Future computing paradigms Network Plus

項目	內容
Opportunity status	Open
Funders	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Funding type	Grant
Total fund	£2,800,000
Maximum award	£2,800,000
Publication date	27 July 2026
Opening date	3 August 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date	13 October 2026 4:00pm UK time

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Opportunity to build a multidisciplinary Network Plus that will initiate UK collaboration in future computing paradigms and provide evidence-based recommendations for UKRI and government, shaping national research priorities. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2.8 million. EPSRC will fund £2,240,000 (80% FEC). Your project can last up to 60 months, comprising 18 months to map, benchmark and horizon scan, incorporating sociotechnical and socioeconomic analysis followed by a 42-month network phase. You must complete an expression of interest to be eligible to apply.

Who can apply

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.

What we're looking for

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 while 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 activities such 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.