High performance compute resources for EPSRC communities (Grant)

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility, and organisations who are based overseas. Check if your organisation is eligibleUK Research and Innovation (UKRI) individual eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit UKRI’s eligibility page.

Who is eligible to apply

To submit an application to this opportunity, you must contact and meet with the EPSRC Research Infrastructure team to discuss your procurement and ‘Trusted Research & Innovation (TR&I)’ plans.Email researchinfrastructure@epsrc.ukri.org with the subject ‘OPP1335: Applicant conversation to arrange this meeting’.You must contact EPSRC to arrange this meeting by 29 September 2026.

Who is not eligible to apply

Applications from those that have not met with the Research Infrastructure team prior to submission will not be considered.

International researchers

The UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation Agreement does not apply to this funding opportunity. As such grants submitted to this funding opportunity cannot include a Norway-based project co-lead (international).You should include all 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.

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 provision of national high-performance computing in the UK is changing. To support the engineering and physical sciences research communities to take advantage of these changes, EPSRC will provide funding for compute hardware through this opportunity.

This funding opportunity aims to support investments in compute hardware that deliver against (at least) one of two outcomes:

• provides CPU resources to meet an identified need of compute user communities within EPSRC remit

• enables the engineering and physical sciences community to fully exploit GPU architectures to conduct world-leading research

Proposals must clearly identify which of these aims they will deliver against and detail how they will do so in their application.

Scope

This funding opportunity has a budget of:

• £20 million for compute hardware to be spent in financial year 2026 to 2027

• £5 million for resource over four years

EPSRC expects multiple awards to be made. The value per award is not fixed. Applicants should request an appropriate capital and resource budget for the work they propose in line with the intended outcomes of the opportunity.

Intended Outcomes

The outcomes associated with the aims of the opportunity are detailed below. Applicants should detail how they will deliver these outcomes.

For applications that propose to provide a CPU resource which meets the needs of compute user communities within EPSRC remit, you must:

1. Explicitly identify the user community or communities that these resources will serve

2. Explain why current CPU provision does not meet the needs of this community

3. Detail a plan for working with other CPU compute resources, user communities, and UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure investments to support users to adapt to changing CPU provision in the compute landscape

For applications that propose to provide a GPU resource that will enable the engineering and physical sciences community to fully exploit GPU architectures to conduct world-leading research, you must:

1. Explicitly identify the user community or communities that they will serve. For example:a. An established compute user community that has traditionally used large amounts of CPU compute and would benefit from some tailored GPU provision to exploit the capabilities of the National Compute Resources.b. A new compute user community whose science has not previously been suited to national compute facilities and who need a boost in dedicated compute to best utilise the National Compute Resources.

2. Explain why current GPU provision does not meet the needs of this community OR explain why this resource will act as a stepping stone in upskilling this community to take full advantage of national GPU based compute resources

3. Detail a plan to ensure this resource is strategically integrated into the UK compute landscape, including a vision for how the identified user community will mature as users of GPU compute over the lifetime of the resource

Integration with the digital research infrastructure landscape

Applications are welcome for both the purchase of hardware to

• establish a new computing resource

• augment or bolster an existing computing resource

The application should detail how the proposed resource will deliver value for money for the duration of the service, and the approach to environmental sustainability

EPSRC will consider portfolio balancing as part of this funding opportunity. We will ensure that investments made as part of this opportunity:

• are not duplicative of each other

• complement current UK compute provision, including investments made via the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure Programme

Applications should detail how they will work with and complement other compute investments.

Risk management and security

Applicants must contact EPSRC prior to submission to discuss their organisation’s procurement and commercial plans and any associated risks to delivery, in particular to:

• confirm that they are able to deliver this hardware spend by March 2027

• discuss appropriate contingency planning for quote inflation giving market for compute memory

• highlight any trusted research and innovation issues specific to the work they are proposing, and ensure appropriate risk mitigation is considered at application stage

Applications from those that have not contacted EPSRC regarding these issues will not be accepted.

Hosting organisations will be responsible for the security and resilience of the resource. Applications must include cybersecurity and business continuity plans.

Access models

The proposal must detail how users will access and be allocated time on the resource. Resources can be requested to support this, and should be proportional to the:

• compute capacity being requested

• maturity of the identified user community

Applicants must consider trusted research and innovation in their access models, including:

• the likelihood of the work being carried out on the machine being of dual use, and how this will be identified and managed by and with users

• requirements to handle any research on the machine that is covered by the NSI act

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Duration

The duration of this award is a maximum of four years.

Awards made via this opportunity will have a fixed start date of 31 January 2027.

Funding available

The value per award is not fixed.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC) of resource costs and 100% of the FEC of capital costs.

What we will fund

Costs of compute hardware at 100% FEC will be funded. The compute may comprise of new systems or supplementation or augmentation of existing systems. These funds must be spent by 31 March 2027.

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. For details of how to include equipment in your application see Equipment on research grants.

EPSRC is aware of the challenges in pricing contingency for quotes related to compute. The risk management approach to this will be considered part of the pre-application discussion.

The following costs relating to EPSRC compute provision will be funded at 80% over the duration of the grant:

• staff costs to support the running of the compute and user access

• power costs for the running of the resource

• costs associated with data storage

• conference and workshop costs to support the user community

• small items of equipment under £25,000

What we will not fund

We will not fund costs associated with the running of specific projects on the resources.

Where hardware is purchased to augment or bolster an existing resource, any costs associated with the running of hardware not purchased as part of this opportunity will not be funded.

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.

Applicants must contact EPSRC to discuss their approach to TR&I ahead of submitting their application.

Successful applications will be required to completed and TR&I Evaluation Framework with will include:

• mitigations relating to relevant NSI Act areas, including compute hardware and any research that will be carried out at the resource

• Plans for handling research projects on the resource that have potential dual use

• details on how TR&I will be approached in the user access model, and in the broader governance of the resource

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

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

Assessment Panel

We will invite experts to review your application against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity.

There will be an opportunity for the expert panel members to submit points for clarification on your application to you. The application will then be ranked alongside other applications at an assessment panel, after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

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

EPSRC will make the final funding decision.

In addition to the recommendations of the panel, EPSRC will consider the balance of proposals across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s portfolio and relevant government strategic priorities when making the final funding decision.

Feedback

Feedback will not be given as part of this funding opportunity.

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.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• purpose and vision

• approach

• sustainability

• applicant and team capability to deliver

• your organisation’s support

• resources and cost justification

• data management and sharing

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

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

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1335/apply/1363

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 UKRI Funding Service

• how research offices use the UKRI Funding Service

• how reviewers use the UKRI 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 27 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

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% full economic cost (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

• the challenge the project addresses

• 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)

• specialist

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• visiting researcher

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

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.

Pre-application conversation

Word limit: 1

Have you engaged with EPSRC on this application prior to submission.

Please respond either Yes or No.

Applications from those that have not contacted EPSRC prior to submission will be considered ineligible.

Application questions

Purpose and Vision

Word limit: 1,650

What is the compute resource, why is it needed, and why should UKRI support it?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed compute resource:

• meets at least one of the stated aims of the funding opportunity

• will deliver the intended outcomes of the funding opportunity, as detailed in the Scope section

• is timely, given current trends and context

• meet the evidenced needs of clearly identified user groups

• meets national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique, world leading activity or both

• meets community demand and need from a diverse and inclusive user base

• enhances and complements existing research capability and national digital research infrastructure investments

• meets the strategic aims of UKRI or the government

Approach

Word limit: 1,650

What are your plans to manage the proposed compute resource?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

We expect you to show how your approach:

• is feasible, including a work plan and identifying any risks to delivery and citing appropriate mitigation in the form of key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine the delivery of outputs and outcomes

• has a credible management plan, including strategic and operational matters

• provides details of access and usage estimates by the identified community

• provides appropriate technical support which will be available for the requested compute resource

• provides training and development of technical staff

• describes how the research environment (in terms of the place, its location, complementary expertise, facilities and relevance to the proposal) will contribute to the successful utilisation of the compute resource

• delivers compute provision that represents value for money

• complements other investments in the digital research infrastructure landscape, and includes appropriate information on how you will work with these investments

Please also provide a plan for prioritising access to and maximising usage of the compute resource. This should include any application and assessment processes and an estimate for the balance of users from the host institution, academics from external institutions and industrial users.

This plan should consider TR&I appropriately, detailing how user access will be securely managed, and how issues relating to the NSI Act and potential dual use will be handled with users.

References may be included within this section.

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

Sustainability

Word limit: 1,650

What steps have you taken to ensure the sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of your proposed compute resource?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

For the sustainability, explain how the proposed compute resource will:

• be as economically, environmentally and socially sustainable as possible

• deliver large scale societal, environmental and economic benefits

• have its lifetime maximised, including stating what the expected lifetime is and, where relevant, how the asset will be sustainably decommissioned

• support long term operational and maintenance costs, including staffing

• complement UKRI or host organisation carbon targets

• if relevant, be integrated into an existing UKRI service, facility, equipment pool, or similar

• contribute to a broader approach to environmental sustainability

• consider equality, diversity and inclusion, including equitable access, in the design and planned use of the compute resource to maximise benefit to the UK engineering and physical sciences community

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to procure and manage the proposed compute resource?

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)

• the right balance of skills and expertise

• the appropriate leadership and management skills and your approach to develop others

• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

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

The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (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. You should 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 following 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.

References may be included within this section.

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

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 1,100

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support the applicant team, and your proposed activities.

Your organisation’s statement of support should include:

• how its contributions are in line with the scale of the proposed compute resource, including evidencing the strategic importance of this infrastructure to the institution

• why your host institution is the most appropriate place for the proposed compute resource

• how your host institution will use its existing inventory to best complement the proposed compute resource

• how your host institution will support the team to meet the proposal objectives

• the plans to support sustainability and management of the proposed compute resource

Applicants are encouraged to discuss this section with both the research offices and senior management team prior to submitting applications.

Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all

• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

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 2 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.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,500

What will you need to procure to deliver the proposed compute resource and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more substantial costs, in particular:

• project staff

• 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 hardware resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• details of the equipment requested

• details of the service or maintenance service requested (if applicable)

• details of any cash contributions to the equipment from other sources reasons for choosing a quoted equipment (versus other quotes)

• reasons for requesting a particular specification of equipment or a particular manufacturer

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: 550

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.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will 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, 42KB) 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 will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

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

If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)

• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:

• animals

• human participants

• genetically modified organisms

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

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 UKRI and DSIT UK Compute Roadmap was published in July 2025 detailing plans to evolve the UK high-performance computing (HPC) landscape.

As part of this evolution, there has been significant investment in and commitment to cross UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) compute facilities, including the National Compute Resources and Next National Supercomputing Service. In particular there has been a shift in the ratio of CPU to GPU compute nationally available to users.

As a Research Council that has historically provided substantial levels of high-performance computing facilities and has a highly active user community, EPSRC has worked with stakeholders to identify if the current and planned provision is sufficient to meet the computational needs of the EPSRC community.

We have identified that there is:

• an opportunity for more support for EPSRC communities and users to effectively make and benefit from the transition from CPU to GPU architectures and benefit from the capabilities provided by new architectures

• likely to be a shortfall in CPU capacity for EPSRC communities in the medium term

The investments made through this funding opportunity will be one off investments that are intended to support the EPSRC community for a period as the UK transitions to a cohesive UKRI compute landscape.

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.

Supporting documents

Equality Impact Assessment (DOCX, 53KB)

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 15 September 2026 This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Register for the webinar

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.

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• EPSRC policies and standards

• Digital Research Infrastructure Programme

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 ResearchInfrastructure@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.