cloud computing credits

    You should submit any application focused on creating novel instruments or performing modifications to an existing instrument through standard mode as instrument development.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    We will not fund:

    - capital costs through this funding opportunity, for example, items of equipment over £10,000. Individual items with a value less than £10,000 are not considered to be equipment.

    - long-term research projects, for example, we do not expect to see postdoctoral researcher effort requested as part of an application. Costs for individual research projects are only eligible when these are short-term seed projects to support new users. These costs should have been proposed at the outline stage.

    - replacement of existing support, maintenance, service contracts, or capital costs. For example, current staff costs for time assigned to the equipment are not eligible. It is expected that awards will provide seed funding to initiate increased use.

    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.

    International collaboration

    If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit Trusted Research for more information on effective international collaboration.

  • How to Apply
    How to Apply

    UKRI Funding Service

    We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply for this opportunity on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

    If you have not used the Funding Service before, the first step is to create an account. This process is straightforward and quick and you will be able to do this as soon as the outline opportunity is published on 10 July 2023.

    Research offices who have not already received an invitation to open an account should email support@funding-service.ukri.org.

    Deadline

    The closing date for the first round of strategic infrastructure outlines on the Funding Service will be on 31 August 2023 at 4:00pm UK time.

    We must receive your application by this date. You should ensure that you are aware of and follow any internal institutional submission deadlines that are in place.

    UKRI Funding Service: Section Guidance

    Further application guidance will be available when the outline funding opportunity is published in July 2023. We can currently share the following information about the Funding Service application process to allow you to prepare your application.

    Summary

    In plain English you will be asked to provide a brief summary that can be sent to potential reviewers to determine if your proposal is within their field of expertise. This summary may be published if your proposal is successful.

    Applicants

    You will be asked to select from a list of relevant applicant roles. The definitions of these roles may be different to what you are used to. The applicant role guidance is listed in the eligibility as an individual.

    You should only list one individual as project lead.

    Section: purpose and vision (for strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    You will be asked questions on the purpose and vision of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: purpose and vision (for resources to support existing strategic infrastructure only)

    You will be asked questions on the purpose and vision of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: approach and sustainability

    You will be asked questions on the approach and sustainability of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: resources and cost justification

    You will be asked questions on the resources and cost justification of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: applicant and host institution capability to deliver

    You will be asked questions on the applicant and host institution capability to deliver of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Costings

    You will be expected to provide a value for the capital (100% full economic cost) and non-capital (80% full economic cost) of your proposal at the outline stage. You are allowed to change the cost of your proposal at the full proposal stage provided that the project does not change significantly from the outline stage. However, if the cost of your proposal will change by more than 10% from the outline stage please contact the Research Infrastructure theme at epsrcequipmentfunding@epsrc.ukri.org.

  • How your Application will be Assessed
    How your Application will be Assessed

    Assessment process

    We will assess your application using the following process.

    Outline stage

    Your outline will be assessed by an internal panel of EPSRC staff only. The outline business case should be pitched to this audience instead of the peer review body.

    The outline panel will be held in September 2023.

    Applicants that do not receive sufficiently strong support from the outline panel will be rejected at this stage.

    Successful outlines will be invited to submit a full application by email. Instructions on how to submit a full proposal will be provided with your invitation.

    Full proposal stage

    You will be invited to submit a full proposal following a successful outline application. We will use the peer review, shortlisting and panel interview processes to assess your full proposal and support the funding decision.

    Areas of assessment at outline stage

    The basic criteria against which your application will be assessed directly relates to the core application questions:

    - purpose and vision of the proposed research infrastructure (for strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    - purpose and vision of the proposed research infrastructure (for resources to support existing strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    - approach and sustainability of the proposed research infrastructure

    - resource and cost justification of the proposed research infrastructure

    - applicant and host institution capability to deliver for the proposed research infrastructure

    The outline stage areas of assessment relate to but may differ from the assessment criteria at the full proposal stage.

    Timescale

    We plan to release information on the outcomes of the outline panel in October 2023.

    We expect the deadline for submitting full proposals to be in December 2023 (exact date to be confirmed).

    Full proposals that receive sufficient support at peer review stage will be invited to interview. We expect interview panels to be held in March 2024 (exact date to be confirmed).

    Feedback

    If your application was discussed by the outline panel, we will provide feedback with the outcome of your application.

    Principles of assessment

    We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment (DORA) 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.

  • Contact Details
    Contact Details

    Get help with your application

    For help on costings and writing your application, contact your research office. Allow enough time for your organisation’s submission process.

    Ask about this funding opportunity

    Li Convey, Senior Portfolio Manager, Research Infrastructure

    Email: li.convey@epsrc.ukri.org

    Stephen Gilligan, Portfolio Manager, Research Infrastructure

    Email: stephen.gilligan@epsrc.ukri.org

    Get help with applying through the funding service

    Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

    We aim to respond to emails within 2 working days.

    Phone: 01793 547490

    Our phone lines are open:

    - Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

  • Additional Information
    Additional Information

    Background

    For more information about EPSRC’s portfolio and strategies, visit:

    - EPSRC’s remit, programmes and priorities

    - EPSRC strategic delivery plan

    EPSRC wishes to encourage a culture of equipment sharing where appropriate to maximise usage within the research group, across institution(s) or across the UK. As such, strategic infrastructure should account for the national picture, both in terms of equipment available and research being undertaken.

    The £400,000 threshold for items of equipment that you can apply for does not imply any consequences for university procurement and tendering rules.

    Supporting documents

    Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 149KB)

  • Who Can Apply?
    Who Can Apply?

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

    EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page.

    A research technical professional can apply as a project lead or project co-lead, provided that:

    1/ your appointment is resourced from the central funds of their institution at the time of application

    2/ your level of responsibilities and duties is appropriate to a person with substantial research experience

    3/ your contract extends beyond the duration of the project

    International applicants

    The UKRI-Research Council of Norway Money Follow Cooperation agreement does not apply to this funding opportunity. As such strategic infrastructure grants cannot include a Norway-based Project co-Lead (international).

    Resubmissions

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

    Projects that have been submitted as outlines to previous strategic equipment funding opportunities can be resubmitted providing they address the feedback given from their previous submission.

    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 UKRI are Looking for
    What UKRI are Looking for

    Scope

    The strategic infrastructure funding opportunity, including capital and digital infrastructure, is for either:

    - purchase and set-up of strategic infrastructure

    - resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    These two funding routes have different scopes but the application and assessment processes are via the same strategic infrastructure opportunity.

    The resources to support existing strategic infrastructure route is only for applicants who received invitations from relevant theme leads from EPSRC.

    Find more details on the scope of the strategic infrastructure route

    Find more details on the scope of the resources to support existing strategic infrastructure route

    Duration

    Strategic infrastructure

    There are no limits on the duration of funding, but the duration must reflect that this is an infrastructure grant and not a research grant.

    The duration should cover the procurement, delivery, installation and set-up of infrastructure.

    If it is appropriate, the length of the funding can include:

    - the development of methods, protocols and access models

    - a small amount of time for pump-priming projects to maximise usage of the infrastructure

    The duration should not include time for research projects.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    Proposals including only resources to support existing strategic infrastructure should be for a maximum duration of two years, unless agreed otherwise with EPSRC.

    Funding available

    Strategic infrastructure

    Strategic infrastructure includes capital and digital infrastructure. Capital infrastructure includes capital equipment and digital infrastructure includes central processing units and computing hardware.

    Funding is available for items of equipment over £400,000, including VAT.

    You can also request items of equipment under £400,000 that are essential to the running of the larger equipment.

    You can request funding for up to 100% full economic cost (FEC) of the equipment. However, contributions from the host organisation are welcome.

    The £400,000 minimum threshold can be met by a single item of equipment or by several items that are clearly intended to be combined in a single asset. The threshold cannot be met by the accumulated total of a number of individual items of standalone equipment.

    Non-capital costs can be included where there is a clear requirement and should only be used to support the equipment requested. These will be funded at 80% FEC.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    Funding via this opportunity should provide additional underpinning infrastructure or staff support that improves current use of infrastructure. You will be required to demonstrate the added value of the funds for increasing equipment usage, and the strategic demand for this.

    All costs will be funded at 80% FEC.

    What we will not fund

    Strategic infrastructure

    We will not fund:

    - costs associated with the support of individual research projects. For example, project lead time for research and project specific consumables are not an allowable cost on this opportunity. It would be for the university to consider how best to cover research project consumables through usage and charging arrangements

    - underpinning infrastructure that we would expect to see in a well-found lab

    - software, research software development or cloud computing credits

    You should submit any application focused on creating novel instruments or performing modifications to an existing instrument through standard mode as instrument development.

    Resources to support existing strategic infrastructure

    We will not fund:

    - capital costs through this funding opportunity, for example, items of equipment over £10,000. Individual items with a value less than £10,000 are not considered to be equipment.

    - long-term research projects, for example, we do not expect to see postdoctoral researcher effort requested as part of an application. Costs for individual research projects are only eligible when these are short-term seed projects to support new users. These costs should have been proposed at the outline stage.

    - replacement of existing support, maintenance, service contracts, or capital costs. For example, current staff costs for time assigned to the equipment are not eligible. It is expected that awards will provide seed funding to initiate increased use.

    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.

    International collaboration

    If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit Trusted Research for more information on effective international collaboration.

  • How to Apply
    How to Apply

    UKRI Funding Service

    We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply for this opportunity on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

    If you have not used the Funding Service before, the first step is to create an account. This process is straightforward and quick and you will be able to do this as soon as the outline opportunity is published on 10 July 2023.

    Research offices who have not already received an invitation to open an account should email support@funding-service.ukri.org.

    Deadline

    The closing date for the first round of strategic infrastructure outlines on the Funding Service will be on 31 August 2023 at 4:00pm UK time.

    We must receive your application by this date. You should ensure that you are aware of and follow any internal institutional submission deadlines that are in place.

    UKRI Funding Service: Section Guidance

    Further application guidance will be available when the outline funding opportunity is published in July 2023. We can currently share the following information about the Funding Service application process to allow you to prepare your application.

    Summary

    In plain English you will be asked to provide a brief summary that can be sent to potential reviewers to determine if your proposal is within their field of expertise. This summary may be published if your proposal is successful.

    Applicants

    You will be asked to select from a list of relevant applicant roles. The definitions of these roles may be different to what you are used to. The applicant role guidance is listed in the eligibility as an individual.

    You should only list one individual as project lead.

    Section: purpose and vision (for strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    You will be asked questions on the purpose and vision of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: purpose and vision (for resources to support existing strategic infrastructure only)

    You will be asked questions on the purpose and vision of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: approach and sustainability

    You will be asked questions on the approach and sustainability of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: resources and cost justification

    You will be asked questions on the resources and cost justification of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Section: applicant and host institution capability to deliver

    You will be asked questions on the applicant and host institution capability to deliver of your proposed research infrastructure.

    Costings

    You will be expected to provide a value for the capital (100% full economic cost) and non-capital (80% full economic cost) of your proposal at the outline stage. You are allowed to change the cost of your proposal at the full proposal stage provided that the project does not change significantly from the outline stage. However, if the cost of your proposal will change by more than 10% from the outline stage please contact the Research Infrastructure theme at epsrcequipmentfunding@epsrc.ukri.org.

  • How your Application will be Assessed
    How your Application will be Assessed

    Assessment process

    We will assess your application using the following process.

    Outline stage

    Your outline will be assessed by an internal panel of EPSRC staff only. The outline business case should be pitched to this audience instead of the peer review body.

    The outline panel will be held in September 2023.

    Applicants that do not receive sufficiently strong support from the outline panel will be rejected at this stage.

    Successful outlines will be invited to submit a full application by email. Instructions on how to submit a full proposal will be provided with your invitation.

    Full proposal stage

    You will be invited to submit a full proposal following a successful outline application. We will use the peer review, shortlisting and panel interview processes to assess your full proposal and support the funding decision.

    Areas of assessment at outline stage

    The basic criteria against which your application will be assessed directly relates to the core application questions:

    - purpose and vision of the proposed research infrastructure (for strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    - purpose and vision of the proposed research infrastructure (for resources to support existing strategic infrastructure proposals only)

    - approach and sustainability of the proposed research infrastructure

    - resource and cost justification of the proposed research infrastructure

    - applicant and host institution capability to deliver for the proposed research infrastructure

    The outline stage areas of assessment relate to but may differ from the assessment criteria at the full proposal stage.

    Timescale

    We plan to release information on the outcomes of the outline panel in October 2023.

    We expect the deadline for submitting full proposals to be in December 2023 (exact date to be confirmed).

    Full proposals that receive sufficient support at peer review stage will be invited to interview. We expect interview panels to be held in March 2024 (exact date to be confirmed).

    Feedback

    If your application was discussed by the outline panel, we will provide feedback with the outcome of your application.

    Principles of assessment

    We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment (DORA) 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.

  • Contact Details
    Contact Details

    Get help with your application

    For help on costings and writing your application, contact your research office. Allow enough time for your organisation’s submission process.

    Ask about this funding opportunity

    Li Convey, Senior Portfolio Manager, Research Infrastructure

    Email: li.convey@epsrc.ukri.org

    Stephen Gilligan, Portfolio Manager, Research Infrastructure

    Email: stephen.gilligan@epsrc.ukri.org

    Get help with applying through the funding service

    Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

    We aim to respond to emails within 2 working days.

    Phone: 01793 547490

    Our phone lines are open:

    - Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

  • Additional Information
    Additional Information

    Background

    For more information about EPSRC’s portfolio and strategies, visit:

    - EPSRC’s remit, programmes and priorities

    - EPSRC strategic delivery plan

    EPSRC wishes to encourage a culture of equipment sharing where appropriate to maximise usage within the research group, across institution(s) or across the UK. As such, strategic infrastructure should account for the national picture, both in terms of equipment available and research being undertaken.

    The £400,000 threshold for items of equipment that you can apply for does not imply any consequences for university procurement and tendering rules.

    Supporting documents

    Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 149KB)