Strategic equipment

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

Equipment could include cutting-edge technology that allows new research or increases the capacity and ability to carry out existing research.

We will support items of equipment worth £400,000 or more that improves UK scientific capability. The scheme is not intended for items of core underpinning equipment.

You can request up to 100% of the full economic cost of capital equipment. However, contributions from the host organisation are welcome. We will fund any non-capital costs at 80% of full economic cost, and the host organisation will need to fund the balance.

Applications can be submitted at any time, but there are rolling deadlines throughout the year.

We are seeking to fund strategic equipment worth £400,000 or more that improves UK scientific capability and supports cutting-edge research across our remit.

It could be a single item or a series of items that combine to form a single asset. This could include, but is not limited to:

• cutting-edge technology that enables new research
• high-specification equipment that improves existing research.

It does not include equipment that you would expect to find in a well-funded laboratory.

We wish to maximise use of equipment by encouraging a culture of equipment-sharing. You must have in place and justify a mechanism to share the equipment across departments, institutions or nationally as appropriate.

Your application should take into account the availability of equipment at a national level and research being undertaken nationally. You should consult any equipment roadmaps produced by us in consultation with the academic community.

Find out more about our research areas and themes.

We will fund 100% of the full economic costs of your equipment. However, contributions from the host organisation are welcome.

You may request funding for other costs to support the equipment you have requested, including principal investigator time to manage the equipment or promote its use. We recommend that staff costs go towards supporting research technical professionals who play a major role in setting up and maintaining equipment and training users.

We will fund 80% of the full economic cost of non-capital items, and the host organisation will need to fund the balance.

Universities should consider an appropriate contribution to the equipment. This could include:

• a contribution towards the cost of the equipment
• investigator time
• funding a research technical professional.

Grants for strategic equipment 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)
• are a research technical professional resourced from the central funds of your institution and have a range of responsibilities and duties of someone with substantial research experience (you must have a letter from your head of department confirming this and that your contract extends beyond the duration of the project).

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.