Funding opportunity: UKRI Enabling AI adoption across science and engineering

Opportunity details

欄位	值
Opportunity status	Upcoming
Funders	UK Research and Innovation
Funding type	Grant
Total fund	£5,000,000
Maximum award	£250,000
Publication date	17 September 2026
Opening date	29 September 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date	1 December 2026 4:00pm UK time

Apply for funding for ambitious and exploratory projects bringing together AI and domain expertise. Projects will have the potential to unlock new opportunities for applying artificial intelligence (AI) to important research challenges in priority science and engineering disciplines.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Projects must be no more than one year in duration with a fixed start date of 26 April 2027.

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.

International researchers

As Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can only apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’ as part of an applications 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 as part of the UKRI IS8 AI Programme. Funding for this opportunity is subject to Full Business Case approval.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a powerful research tool with the potential to transform how science and engineering are conducted. AI technologies can help researchers analyse complex datasets, generate new hypotheses, design experiments, accelerate modelling and simulation, and uncover insights that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve through conventional approaches.

The UK has world-leading strengths across both AI and science disciplines. However, many research communities are still at an early stage in understanding how AI capabilities could be applied within their disciplines, where the greatest opportunities for transformation lie, and what new AI tools, methods, data resources or collaborations may be needed to address domain-specific challenges.

There is therefore a need to support exploratory activities that bring together AI expertise and domain knowledge to identify opportunities, understand barriers to adoption and build evidence for future AI-enabled research.

This funding opportunity aims to:

• drive the development and wider adoption of AI capabilities across research fields, helping to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation across the UK research and innovation system
• strengthen collaboration between AI specialists and domain researchers, enabling the development of new interdisciplinary approaches and research directions
• speed up the embedding of AI as a research tool in a fair and inclusive way, complementing UKRI’s wider investments and activities in this area
• develop researchers’ understanding and practical capability to use AI tools and methods effectively within their disciplines, supporting responsible and informed adoption across the research system
• ensure sustainability and legacy by establishing the skills, collaborations, networks and resources needed for continued AI adoption beyond the lifetime of the awards, enabling long-term impact across the UKRI portfolio

Scope

Through this investment, we seek to stimulate new collaborations and research opportunities that explore how AI can be effectively and responsibly embedded within science and engineering research. The funding opportunity is intended to support ambitious, exploratory activity that tests the potential of AI to transform research practices, accelerate discovery and unlock new scientific capabilities, rather than support incremental advances.

We welcome projects that seek to understand, demonstrate or evaluate how AI could be applied to address important research challenges. This may involve adopting existing AI capabilities in novel ways, applying them to previously unaddressed research challenges or identifying requirements for future AI tools, methods and approaches.

We encourage projects with the potential for significant impact, recognising that some of the most transformative opportunities may involve substantial uncertainty and risk.

A clearly defined, application-focused research challenge must be central to every application. Applications should explain:

• the challenge, opportunity or research question to be addressed
• why collaboration with AI expertise is necessary
• the AI approaches that will be explored
• how these approaches could advance the state of the art within the application domain

As levels of AI maturity vary significantly across disciplines, applications will be assessed on both the significance of the underlying research challenge and the potential for AI-enabled innovation and impact.

Assessment will consider the appropriateness of the proposed AI approach in the context of the research domain, rather than focusing solely on the novelty of the AI methods being applied.

Applications are expected to bring together an AI expert and an expert from a non-AI discipline. The non-AI expert must identify a clearly articulated research challenge or opportunity for which AI could provide a novel capability, solution or significant advancement.

Projects should address a specific challenge, opportunity or research question within a priority research domain and demonstrate how collaboration with AI expertise could unlock new capabilities, accelerate progress or enable novel approaches. Given the exploratory nature of this funding opportunity, we recognise that the outputs and outcomes of funded projects may vary. Instead, projects should generate the evidence, capability, partnerships or strategic direction needed to unlock future AI-enabled research and innovation.

Depending on the nature and maturity of the challenge being addressed, outcomes may include but are not limited to:

• demonstration of the feasibility and potential value of applying AI to a domain-specific research challenge
• development of prototype tools, workflows, methods or proof-of-concept approaches
• identification of existing and future data, infrastructure, benchmarking or capability requirements needed to enable progress
• development of new interdisciplinary capability through collaboration between AI specialists and domain researchers
• creation of research roadmaps, strategic priorities or coordinated programmes of activity that establish a clear pathway towards longer-term AI-enabled transformation within a priority research area

Projects that focus primarily on advancing AI methods, models or algorithms, without a clear link to accelerating progress within a research domain, are out of scope.

Research areas

Applications must address domain-specific research challenges within one of the following priority areas:

• engineering biology
• advanced materials
• quantum technologies
• medical research
• fusion energy

Within the engineering biology priority area, we would particularly encourage applications in AI-enabled biotechnologies relevant to sustainable food systems, clean growth, health and environmental solutions, examples are:

• identifying novel biological components, pathways and functional traits
• modelling cellular and metabolic systems
• predictive genome design and engineering
• automation and high-throughput phenotyping
• biosecurity and biological risk management

All the priority areas have been identified as offering significant opportunities for AI to accelerate research and innovation, and for deeper integration of AI capabilities to drive scientific and technological progress.

Team expectations

We expect teams to reflect the required skills and expertise to achieve the proposed plan.

In line with our equality, diversity and inclusion principles, joint leadership of projects will be allowed, but you must agree an administrative project lead 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 project lead. As such, applicants can only be involved in two projects, which will help to reduce reviewer load, minimise conflicts and to ensure truly ambitious ideas are submitted.

Team members identified to participate in the distributed peer review process should include representatives who are AI experts and those who are domain experts.

Duration

The duration of this award is up to 12 months.

Projects must start by 26 April 2027.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £250,000.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

What we will fund

We will fund:

• 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

Grant conditions

Additional grant conditions for these investments will be communicated once awards begin.

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 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 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 1 December 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.

Personal data

Processing personal data

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 needs to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email TFSchangeEPSRC@epsrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Institutional matched funding

There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.

This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

Publication of outcomes

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

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers
• policymakers
• the public
• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context
• 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
• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead. 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 four 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

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, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

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

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

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help 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. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this 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.

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 contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or 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 indirect) 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 partners 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
• the page limit is 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.

Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.

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 agree