EPSRC network

Network grants are for researchers at UK higher education institutions, research council institutes, UKRI-approved independent research organisations and NHS bodies.

We will support costs of building interdisciplinary research communities including investigator salaries, travel and subsistence, workshops, and administrative support.

We will award 80% of the full economic costs of the project, and your organisation must agree to find the balance.

We aim to develop new interdisciplinary research communities and topics by supporting interaction between researchers and relevant science, technology and industrial groups.

We aim to:

• transfer experimental techniques, models and scientific insights
• promote mobility between academe, universities and industry.

We expect networks to lead to new collaborative multidisciplinary research proposals in areas we support. Some may develop into virtual centres of excellence.

They should:

• be a new collaboration
• aim to form a new interdisciplinary research community and identify new interdisciplinary research topics
• involve a group with a range of expertise and experience
• be based in the UK but may include collaboration with overseas partners
• demonstrate the added value EPSRC funding would bring.

We will prioritise interdisciplinary proposals and those that involve industrial or other users in any field of research relevant to our remit. We particularly encourage involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises.

We support excellent research in:

• ital economy
• energy
• engineering
• global uncertainties
• healthcare technologies
• information and communication technologies
• living with environmental change
• manufacturing the future
• mathematical sciences
• physical sciences
• quantum technologies
• research infrastructure.

Find out more about our research areas and themes.

We will fund any size of project lasting up to three years. Network grants do not fund research. Activities supported include:

• salaries of an investigator and one co-investigator for time spent on setting up and managing the network
• travel and subsistence, including for members to meet to exchange ideas and expertise and to visit each other’s laboratories. Industrial collaborators should meet their own costs where possible
• workshops
• administrative support to help coordinate the network
• communication costs and for additional equipment such as personal computers and web servers.

We will fund 80% of the full economic costs of your project. We encourage contributions from industrial members, which should be included in your proposal.

Find out more in our guide on network management.

Network grants are for researchers at UK higher education institutions, research council institutes, UKRI-approved independent research organisations, Public Sector Research Establishments and NHS bodies with research capacity.

Find out more about institutional eligibility.

You can apply if you are resident in the UK and meet at least one of these criteria:

• are employed at the submitting research organisation at lecturer level or equivalent
• hold a fixed-term contract that extends beyond the duration of the proposed research project, and the host research organisation is prepared to give you all the support normal for a permanent employee
• hold an EPSRC, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship aimed at later career stages
• hold fellowships under other schemes (please contact EPSRC to check eligibility, which is considered on a case-by-case basis).

Holders of postdoctoral level fellowships are not eligible to apply for an EPSRC grant.

Clinical applicants must be employed or be on a fixed-term contract longer than the proposed project at an NHS trust, hospital, board, primary care trust or general practice.

Find out more about individual eligibility.

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder.

This funding opportunity is also subject to our policy on repeatedly unsuccessful submissions.