Transformative sustainable AI technologies

Opportunity status: Open Funders: UK Research and Innovation Funding type: Grant Total fund: £12,050,000 Maximum award: £602,500 Publication date: 21 August 2026 Opening date: 24 August 2026 9:00am UK time Closing date: 10 November 2026 4:00pm UK time

Start application

Apply for funding for projects focused on speculative and high-risk research with the potential to deliver high rewards and a step change in the sustainability of future AI systems. Projects should consider technological innovations across the AI stack.

You must be:

• based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding
• in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £602,500. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Projects must start on 1 February 2027 and last for up to 24 months.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible. UKRI individual eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit UKRI’s eligibility page.

Who is eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals. For this funding opportunity we welcome applications led by research technical professionals (RTPs), including research software engineers, involved in the delivery of digital research infrastructure who meet the eligibility criteria. Digital RTPs may apply as either project lead or project co-lead.

The inclusion of researcher co-leads is encouraged where they have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the development of the application and will be engaged with the ensuing research.

Given the short-term nature of the grant and fixed start date, the project lead (PL) may choose to contribute a greater proportion of their time to the project than is standard. This should be justified and proportional to the activities set out in the proposal.

You may be involved in no more than two applications submitted to this funding opportunity. Only one of these can be as project lead.

International researchers

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 or the UKRI‑IIASA 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

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, 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

This funding opportunity is delivered under the flagship UKRI IS8 AI Programme. Funding for this opportunity is subject to full business case approval. It is hoped to be the first in a broader programme of activities designed to ensure the UK is at the forefront of ensuring future AI systems are sustainable by design. The opportunity utilises the same approach as the parallel Next Generation AI pilot focusing support on speculative and high‑risk research with the potential to deliver high reward.

Artificial intelligence is transforming research, industry and public services at an unprecedented pace. Yet the rapid growth in the computational requirements of AI is increasing energy demand, resource consumption and environmental impacts. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable AI systems that minimise these costs while maintaining performance and societal benefit.

Inherently more sustainable hardware, algorithms, software and system design, could all be examples of routes to improved efficiency. Such advances in sustainable AI could strengthen national resilience, reduce costs and unlock new economic opportunities for the UK.

We are investing up to £10 million over two years into speculative and high‑risk research projects with the potential to deliver a step change in the sustainability of future AI systems. We will fund research that fundamentally improves the efficiency, robustness, reliability and long‑term maintainability of AI systems, ensuring future AI is sustainable by design with reduced environmental impacts.

This opportunity aims to:

• support potentially transformative, highly novel technologies and tools with the potential to deliver a step change in the sustainability of future AI systems
• develop the foundations of sustainable technologies for the future societal, economic and technological benefits, including new market opportunities for the UK
• strengthen the UK’s capability to design and deploy bold, ambitious sustainable AI technologies, ensuring AI contributes positively to both economic growth and environmental sustainability
• enable small‑scale, rapid projects that generate foundational insights which can be built on in the future
• deliver a faster process compared to current standard funding routes, whilst maintaining robust decision making that is proportionate to the level of risk

Projects should:

• aim to disrupt existing areas of sustainable AI research or create new ones
• deliver research with the potential to lead to radically new and disruptive technologies and a step change in the sustainability of future AI systems
• adopt a risk tolerant approach utilising ways of working that encourage and enable transformative outcomes rather than incremental advances
• support an ambitious and capable project team with appropriate breadth and depth of expertise required to achieve the research objectives

Projects are not expected to:

• produce tangible outcomes (for example, new AI models or spinouts) within two years
• succeed in all their research goals, especially the most risky and ambitious
• avoid failure. Approaches that do not work as intended can still generate important learning and valuable knowledge for the wider research community

We encourage you to be as adventurous as possible in your thinking. We will support creative and potentially unconventional ways of working. We encourage the makeup of applicant teams to represent team science as this will lead to a diversity of research excellence, creativity and approaches from across the landscape to enable more transformative outcomes.

This opportunity is intended to stimulate creativity within the research community and give researchers time and space to test out speculative ideas. Applicants are advised to strongly consider whether their research idea is truly speculative, high‑risk and could potentially offer high reward before applying.

Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches are welcome. However, we aim to support research that will have a demonstrable impact on AI technology and build the UK’s capacity to design and deploy sustainable AI technologies. We will not fund applications that consist of majority non‑technical research such as purely social science, environmental, legal, policy or ethical studies.

We will not support incremental work lacking ambition to push the boundaries of sustainable AI, nor the continuation of existing projects. Projects should not focus on benchmarking against existing tools and techniques or seek to replicate what exists within industry. We expect applicants to explain why their proposed research cannot be supported via other funding routes, for example, applicant‑led responsive mode.

Scope

Sustainable AI is the design, development, deployment and governance of AI systems in ways that maximise long‑term economic and societal value while minimising environmental harm, ensuring ethical and inclusive outcomes, and aligning with national strategic priorities such as productivity growth, net zero commitments and responsible innovation. In short, sustainable AI is the practice of developing and using AI to achieve positive environmental, social and governance outcomes while mitigating harm.

Sustainable AI goes beyond improving energy efficiency of systems or minimising the consumption of natural or critical resources, instead it addresses a variety of factors including:

• environmental impact: minimising carbon footprints, water usage and critical material consumption of AI systems and data centres
• social and ethical impact: ensuring AI systems are developed and deployed responsibly and do not negatively impact quality of life or affected communities
• economic impact: fostering sustainable economic models for societies, rather than exploiting labour or resources in the production and development of systems

This funding opportunity will focus exclusively on the development of novel AI technologies, computational approaches, methods, tools, architectures and techniques that could significantly improve the sustainability of future AI systems.

While sustainability challenges may span each of the stated impacts, applications must be technology‑led and demonstrate a clear pathway to advancing the underlying AI value chain.

Applicants are encouraged to pursue ambitious, high‑risk, high‑reward research that challenges current approaches and has potential to establish new paradigms of sustainable AI.

Projects should be driven by novelty aiming to create the next generation of technology, tools or techniques that are sustainable by design. Examples of topics may include, but are not limited to:

• creation of novel, energy efficient algorithms, architecture, systems or software
• creation of smaller task specific models that benefit the performance of AI systems
• AI systems optimised for resource‑constrained environments
• novel hardware and software co‑design
• utilising emerging technologies or approaches to develop efficient processors
• hardware that is repairable, easier to disassemble for critical materials recovery or to update the system

The primary focus of the projects should be the development and demonstration of the proposed technology, rather than solely assessing or benchmarking its sustainability performance.

Team expectations

We expect teams to reflect the required skills and expertise to achieve the proposed plan. Successful applicants are expected to actively engage with planned kick‑off events, workshops and networking activities that will build a cohort of Sustainable AI experts from this opportunity and other investments.

In line with our equality, diversity and inclusion principles, joint leadership of projects will be allowed, but applicants must agree an administrative project lead (PL) responsible for submitting the grant application. Any proposed job‑sharing arrangements should be detailed and justified as part of the ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’ section of the application and will form part of the assessment criteria.

Teams must indicate at least two members who will participate in the distributed peer review process, this should include the PL. As such, applicants can only be involved in two projects, which will help to reduce reviewer load, minimise conflicts and to ensure truly speculative ideas are submitted. See ‘How we will assess your application’ for further information.

UKRI and Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) published Engineering Responsible AI: foundations for environmentally sustainable AI in February 2025. The report proposes five foundational steps to enable the development of environmentally sustainable AI systems and establish the UK as a global leader in AI sustainability.

UKRI will continue to work with the RAEng, as we develop the sustainable AI portfolio to address the priorities set out in the AI Research and Innovation Strategic Framework. We will also provide recipients of UKRI sustainable AI investments with structured opportunities for knowledge exchange and network building. The RAEng must not be approached to be a project partner or for a letter of support as you develop your application.

This funding opportunity focuses on the following components of the AI value chain as described in the RAEng report:

• AI compute
• IT infrastructure
• algorithms and data

Applicants are expected to consider the evidence and recommendations provided in the report as they develop their applications and drive the next generation of sustainable AI technologies, tools and techniques.

Stakeholder collaboration

The driver of this funding opportunity is to create the next generation of sustainable AI developments that are novel and disruptive to approaches within research and industry. To deliver this, applicants should develop applications that are ambitious, speculative and do not replicate or iterate what exists currently in the AI or computer science landscape.

UKRI supports a range of investments that have relevance to this opportunity, which applicants can use to assess the opportunities within the existing landscape or to build collaborations where relevant to the goals of the proposed project. These investments cover the breadth of sustainability research and is not exhaustive:

• Access network
• EPSRC AI research hubs
• Digital Good Network
• eFutures Network+
• Enabling a responsible AI ecosystem (BRAID UK)
• Innovate UK BridgeAI programme
• Network for sustainable Digital Research Infrastructure Vision and Expertise (NetDRIVE)
• NeuMat network
• NeuroWare, the Innovation and Knowledge Centre Responsible AI UK
• Software Sustainability Institute
• The Alan Turing Institute
• UK AI research labs
• UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing

Duration

The maximum duration of this award is 24 months. Projects must start on 1 February 2027.

Funding available

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £602,500. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. Due to the nature of this funding, no‑cost extensions arising due to non‑people related reasons will not be allowed.

This is a maximum amount not a target. UKRI welcomes smaller applications as well as larger ones. All costs must be fully justified and proportionate to the ambition of the project.

What we will fund

We will fund the following:

• contribution to the salary of the project lead and co‑leads
• research, technical and project management staff
• research consumables including compute costs
• travel and subsistence, including that related to cohort management activities such as the annual workshop and networking
• data preservation, data sharing and dissemination
• estates and indirect costs

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• PhD studentship costs
• equipment with a value over £25,000 per item (including VAT). Smaller items of equipment (individually under £25,000) should be in the ‘Directly incurred – other costs’ heading

See more information about EPSRC’s approach to equipment funding.

EPSRC standard guidance on intellectual property applies to projects supported by this funding opportunity.

Successful projects from this opportunity which show promise can seek further funding afterwards through the current routes, for example, standard mode proposals or fellowships.

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.

How to apply

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.

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.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (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

UKRI must receive your application by 10 November 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 ai.robotics@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
• 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)
• project co‑lead (international) (PcL (I))
• specialist
• professional enabling staff
• research and innovation associate
• technician
• visiting researcher
• researcher co‑lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as PL. Joint leads may be named under ‘Applicant team and capability to deliver’.

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. The document should not be more than three 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:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• is timely given current trends, context and needs
• impacts world‑leading research, society, the economy or the environment

As this is a high‑risk, high‑reward opportunity, we will not be penalising risky ideas that can build a pipeline for impact.

Within this section we also expect you to:

• describe how the proposed work will accelerate the development of sustainable AI

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
• if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
• if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology