Japan-UK Joint call for collaborations in Advanced Connectivity Technologies (Grant)

Apply for funding to form world-leading partnerships with collaborators in Japan for your research into Advanced Connectivity Technologies. UK applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. Japanese applicants must be eligible for NICT funding.

• Opening date: 10 July 2026, 9:00am
• Closing date: 6 October 2026, 4:00pm

---

Get updates about this grant

Sign up for updates

Start new application

Contents

• Summary
• Eligibility
• Objectives
• Dates
• How to apply
• Supporting information

Summary

Apply for funding to form world‑leading partnerships with collaborators in Japan in the field of Advanced Connectivity Technologies. Your application must involve researchers from both Japan and UK. UK applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. Japanese applicants must be eligible for NICT funding. You may request up to £897,000 (80% full economic cost (FEC)) for the UK component from EPSRC and up to ¥200 million for Japan components from NICT. The duration of the award can be up to a maximum of three years. If you intend to submit a joint UK-Japan proposal to this funding opportunity, it is strongly encouraged to submit an Expression of interest.

Eligibility

For support under this funding opportunity, applicants and organisations must be eligible to apply for funding from their respective country’s funding agency. To be eligible for funding from this opportunity, you must have a project partner from Japan. For UK applicants, this opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) eligibility

EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply to this funding opportunity, applicants in the UK must meet the EPSRC eligibility requirements. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page.

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) eligibility

Applicants in Japan must meet the NICT eligibility requirements (PDF, 3.2MB). For further details, please refer to the forthcoming press release on the launch of the Call for applications; Fund Project for Beyond 5G/6G (PDF, 3.2MB). The application should be submitted by one or more research institutions seeking to undertake the commissioned work. For applications submitted by universities or other academic institutions, submission in the form of an industry-academia consortium is recommended. To apply researchers and research institutions must register via the Cross-Ministerial Research and Development Management System (e-Rad) prior to application. Please follow NICT application guidelines in addition to this funding opportunity template before applying. To use e-Rad, the research institution must complete its registration in advance. At the time of application, the representative applicant must be affiliated with a registered institution, while co-applicants are not necessarily required to do so. Please note that the institution’s registration process in e-Rad may take several days. We therefore recommend allowing at least two weeks to complete all submission procedures. Should an application be declined for funding, you should refer to each participating agency’s individual resubmission policies.

Who is not eligible to apply

• project team members who are not eligible for EPSRC and NICT funding

Please note:

• applicants may act as the project lead in only one application, but may participate in additional applications in other roles (for example, co-lead)
• only for UK applicants: project partners (industry) can be part of the application and can provide in-kind or costed support but cannot receive funding from this funding opportunity

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 international co-project lead.

Resubmissions

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UK Research and Innovation (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.

Objectives

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 partnership programme aims to support internationally competitive collaborative research projects between Japan and UK in the field of Advanced Connectivity Technologies.This UK-Japan joint collaboration in Advanced Connectivity Technologies is a key investment through partnership between UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UKRI EPSRC) and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), with direct support from the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to achieve the ambitions outlined in both the UK Government and Japan Government strategy.

UKRI EPSRC

Advanced Connectivity Technologies is one of the frontier technologies set out in the UK government’s Digital Technologies and Sector Plan, which outlines the following interventions in terms of securing international partnerships:

• building new international partnerships in digital and technologies
• investing in critical supply chains
• supporting UK regulators, expert bodies and our overseas trade teams We recognise that research is a global endeavour; working with international partners to address shared priorities and collaborating on global challenges, ensures that we remain a world leader in engineering and physical sciences. We aim to support applications within our remit that will advance research and innovation in advanced connectivity technologies.

NICT

The Innovative ICT Fund Project for Beyond 5G/6G, under which this activity is implemented, includes the Elemental Technology and Seeds Creation Program (including international collaborative research projects). This programme mainly supports research and development aimed at establishing foundational technologies and generating new technological seeds from a medium- to long-term perspective.The programme focuses on early-stage research corresponding to Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) one to three at the start of the project and recognises that a certain period is required before social implementation can be achieved.Through this initiative, NICT seeks to promote internationally collaborative research that strengthens scientific and technological capabilities and contributes to the future development of advanced ICT, including Beyond 5G/6G technologies.

Funding opportunity theme

Research related to Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital networks, non-terrestrial networks and advanced optical and photonics which will contribute towards a drive in economic growth, improves lives and strengthens resilience in an increasingly connected world.

Scope

Applications related to one or more of the following scope areas are encouraged and submissions should be limited to these areas.

Scope area one: the integration of AI in digital networks

This area is centred around developing AI driven communication networks built on robust, trustworthy and traceable AI architecture and orchestration frameworks that support distributed and federated AI.It involves designing data-centric, AI-native networks capable of managing and optimising themselves automatically, underpinned by reliable measurement methodologies that keep datasets continuously up to date, which is an essential requirement for effective machine learning based optimisation.Progress in this area relies on advanced edge technologies that enable real time operation, supported by collaboration across network operators. Long term success further relies on open standards, sustainability, security, AI interoperability, and trustworthy governance. This is alongside cross-cutting enablers such as inclusive user participation, assurance, privacy, regulation, and energy efficient, physics informed, interpretable AI to ensure resilient and future proof networks.

Scope area two: non-terrestrial networks

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) such as satellites, drones and high-altitude platforms, depend on advanced hardware, quantum technologies, AI, experimental testbeds, and strong security to deliver reliable communication, and several foundational challenges underpin this.These include developing new, reliable communication methods (for example, new waveforms, hybrid optical/RF links, AI-driven optical tracking) that can operate under rapidly changing channel conditions creating smaller, low-power, high-performance hardware and antenna systems for fast-moving NTN platforms. This also contributes to the advancement of next generation satellite and quantum communication systems for sensing and connectivity that can function globally without causing interference, supported by appropriate spectrum management.Another key challenge is ensuring interoperability across space, air, and ground networks through shared standards and securing the supply chains on which these systems depend on.AI and machine learning must support real-time optimisation, digital twin based prediction, and performance management while keeping virtual and physical systems synchronised in dynamic environments. AI is also needed to enhance complex, multivendor Open RAN and NTN architectures for greater automation and efficiency.Additional challenges include developing scalable Internet of Things (IoT) platforms that operate across oceans, satellites, and embedded systems creating shared testbeds and global field trials to validate emerging AI-enabled NTN and IoT solutions and strengthening resilience and security across land, undersea and satellite networks in the face of evolving threats, legacy weaknesses and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Scope area three: advanced optics/photonics

This area is centred around developing the next generation optical and wireless networks, addressing challenges from designing scalable, resilient and energy efficient optical infrastructures, supported by physics informed AI, to advancing ultrawideband fibre technologies, supported by energy efficient digital signal processing.It also includes integration of optical and wireless systems for global-scale sensing and enabling end-to-end photonic networks through utilisation of emerging All Photonics Network (APN) concepts.Another key element is the development of quantum enabled communication links to provide secure, reliable operation and seamless integration with classical optical networks. This priority further emphasises the importance of building sustainable, interoperable systems, including APN-based architecture, with shared standards across data centres, mobile networks and operators, aligned by international frameworks.Finally, there is the need for highly resilient networks capable of withstanding new technologies, cyber-physical threats, variable traffic patterns, and integration with space-based systems, while balancing cost, energy efficiency and global standardisation to ensure long-term, futureproof connectivity.

Expected outcomes

In this joint funding opportunity, researchers from Japan and the UK are asked to leverage each other’s strengths and address their weaknesses by collaborating internationally. The goal is to accelerate progress in advanced connectivity technologies and deliver new technologies that will drive the field forward.This funding opportunity specifically aims to encourage the development of collaborative research partnerships that help build research ecosystems for the benefit of the next generation of researchers working in the area of Advanced Connectivity Technologies. These connections will strengthen the existing landscapes within each country and will form the foundation for research in Advanced Connectivity Technologies that drives economic growth, improves lives and strengthens resilience in an increasingly connected world.For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the ‘Additional information’ section.

Duration

All grants must start on 1 April 2027 and finish by 31 March 2030 (unless agreed by EPSRC or NICT).The duration of this award can be up to three years.

Funding available

EPSRC has a total of £3.37 million (100% FEC) for this activity and the NICT has a total of ¥600 million for this activity. Funding will be available for approximately three research projects.Applications must comply with country-specific requirements which are that:

• UK applicants may request up to £897,000 (80% of the FEC) per application from EPSRC
• Japan applicants may request up to ¥200 million per application from NICT We aim to fund approximately three collaborations through this activity for projects of three years’ duration. Applications may consist of a single research project, or a suite of related research activities in a defined research area.

What we will fund (UK applicants only)

You can request funding for costs such as:

• a contribution to the salary of the project lead and co-leads
• support for other posts such as research, project management and technical
• research consumables
• travel and subsistence costs
• data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
• estates and indirect costs See more information on costs you can apply for.

High level objectives

Through this funding opportunity, EPSRC and NICT expect a substantive proportion of funding for the UK element of research projects to be allocated to activities that further objectives; these are to:

• jointly advance impactful research and innovation in Advanced Connectivity Technologies / Beyond 5G/6G technologies that will be to the benefit of both nations’ ecosystems. This will deliver on our mutual objectives of advancing digital inclusion, ensuring future networks are secure and resilient, and capitalising on the opportunities brought by AI
• generate economic benefits for both countries, for example by means of facilitating academic-industry engagement and supporting the commercialisation and deployment of new technologies
• further develop collaborative research partnerships that help build research ecosystems for the benefit of the next generation of researchers working in the area of Advanced Connectivity Technologies.

What we will not fund (UK applicants only)

Equipment with value equal to or greater than £25,000 per item (including VAT) is not available through this funding opportunity.Individual items of equipment with value below £10,000 (including VAT) may be included 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.PhD studentships may not be included in the costs sought from EPSRC.

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.

Dates

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process. Project applications received by NICT and EPSRC will be reviewed by the two agencies to confirm that your application:

• aligns with at least one of the defined scope areas and contributes to the high-level objectives of this funding opportunity. Applications must also demonstrate clear relevance to the remits of both EPSRC and NICT.
• successfully meets the eligibility requirements for both agencies, including no significant duplication with ongoing projects or concurrent submissions and
• includes Japanese project partner(s) eligible for NICT funding Subject to successful eligibility and scope checks, applications will be subject to an assessment process led by EPSRC in partnership with NICT. EPSRC will coordinate and manage the review of applications in consultation with NICT.

Expert review

We will invite experts to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. You will not be able to nominate reviewers for applications on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. Research councils will continue to select expert reviewers. We are monitoring the requirement for applicant-nominated reviewers as we review policies and processes as part of the continued development of the new Funding Service.

Panel

Following expert review, we will invite experts to collectively review your application against the criteria and rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation. We reserve the right to group applications by topic and rank on separate lists or at different panel meetings. Panels will assess the proposals against a set of assessment criteria. For applications where overseas partners’ participation in the project is dependent on a separate funding application and assessment process, EPSRC funding will be suspended until the partners’ funding is confirmed. This decision point should be no later than three months after the planned start date of the EPSRC grant. For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit How we make decisions. EPSRC and NICT will make the final funding decision.

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

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with NICT so that they can participate in the assessment process. See more information on how NICT uses personal information. We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Vision and Approach
• Research partnership
• Applicant and team capability to deliver
• Resources and cost justification
• Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

How to apply

Click https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1257/apply/1287 in the UKRI Funding Service to apply. If you intend to submit a joint UK-Japan proposal to this funding opportunity, you are strongly encouraged to submit an Expression of interest. Following this, the Japan and the UK team will need to develop a joint application and submit their applications by parallel submission by following sequence of steps. The project lead in UK is responsible for submitting the joint application via the UKRI Funding Service. The principal investigator from Japan must be listed as the project partner on the Funding Service. Step 1: The Japan-based principal investigator (project partner) completes the e-Rad application first, but it is not to be submitted at this stage. They are to send this to the UK project lead. Step 2: The UK project leads should complete their application on the Funding Service, attach the e-Rad application and submit on the UKRI Funding Service. After submission, they should download the completed joint proposal and share a copy in PDF format securely with the Japan-based principal investigator (project partner) of the counterpart team in Japan. Step 3: The Japan-based principal investigator should then complete the e-Rad application submission by attaching a copy of the Funding Service application and complete any additional information requested by National Institute Of Information And Communications Technology (NICT). Japan based principal investigator (project partners) read more information.

UKRI Funding Service (UK applicants only)

We are running this funding opportunity on the new 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 on 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.

NICT Funding Service (Japan based project partners only)

For Japan-based applicants, the following contents will be requested by NICT as part of the application form: The principal investigator is responsible for the overall application and must propose the most appropriate res