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Faculty of Humanities

EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Humanities and Social Sciences

The EPSRC brings many opportunities for collaborative research in many areas of its portfolio, including the open-themed research fellowships.  

Cross-disciplinary research is an area that UKRI is expected to promote further, and new opportunities could arise.

Research areas, themes and priorities.

Areas:

  • chemistry
  • engineering
  • information and communications technologies
  • materials
  • mathematical sciences
  • physics

EPSRC has more than 100 research areas in its portfolio. Within those areas, there are the following themes:

and also thematic areas which develop strategy across the breadth of EPSRC’s remit:

priorities are:

  • the physical and mathematical sciences powerhouse – enabling curiosity-driven discovery with boundless potential
  • frontiers in engineering, manufacturing and technology – unleashing our productivity potential
  • digital futures – the future of communications, computing and the internet
  • engineering net zero – decarbonising our economy and society, creating an alternative energy future and developing truly circular economies
  • artificial intelligence, digitisation and data: driving value and security – powering transformative change and the next industrial revolution
  • transforming health and healthcare – improving quality of life through innovative technological solutions
  • ensuring an effective ecosystem – a globally attractive engineering and physical sciences research and innovation system.

UKRI Strategy 2022-2027 & Corporate Plan 2022-2025 and EPSRC Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025

Strategic objectives

People and careers

Creating an effective ecosystem by:
  • Delivering essential STEM skills for the UK through investment in people.
  • Championing a research culture where everyone is respected, valued and able to contribute and benefit - embedding equality, diversity and inclusivity in everything we do.

Places

Creating an effective ecosystem by:
  • Enhancing UK prosperity through local, national and international partnerships, nurturing excellent research and strengthening clusters across UK nations and regions.
  • Delivering world-leading capital and digital infrastructure – and championing the people and teams that enable this.

Ideas

Investing in discovery research to support the UK’s ambition to be a science superpower, investing in three priorities across our core disciplines:
  • Physical and Mathematical Sciences Powerhouse.
  • Frontiers in Engineering and Technology.
  • Digital Futures.

Innovation

Creating an effective ecosystem by:
  • Co-working with business, facilitating deep partnerships and securing private co- investment.
  • Connecting research and innovation.
  • Accelerating translation, commercialisation and knowledge exchange, to realise the full potential of EPSRC-funded research.

Impacts

Investing in mission-inspired research, delivering key technology families, addressing UKRI’s five strategic themes and transforming sectors, with four priorities:

  • Engineering Net Zero.
  • AI, Digitalisation and Data: Driving Value and Security.
  • Transforming Health and Healthcare.
  • Quantum Technologies.

Supported by a world-class organisation

Being an efficient, agile organisation, empowering our staff, catalysing outcomes through partnership and leadership, and improving the sustainability of our operations. 

Budget 

Budget category i ii

2022-23 (£m)

2023-24 (£m)

2024-25 (£m)

Core R&I Budgets

620.52

647.14

661.26

Existing cross-UKRI Strategic Programmes

53.01

36.64

20.04

Strategic Priorities Fund

53.01

36.64

20.04

Infrastructure*

124.18

85.37

69.08

World Class Labs

66.58

65.97

69.08

Digital Research Infrastructure Programme – phase 1b pilot projects (2022-23 – 2023-24)

4.00

2.00

0.00

Existing infrastructure investments: Rosalind Franklin Institute

2.00

0.00

0.00

Existing infrastructure investments: Royce

2.00

0.00

0.00

Existing infrastructure investments: Quantum

41.79

17.40

0.00

Existing infrastructure investments: National Nuclear Users Facility – capital

7.81

0.00

0.00

R&I Budgets – existing time-limited commitments

50.43

48.14

23.21

Mathematical Sciences Additional Funding Programme

31.00

28.80

21.00

Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)

0.74

0.93

0.76

National Nuclear Users Facility (NNUF) – resource

7.48

12.86

0.00

ARCHER2

1.10

1.20

1.20

COVID interventions

10.11

4.35

0.25

Grand Total

848.13

817.29

773.59

* Infrastructure projects are detailed separately below. Note that further infrastructure allocations to Councils may be made during the Spending Review period from the Infrastructure Fund, Digital Research Infrastructure Programme and Carbon Zero Fund Programme.

Notes

i. The figures provided in this document are in line with the 2022-23 – 2024-25 budget allocations for UK Research and Innovation. These are broken down by our budgeting and reporting categories, and exclude funding for ODA, Financial Transactions, and BEIS Managed Programmes. Figures are indicative and may vary over the course of the three-year period due to budget adjustments made as a part of on-going financial management and planning processes to maximise the use of our total funding.
ii. From 2022-23 UKRI talent investments are managed collectively across the Research Councils. The funding for collective talent activities outlined in this delivery plan are accounted for in the broader collective talent funding line included in our Corporate Plan. 

Infrastructure Fundprojects include:*

Total lifetime allocation (some in future SR periods)

Infrastructure Fund: Wave 1 - Full project – 1.2 GHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer

17.63

Infrastructure Fund: Wave 1 - Full project – National facility for ultra- high field (11.7T) human MRI scanning

Subject to business case approval, joint project with MRC

29.10

Infrastructure Fund: Wave 1 – Preliminary Activities – Relativistic Ultrafast Electron Diffractions and Imaging (RUEDI)

2.96

Schemes

The way to apply to the EPSRC is normally by answering specific calls, but there are ways to apply for your own projects using the schemes available on the funding routes page of the website.

  • Fellowships: Open to any theme within the EPSRC remit and portfolio research areas and themes.
  • Research capacity: Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, Programme Grants, Strategic Packages
  • New Ideas and Networking: Network grants, funding for workshops, Transformative research (IDEAS Factory, Sandpits, Bright IDEAS, etc. 

Links to relevant information