Future computing paradigms Network Plus (Grant)

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) individual eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit UKRI’s eligibility page.

Please note that successful applicants to this opportunity will be required to undertake engagement and collaboration broadly across UKRI and UK government departments and agencies, including the National Security and Defence (NS&D) community. Given the dual use nature of the outputs and outcomes assembled, greater rigor is required. As a result, there may be a requirement within the duration of this project to undergo checks deemed appropriate for this engagement.

International researchers

As Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a lead funder for this opportunity, international researchers can only apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’ as part of an application making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement.

You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.

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.

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

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

You must complete an expression of interest by 11 September 2026 to be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. See ‘How to apply’ for further details.

Demand management

Demand management is not currently being applied to this funding opportunity. However, should the level of interest exceed what can be managed within the assessment process, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) may introduce limits on the number of applications that can be submitted. Further details will be clearly communicated where this is the case. UKRI encourages organisations to support applicants in preparing well-planned, high-quality applications that are competitive for funding relative to the funding opportunity.

Aim

The project will comprise two phases, the initial 18-month, evidence-gathering phase to provide outputs for UKRI and UK government. This will then be followed by a 42-month network phase, to draw the community together around the outcomes of the initial phase.

For the first 18 months, the project will develop a coherent, whole-systems UK vision for future computing paradigms. This will position the UK to shape and, where appropriate, lead the development and adoption of transformative approaches to computation. It will extend beyond the limits of current and emerging technologies, and involves anticipating longer-term, disruptive paradigms. This will comprise identifying and prioritising the sovereign capabilities required for future resilience and competitiveness.

This will include where the UK could or should be leading, collaborating, or building capability. And incorporates understanding how these developments may shape future computing ecosystems, including high-performance computing (HPC).

It will also support Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and stakeholders to develop a strategic roadmap for future computing in the UK. This will identify priority research challenges, capability and skills needs, as well as the pathways to proof of concept, and so on.

In a rapidly evolving global landscape, the network phase will address fragmented activity by building a clear, evidence-based understanding of UK strengths, gaps, and opportunities across emerging paradigms, spanning materials, devices, architectures, software, and applications.

Through open, inclusive and multidisciplinary engagement, the network will bring together the engineering and physical sciences research community. This will be alongside expertise from across the social, environmental and biological sciences, as appropriate. This will also include expertise from business and the wider innovation ecosystem, spanning a range of career stages and working in partnership with socio-technical and economic perspectives.

The network will support a diverse and inclusive community and ensure that future computing paradigms are developed and assessed within their broader societal, economic, and ethical contexts.

Scope

The Network Plus will take a whole-systems, technology-spanning approach to future computing paradigms, covering everything from new architectures, hardware platforms to software engineering and distributed compute. Indeed, the scope covers the full span of application space and new modalities. For example, low power, cheap, self-powering (Bio-compatible, heat, solar, and so on), potentially disposable (biodegradable and recyclable) compute solutions, that are not necessarily high speed or have high compute power.

The Network Plus will focus on anticipating and shaping developments in the five to 20-year timeframe. The network will explore areas where UK academia can pioneer innovations that are not yet market-ready but might be so in five to seven years. This might also be whilst investigating mid-term and longer-term advances, which the UK might be involved with over an eight to 20-year timeframe.

The Network Plus will deliver an initial 18-month programme of activity to develop a robust evidence base and to guide EPSRC’s, and potentially UK government stakeholder’s, strategic direction for future computing in the UK. As a result, the primary audience for this work will be EPSRC and relevant stakeholders across UK government, given the sensitive nature of the evidence base.

The following series of reports should be delivered by the end of the 18-month initial phase. The successful applicant may also be able to openly publish partial outcomes. However, this is subject to express approval from the EPSRC oversight group.

Using a combination of engagement methodologies as well as socio-technical and economic analysis, and desk research, the network will provide EPSRC, UKRI, and UK government with a series of output reports, including:

• academic landscaping: a comprehensive overview of UK research capability in future computing paradigms, including strengths, gaps, and identifying clusters of excellence across disciplines and institutions. This should consider alignment with industrial activity, infrastructure availability, and implications for skills, workforce, and economic impact

• international benchmarking: an assessment of the UK’s position relative to key global players in this area, identifying areas of strength, dependency, and opportunity. This should include analysis of where the UK may benefit from collaboration, and where investment in sovereign capability may be strategically important

• horizon scanning and foresight: identification of emerging technologies, future scenarios, and disruptive developments, alongside clear evidence-based recommendations for UKRI and the UK government to inform long-term investment, policy, and strategy

• strategic roadmap: working with EPSRC and relevant stakeholders to develop a strategic roadmap for future computing paradigms in the UK. This should also include a strategy for developing skills, career pathways, research training and workforce capability across a future compute eco-system

Unlike standard activities of this nature, it is expected that EPSRC and relevant stakeholders will be more involved in guiding and shaping what information is collected and what is required to be reported. This will be handled via the following governance structures.

Beyond the initial 18-month phase, it is expected that the Network Plus act as a sustained focal point for the UK community, for example:

• bringing together and championing the UK computing research and innovation ecosystem

• providing ongoing advice, evidence, and impact case studies to UKRI and UK government

• interfacing with relevant communities, including businesses, as well as national security and defence stakeholders, where appropriate

• producing white papers and policy-relevant outputs, and engaging with relevant policy fora (for example, all party parliamentary groups), where appropriate

• supporting activities that grow a diverse and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem

• identifying skills gaps and supporting the development of an inclusive strategy for developing skills and workforce capability, to build world class research and support future compute capability

To support this role, we expect the Network Plus to carry out a range of activitiessuch as:

• convening workshops, sandpits, and events to enable collaboration, horizon-scanning and the generation of new ideas

• building and sustaining connections across disciplines, sectors, and communities to drive collaboration and co-creation of research challenges and solutions

• facilitating knowledge exchange across the scope areas, including engagement with industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders

• administering flexible funding to support exploratory activities, feasibility studies, and the development of new research directions

• supporting the development of skills, capacity, and leadership across the community, including across career stages

This list is not exhaustive, and the successful NetworkPlus is not required to deliver all the above. Applications are encouraged to tailor their approach to the needs of the community and demonstrate innovation in delivery.

In delivering these activities, the Network Plus will consider the full research and innovation landscape of future computing.

This award may include an optional flexible fund to:

• pivot towards activities that will enhance the evidence gathering phase (for the core team)

• for small pilot projects, supporting emerging themes or seed activities (external to the core team)

If the use of flexible funds is included, then an outline plan regarding transparent use, management and governance of these funds must be included in the application.

Research and innovation landscape

The Network Plus will explore a diverse range of future computing paradigms and system-level solutions, including (but not limited to):

• novel computing architectures, such as analogue, neuromorphic, reservoir, reconfigurable and memory-centric approaches, and other non-von Neumann paradigms

• hardware platforms and enabling technologies, including CMOS, photonics integrated circuits, bio-inspired systems, biocompute platforms, advanced materials, and heterogeneous integration approaches

• software, algorithms and programming models, including challenges in programmability, portability, and integration across heterogeneous and task-specific computing environments

• implications for high-performance computing (HPC), including how novel computing paradigms may complement and extend existing approaches and contribute to future computing capabilities. This is also while providing context on their role within evolving computing ecosystems without directly defining or assessing HPC architectures or infrastructure

It is expected to adopt a technology-agnostic, problem-led approach, identifying where and how different paradigms may deliver value across applications and sectors.

System-level and cross-cutting considerations

The Network Plus must consider future computing paradigms within a broader system context, including:

• distributed and interoperable computing systems, across edge, cloud, and high-performance environments, including hybrid and heterogeneous approaches and evolving modes of computing (for example distributed, task-specific, and collaborative computing)

• sustainability and resource efficiency, including energy, materials, and lifecycle impacts

• security, trust, and resilience, including secure-by-design approaches and implications for national capability

• societal and economic value, including adoption pathways, productivity impacts, and viable business models

Community, interdisciplinarity and approach

The Network Plus must bring together a broad and inclusive community, centred on the engineering and physical sciences, and working in partnership with expertise from across:

• social sciences and humanities

• business, innovation, and economic analysis

• policy, security, and resilience communities

• academia, industry, government, and wider stakeholders

Applications should demonstrate how resilience, sustainability, socio-technical and economic perspectives will be embedded in the co-development and evaluation of future computing paradigms. They should also show how activities will support the growth and diversification of the research and innovation ecosystem. This should include skills development, engagement, and widening participation, as well as building on lessons learned from previous community-building activities, in developing cohesive and effective research communities.

The Network Plus should actively engage with other relevant UK and international networks and initiatives (for example, in areas such as neuromorphic computing, microsystems and previous community-building activities such as eFutures). The aim of this is to maximise alignment, share learning, and avoid duplication. For details of these existing initiatives please see the Additional information section.

Proposals should demonstrate how they will build on existing approaches and good practice, including effective mechanisms for community engagement, coordination, and delivery.

The Network Plus should operate as an open and accessible platform, with clear and transparent mechanisms to enable participation from across disciplines, sectors, and career stages, including meaningful opportunities for early career researchers.

EPSRC encourage inclusion of non-academic staff, including project managers, facilitators, science communicators, industrial liaisons, coordinators, administrators and technology transfer officers, as appropriate.

Governance and advisory structures

Applications must set out a robust and transparent governance structure that enables effective delivery, strategic alignment, and community confidence.This should include the following elements.

Advisory structures

An independent advisory group will be established to provide strategic guidance and constructive challenge to the Network Plus. This group will include representation across technical, socio-technical, economic, policy, and broader stakeholder perspectives, ensuring a balanced and multidisciplinary view. It will play a key role in maintaining alignment with community needs, national priorities, and emerging opportunities as the field evolves.

Steering and oversight

A steering and oversight group will be put in place to support delivery of the Network Plus and ensure alignment with EPSRC, UKRI, and wider government objectives. This steering and coordination group will be administrated by EPSRC and will include regular engagement with EPSRC and relevant government stakeholders through structured steering and coordination meetings. Successful applicants will be expected to engage with the oversight group and EPSRC, UK government and National Security and Defence stakeholders throughout the award.

In addition, mechanisms for more responsive and informal engagement, such as working groups, will be established to address emerging issues and priorities in a timely and flexible manner.

Network Plus leadership

Applications must demonstrate strong, inclusive, and credible leadership, with the ability to engage and build confidence across a broad and diverse community.

The Network Plus is expected to:

• provide visible and effective leadership across the engineering and physical sciences community, while engaging partners across academia, industry, government, and wider stakeholders

• include a balanced and multidisciplinary leadership team, bringing together technical, socio-technical, and economic expertise

• demonstrate the ability to convene, coordinate, and integrate diverse perspectives, including non-academic partners

Out of scope

The following activities are not within the scope of this funding opportunity:

• primary research projects or large-scale technology development, beyond exploratory or pump-priming activities delivered through Network Plus flexible funds

• capital investment in infrastructure, including procurement or deployment of major hardware platforms or facilities

• commercial product development or procurement activities

• single-paradigm or narrowly focused activities, unless clearly justified within a broader, whole-systems perspective

• activities that do not engage with the wider community, or that lack a clear strategy for inclusivity and interdisciplinarity

Duration

The duration of this award is five years.

Your award should start between 1 April 2027 and 30 June 2027.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £2.8 million.

EPSRC will fund £2.24 million, 80% of the FEC.

What we will fund

EPSRC will fund:

• project lead and co-lead’s salaries

• community building and networking activities

• travel and subsistence

• relevant non-academic staff, including a network manager, as appropriate

• specific staff to support the initial evidence gathering and reporting phase

• flexible fund (optional)

Project lead and co-lead’s salaries

These should be requested under the directly allocated cost heading. The project lead (PL) and project co-leads (PcL) can request funds to cover their salary costs for the time spent on setting up and leading the NetworkPlus.

Research technical professionals and professional research and investment strategy managers can be included as co-leads.

Directly incurred costs

Funding requested under the ‘directly incurred cost’ heading may include the following.

Community building and networking activities

This may include funding for:

• activities to identify and disseminate key research challenges in the area, such as horizon-scanning and road mapping studies

• activities to facilitate impact and advance policy, such as reports, websites and briefings

• activities to connect users, industry and other stakeholders with the research base

• networking events

• expert working groups

• online discussion forums

• lectures and seminars

• problem-solving workshops

• staff training

• other activities as appropriate for the NetworkPlus

Travel and Subsistence

Travel and subsistence enabling the core team to deliver initial activities and members of the network to meet to exchange ideas and expertise. This may include:

• travel within the UK

• international travel where appropriate and justified

Where possible, collaborators should meet their own travel costs.

Travel should be costed as standard or economy as per our standard terms and conditions, unless there is a need for a reasonable adjustment

Professional enabling staff

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

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.

If justified by your planned activities, you may include costs for additional professional enabling staff, for example, facilitators, science communicators, industrial liaisons, coordinators, administrators, technology transfer officers, commercialisation experts, engagement experts or impact staff.

Specific staff to support the initial evidence gathering and reporting phase

Appropriately skilled individuals may be costed to conduct and analyse horizon scanning activities to meet the aims and objectives of the NetworkPlus.

Flexible funds

Research is outside of the NetworkPlus scope.

However, an optional flexible funding can be requested:

• to pivot towards activities that will enhance the evidence gathering phase (for the core team)

• for small pilot projects, supporting emerging themes or seed activities (external to the core team)

The flexible fund may not be used for conference attendance.

Flexible funds can be allocated to researchers at any organisation currently eligible for EPSRC funding but will not be bound by standard EPSRC investigator eligibility criterion. You will need to think carefully about how any budget for distribution will be commissioned, and how you will ensure processes for the allocation of funds are fair and transparent. 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.

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.

Resources should be requested in accordance with standard EPSRC funding criteria.

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• research (outside of that described in ‘Flexible funds’)

• PL or PcL positions outside of EPSRC current research organisation eligibility

• support for equipment

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 applicants can find additional support.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Applications will be assessed in two stages via an assessment panel and interview. Any applications which do not fit the remit of the opportunity will be rejected prior to assessment. In the event of this opportunity being substantially oversubscribed, and deemed to be as to be unmanageable, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) reserves the right to modify the assessment process.

Overview

Applicants will need to complete a compulsory expression of interest (EoI), which will allow EPSRC to gauge interest and find unconflicted panel members. Following the EoI, applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt email and will be able to apply in full. Full applications will be assessed by an assessment panel. Applicants will receive feedback from the assessment panel. The most competitive applications will be invited to interview.

EPSRC may also take a portfolio view and team expertise into account when funding the successful application to ensure that the successful bid is best placed to meet all the objectives laid out in the call.

Assessment panel

We will invite experts to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity and rank it against other applications at an assessment panel.

For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit How we make decisions.

Feedback

All applicants will receive feedback after the assessment panel.

Interview

For the most competitive applications, the assessment panel will conduct interviews with applicants after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

We expect interviews to be held on 21 January 2027.

Up to three people from the project team may attend the interview, including the project lead.

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.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Generative AI may be used only for the purpose of language refinement during application assessment. When using generative AI to refine the language of a review, expert reviewers and panellists must ensure that:

• no part of the application being assessed is entered into a generative AI tool

• no personal information from the application is disclosed

• generative AI is not tasked with understanding, summarising or evaluating the application’s content

Expert reviewers and panellists must also:

• comply with relevant intellectual property and data protection legislation

• not take into account or speculate within their assessment whether generative AI has been used to develop the application

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• vision and approach

• governance

• applicant and team capability to deliver

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

• resources and cost justification

• flexible fund (if requested), use, management and governance

• national importance

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

Click here to start your application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1308/apply/1336

You must complete an expression of interest by 11 September 2026 to be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Expression of interest (EoI) stage

We require all applicants to submit an expression of interest. This will run on Citizen Space and will be open from 3 August 2026 to 11 September 2026.

The EoI will request the following details:

• application title

• brief outline of approach and methodology (up to 500 words)

• project lead name, institution and email address

• names of project team members (project co-leads and other core roles) and their organisations

• names of potential project partners

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.

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.

Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit).

• insert each new image onto a new line.

• use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format.

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text

• tables

• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

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

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors

• references are formatted as appropriate to your research

• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

EPSRC must receive your application by 13 October 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. 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.

Personal data

Processing personal data

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (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.

Sensitive information

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

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.

Publication of outcomes

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Applications Outcomes.

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

• how you will address both the initial phase and sustained network phase of the award

• 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

Only list one individual as project lead

Please note that only researchers making use of the UKRI and Research Council of Norway Money Follows Cooperation agreement are eligible to be project co-lead (international). International applicants from other countries are not eligible.

UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

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 in this section. Please ensure the Vision and Approach covers both the initial project with its associated reports as well as the follow on network activities and undertakings.

The document should not be more than 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. 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 ‘Vision and Approach’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal 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:

• demonstrates a coherent strategic vision and establishes clear outcomes for the NetworkPlus

• is of excellent quality and importance within the scope areas

• has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the scope areas

• will embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations into all aspects of the programme, and how these will guide your aims, as well as other activities such as stakeholder engagement, events and networking

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

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives

• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed

• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts

Additionally, within the Approach section, explain how your proposed work aligns strategically to the funding opportunity aims and scope and will:

• deliver the requested 18-month, evidence-gathering phase, including academic landscaping, international benchmarking and horizon scanning reports for UKRI and partners

• anticipate longer-term, disruptive paradigms, identifying and prioritising the sovereign capabilities required for future resilience and competitiveness and understanding how these developments may shape future computing ecosystems, including high-performance computing (HPC)

• develop a strategic roadmap for future computing in the UK, identifying priority research challenges, capability and skills needs, as well as the pathways to proof of concept

• create a network that will address fragmented activity across emerging paradigms, spanning materials, devices, architectures, software, and applications

• engage widely, being inclusive and multidisciplinary

• ensure that future computing paradigms are developed and assessed within their broader societal, economic, and ethical contexts

References may be included within this section.

National importance

Word limit: 300

What is the national importance of your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate the national importance of your project, including how it:

• builds a clear, evidence-based understanding of UK strengths, gaps, and opportunities in future computing paradigms, including where the UK could or should be leading, collaborating, or building capability

• aligns with UK priorities, supports emerging industries, addresses societal challenges, or underpins other disciplines

• addresses UK resilience, sustainability and national security, within the future computing paradigms space

References may be included within this section.

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 also taking into account flexible funding availability

• 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

• has equality, diversity and inclusion embedded in plans for convening and engaging with their community and the allocation of the awarded funds

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

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

The word limit for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the 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.

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

The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

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. 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.

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

• have a page limit of two 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 Project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Flexible fund

Word limit: 1,000

How will you use and manage the flexible fund?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Please answer this question if your application includes a flexible fund. If you are not requesting a flexible fund, please enter ‘flexible fund not requested’.

Explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it:

• supports your objectives

• distributes funding appropriately across a diverse range of activities

• where appropriate, distributes funding through robust, transparent competitive processes

• builds capacity in key fields and career stages

• ensures appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of funded activities

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 £25,000

• 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

Please note if requesting flexible funding, you are not required to include justification as part of this section.

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.

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

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

What are the ethical and RRI considerations, 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 and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project

• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm

• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project

Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.

Animal Involvement and “3Rs

You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.

If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• what animals you are involving

• the severity of the procedures you are using

• where the procedures will take place

• welfare standards you aim to meet

• the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs

You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.

To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals.

What counts as an animal

UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.

Genetically modified organisms and biological risk

You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.

If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include

• the intended use of the organism or genetic technology

• the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project

For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.

Human participation in health-related research

You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.

If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.

You may be asked about:

• what type of human participation your project includes

• the project design for human participation

• the phase of the clinical trial

• whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so how the project will be registered

• whether diversity and inclusion will be considered

For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.

Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessments of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.

You will be asked about:

• which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to

• who you intend to collaborate with and how

• if your project requires an export control licence

Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.

Background

The Network Plus should actively engage with other relevant UK and international networks and initiatives to maximise alignment, share learning, and avoid duplication. For example, in areas such as neuromorphic computing, microsystems and previous community-building activities such as eFutures.

Neuromorphic computing network (NeuMat)

NeuMat functions as a hub to bring together experts in materials science, device engineering, Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, and more. Our work focuses on connecting people and ideas through workshops, seminars and training sessions, so the real innovations can happen in labs, start-ups, and academic institutions across the UK.

UK Microsystems Network

UK Microsystems Network, launched in March 2025, is a nationwide initiative to unite researchers, industry partners, and policymakers who share an interest in designing and developing microsystems. The initiative draws upon expertise in material science, chemistry, physics, and engineering, and addresses cutting-edge topics in microfluidics, microrobotics, microfabrication, and more.

The network aims to foster innovation and collaboration across academia and the private sector. By serving as a focal point for stakeholders’ engagement and collaboration, it will support fundamental advances in microsystems. It will ensure that microsystems continue to underpin progress in key technological areas such as healthcare, semiconductors, telecommunications, and quantum devices.

eFutures

The eFutures Network+ exists to spark, support, and nurture multidisciplinary innovation in UK electronic systems research and development.

We aim to enrich the sector and progress sustainable high-quality technologies that will benefit peoples’ lives.

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.

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 3 September 2026 at 3:00pm to 4:30pm UK time. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Register for the webinar.

Additional conditions

The NetworkPlus funding will be subject to the following additional conditions, in addition to our standard terms. The successful award will have further additional conditions with regard to engagement with the oversight and governance groups throughout the term of the award (in both the project and network phases) and stipulating the production of the series of internal reports, by the end of the initial project phase.

Network Plus additional grant conditions

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 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (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.

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. 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.

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.

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 FES will be returned. Standard grant conditions apply to all other funds awarded on this grant.

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(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 EPSRC funded research.

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.

Supporting documents

Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 202KB)

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• EPSRC policies and standards

Get help with your application

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

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.

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 ICT.theme@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.orgPhone: 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 How applicants use the Funding Service.