3D Nanoscale Metamaterials Hub for a Sustainable Future (Grant)

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

International applicants

As EPSRC is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’.

The project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) role should only be used for applications making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement. EPSRC does not otherwise accept project co-lead (international) applicants.

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

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.

Aim

This funding opportunity aims to enable the metamaterials community in delivering impact through the design and development of 3D metamaterials at the nanoscale. The proposed programme of work should support and underpin technologies and systems that address critical national and global approaches to environmental sustainability.

For this funding opportunity, we define ‘3D nano-scaled metamaterials’ as materials with an engineered three dimensional (3D), submicron-structure that imparts properties markedly different from the properties of the bulk constituents.

Scope

Funding is available to create a research hub focused on developing 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials for a Sustainable Future. The hub should cover fundamental materials discovery through to routes to translation and manufacturing, with aims to deliver a step change in our understanding of how to design and build this class of materials from end to end.

It is expected that consideration is embedded as to how the materials developed enable technologies and systems that address national and global environmental sustainability challenges.

The 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials Hub for a Sustainable Future will deliver a programme of innovative research in the engineering and physical sciences, addressing the challenges in designing, developing, innovating, and translating 3D nano-scaled metamaterials. The primary focus of the investment will be on the development and progression of 3D metamaterials science and engineering, complementing and refreshing our existing portfolio in the metamaterials space. Additionally, it should aim to deliver positive impact for the UK by developing materials to underpin an environmentally sustainable national future.

Whilst it is expected that the bulk of the hub’s focus will be on the design, development, and scaling of 3D-metamaterials, exploitation of translational opportunities that originate from the hub’s work in end-to-end design, including aspects of manufacture and scale-up are expected. Secondary impact, through knowledge transfer and collaboration to support innovation in broader areas of nano-scaled materials or metamaterials scale-up and manufacturing, should also be delivered.

The hub will feature high quality, interdisciplinary research and strong engagement with end users. Stakeholder engagement should be commensurate with development of 3D metamaterials from end-to-end. Including where appropriate, manufacturing and industry stakeholders, translational end users from industry and academia and relevant non-specialist end users, as well as relevant specialists and experts from outside of EPSRC remit.

The hub will take a national leadership role in the field. In particular, they will embed approaches to systems thinking and materials circularity within research streams, actively promote equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, address requirements of trusted research and innovation and promote and build the skilled workforce required to deliver metamaterials that enable a sustainable future.

What is a hub?

Hubs are expected to deliver:

• high quality, multidisciplinary research

• a strong ethos of skills development for staff

• efficient management of hub operations

• a clear path to realising impact

The hub (or centre) will be a leader within the landscape, driving forward the national metamaterials research agenda and connecting with other players in the community, including users, policymakers, and other public investments (for example Catapults, other hubs and UKRI investments).

All investments should be structured to best support delivery of the proposed programme of work, accounting for expertise, collaboration, management, and infrastructure.

The hub may be located in a single eligible institution or comprise of a consortium of eligible organisations. In either model, programme management structures must support all partners and investigators to work cooperatively towards achieving an overall vision.

The lead or host institution is responsible for the oversight, core management and running of the total investment. Should a ‘hub and spoke’ model be used either virtually or geographically, management structures for both the ‘hub’ and ‘spokes’ are for the applicants to define but should include clear governance covering how it will be managed to maintain appropriate oversight and decision making.

Grant funding may be used for geographically-located activities based at collaborating institutions provided the collaborating institution meets our organisational eligibility requirements. Please note that if you are planning to assign budget to a separate institution, all application details must still come through a single application to EPSRC via the UKRI Funding Service. Funding will be assigned by EPSRC via the lead or host institution only.

In line with UKRI’s objective to build world class places through research and innovation, you should bring together the right people and organisations from places across the UK, to tackle the challenges relevant to your chosen research area. You should demonstrate in your application how your hub:

• comprises the relevant expertise

• offers or has access to appropriate infrastructure and facilities

• aligns with the strengths of places

• aligns with and supports industrial, Government and civic ambitions or priorities

Overall approach

This funding opportunity is to support an innovative metamaterials research programme in engineering and the physical sciences, addressing the challenges in developing and commercialising early-stage 3D nano-scaled metamaterials.

The hub’s research programme should:

• draw on advances in underlying science and technology

• focus on the design and development of new and existing 3D nano-scaled metamaterials

• explicitly consider the pathway to manufacture, including production, scale up and integration within the wider system

• enable the design and development of metamaterials that are inherently sustainable within their applications, by embedding systems-thinking and consideration of materials circularity

• explicitly consider and develop relevant skills across the research community, supporting a talent and materials pipeline

• provide national leadership in the development and promotion of 3D nano-scaled metamaterials across academia, industry and policy

Funding opportunity objectives

The objectives are to:

• deliver a programme of high quality, multidisciplinary research addressing the challenges in designing, translating and manufacturing 3D nano-scaled metamaterials

• create strategic advantage by driving forward the national 3D nanoscale metamaterials research agenda

• deliver metamaterials with potential to impact our delivery of an environmentally sustainable future, whilst remaining open to exploiting opportunities for translational impact across other domains

• embed careful consideration of environmental sustainability and materials circularity in all proposed project outputs and outcomes, research approaches and programme operations throughout the lifetime of the programme

• engage with diverse and relevant partners to ensure that research is co-created and co-delivered with appropriate scale up opportunities and end-users

• collaborate with the broader metamaterials community to lead, build and promote the necessary skills base to establish the UK at the forefront of a metamaterials innovation pipeline

• embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and accessibility within hub operations and activities by developing and delivering an EDI action plan, led by the hub EDI lead, which takes into account the specific EDI context and challenges within the hub’s research area and community

• work with the broader metamaterials’ community to promote metamaterials science and its potential impact across research, policy and public domains

Technology and skills pipelines

This hub is expected to provide leadership and development of both the science and technology pipelines associated with 3D nano-scaled metamaterials as well as the skills development pipeline.

In relation to the science and technology pipeline, we expect hub proposals to:

• address fundamental scientific understanding behind designing, building, characterising and translating novel 3D metamaterials

• engage in fundamental fabrication and manufacturing research to support scale up requirements

• support the delivery of mission-focused research, including collaboration and co-creation of programmes with appropriate industry of all sizes throughout the lifetime of the grant

• show they have, access to the required infrastructure and facilities to deliver their research programmes

In relation to the skills pipeline, we expect hub proposals to:

• develop a clear picture of the skills needs for the 3D metamaterials area and a proactive plan for addressing these using the resources provided within and surrounding the hub

For illustrative purposes only, skills development could include programs of work such as:

• workshops or training courses

• early career networks

• industrial, academic or policy-based secondments

• discipline hopping support

Materials to support a sustainable future

Under this programme we expect the hub to be aiming to deliver materials with properties which support the development and deployment of technologies and solutions that increase the speed and deliverability of net zero futures, or to shift us away from environmentally detrimental industries and processes to more sustainable and circular alternatives.

The word ‘sustainability’ is often applied to three broad areas: social, economic and environmental. In this funding opportunity the emphasis is on environmental sustainability, though hubs may wish to consider aspects of social and economic sustainability as part of their programme or the approach to Responsible Research and Innovation.

Environmental sustainability may include consideration of such broad areas as:

• reducing carbon emissions

• protecting and enhancing the natural environment and biodiversity

• waste or pollution elimination

• resource efficiency and circular economy

Hubs or centres may choose how they focus the approach, for example, this may be through focus on particular material types (within nano-scaled 3D metamaterials) with potential to deliver across a spectrum of impact areas, or by aiming to address a specific impact area, or via a combination or other approaches of your choosing. Below is a non-exhaustive list of high-level impact areas you could consider addressing.

• Energy Systems

• Agrifood Systems

• Computing and Electronics Systems

Environmental sustainability is complex and there are often conflicting drivers. Hubs will need to take a whole systems approach to enable consideration of the trade-offs, risks and mitigations associated with different approaches and ensure research outcomes are used to support industry and government partners to make informed choices and mitigate unintended consequences.

Environmental sustainability and materials circularity

We expect hub proposals to consider and build in whole-life-cycle considerations at all stages of the research and innovation process. By this, we mean that hub activities must consider:

• major challenges where 3D metamaterials have the potential to help deliver technologies and systems which improve our environmental sustainability, orienting their research towards delivery of such materials and impacts

• the inherent sustainability of the materials created, including consideration of materials circularity, extending useful life, reuse and end of life recycling and recovery

• environmental sustainability of all hub operations, including consideration of how to minimise the negative environmental impact of running the hub. You should seek opportunities to influence others and leave a legacy of environmental sustainability within the broader operations of your academic and industry partners.

There are many different definitions of a circular economy. At its heart, UKRI considers it to be about:

• producing less

• keeping the products, materials, and resources we do use and produce in circulation at their highest value for as long as possible.

• recovering resources after use

Circularity is not always the most environmentally sustainable option, where this is the case, we expect hubs to take the environmentally sustainable approach.

Industrial engagement and project partners

We expect a hub team to have a track-record of collaborating with users and for the hub proposals to demonstrate, where appropriate, cash and in-kind support from relevant and diverse sectors.

While there is no required level for cash and in-kind contributions at the point of application, we expect that throughout the lifetime of the hub, the number of project partners will increase.

To ensure that research outcomes from the hubs can be maximally exploited by academia outside of the metamaterials space and industry, we are looking for clear evidence of genuine, substantive partnerships, with co-creation and co-delivery of projects and activities, in addition to financial contributions.

Under plans for industrial engagement we expect the hub to:

• promote ‘industrial pull’ for 3D nano-scaled metamaterials and metamaterials more generally

• ensure early-stage manufacturing research is appropriately contextualised to promote the next steps in manufacturing processes

• utilise its collaborations to ensure, where appropriate, alignment of research and manufacturing approaches with current capabilities in relevant supply chains

Equality, diversity and inclusion

As leaders in the community, hubs are expected to embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all their activities throughout the lifetime of the hub. If funded, this will include identifying specific EDI challenges and barriers in their own environment and developing a strategy to address these in concert with the Metamaterials Network, with reference to our published expectations for EDI.

Hubs must ensure they request appropriate resources to develop and deliver their EDI strategy effectively. This must include at least one costed staff post with responsibility for EDI (the hub EDI lead). The EDI lead should not be the only hub staff member interested in delivering excellent equality, diversity and inclusion within the hub, such considerations should be embedded within the ethos of all its activities.

We do not specify any particular full-time equivalent (FTE), salary level or career stage for this post. Hubs may decide what is most appropriate for their programme, whilst giving due consideration to flexible working.

Duration

The duration of this award is a minimum of 36 months, and a maximum of 60.

Funding available

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £12.1875 million.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC (£9.75 million). £12.1875 million is the 100% FEC figure.

What we will fund

Equipment (up to £400,000 per item)

Quotes for equipment do not need to be included in your application, but please retain quotes for equipment costing more than £138,000 as we may ask for these at post-panel stage before releasing funds.

Learn about EPSRC’s approach to equipment funding.

Flexible funds

Flexible funding can be requested to support delivery of the Hub. These funds must be distributed externally to the grant. There are no specific rules on what flexible funds may be used on, some examples of use are: secondments, feasibility studies, small ‘working with industry’ projects, outreach and engagement, research culture projects.

Flexible funds can be allocated to researchers at any organisation currently eligible for EPSRC funding. You will need to think carefully about how any budget for external distribution will be commissioned, and how you will ensure processes for the allocation of funds are fair and transparent.

Please note that any activities commissioned using the flexible funds will be restricted to our current research organisation eligibility but will not be bound by standard EPSRC investigator eligibility criterion. It is the project lead’s responsibility to ensure ongoing governance to ensure correct usage and accountability of the funds.

We would expect some examples of the types of projects at the application stage, but as research challenges are expected to evolve throughout the hub lifetime it is not expected that opportunities are set. Ideas for flexible funding approaches should be co-created and collaborative in nature.

The sum awarded under the heading of ‘flexible funds’ can include both directly incurred and directly allocated expenditure. These funds must be reported on the final expenditure statement (FES) as awarded on the offer letter and a breakdown of the expenditure must be submitted along with the FES. Flexible funds are funded at 80% FEC by us.

What we will not fund

Proposals where the majority of novelty is aligned to other areas or types of metamaterials such as:

• metasurfaces

• 4D metamaterials

• metafluids

• 2D metamaterials

• nanoscale materials that would not be classed as ‘metamaterials’

Proposals must demonstrably lie primarily within the remit of EPSRC and must be within the scope of this funding opportunity. Any proposals that we deem out of remit or scope may be rejected without reference to review.

Studentships

Studentships are outside the remit of this funding opportunity.

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.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Peer 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.

Interview

An expert interview panel will review proposals and conduct interviews with applicants after which the panel will make a funding recommendation. All within-remit submissions will be invited to interview.

We expect interviews to be held in the week commencing 3 March 2025.

EPSRC will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within four months of receiving your application.

Feedback

Following the expert panel, we will give feedback from the expert panel with the outcome of your application.

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.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Vision

• Approach

• Governance

• Applicant and team ability to deliver

• Ethics and responsible research and innovation

• Project partners

• Resource and cost justification

• Flexible fund

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service: 404 - Page not found - UKRI Funding Service

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 (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. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this Opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.

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.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words

• insert each new image onto a new line

• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)

• ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

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

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

There is no requirement for match funding from the organisations hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the grant. We advise reviewers and panel members not to consider the level of matched university funding as a factor on which to base funding decisions. Project partners are expected to contribute to the project, either with cash or in-kind contributions.

Deadline

EPSRC must receive your application by 4.00pm UK time on 30 January 2025.

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 the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. If an application is withdrawn prior to peer review or office rejected due to substantive errors in the application, it cannot be resubmitted to the opportunity.

Personal data

Processing personal data

EPSRC, as part of 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.

Publication of outcomes

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Application 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

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• visiting researcher

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 2000

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

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/area

• is timely given current trends, context and needs

• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment

• will embed EDI considerations into hub activity, and how these will guide your aims, as well as other activities such as stakeholder engagement, events and networking

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

• describe the concept, context and coordination function of your project

• demonstrate the alignment of the application to the funding opportunity objectives

• clearly state the research challenges that you will address

• explain how you will embed environmental sustainability within your activities

• explain how you will embed systems thinking and circularity approaches

References may be included within this section.

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

Approach

Word limit: 4000

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach 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 clearly written 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

• will build EDI considerations into the formation, operation and governance of the hub, including how these will be operationalised

Within the Approach section we also expect you to:

• demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the application

• evidence co-creation and user engagement

• evidence and articulate how your approach supports materials development from end to end

• provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan including milestones and timelines. Project plans should: include a detailed and appropriate plan for how you will acquire and manage data, an explanation of how the partnership will be planned and managed, and an explanation of how the partnership will enable stakeholders to work together, network and build capability in a strategic area.

• demonstrate how you will embed systems thinking and circularity across hub aims and outputs

• outline future plans for sustaining the partnership beyond this application, or for funding research which may develop from the partnership

References may be included within this section.

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

Governance

Word limit: 500

How will you manage the award to successfully deliver its objectives?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed award will be managed, demonstrating that it:

• will be effectively governed, including details about advisory structures

• will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan

• has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities

• will manage and encourage partnerships with non-HEI organisations across government, industry and civil society

• has plans for monitoring your progress as well as self-evaluation throughout the lifetime of your award

• will put in place appropriate governance and administration to deliver the range of devolved funding opportunities

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

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

The word count for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (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 to 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 below. 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).

You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service. For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 1000

What are the ethical and RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation consideration

• how you will manage these considerations

If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)

• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:

• animals

• human participants

• genetically modified organisms

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 2000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)

• any equipment that will cost more than £10,000

• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• international collaboration costs

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Flexible fund

Word limit: 1,000

How will you use and manage the flexible fund?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it:

• supports your objectives

• distributes funding appropriately across a diverse range of activities

• where appropriate, distributes funding through robust, transparent competitive processes

• builds capacity in key fields and career stages

• ensures appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of funded activities

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 (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

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 in-direct) 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 Partner 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 two 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 contributions template.

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 agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 34.9KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above.

If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Background

The funding for this funding opportunity was allocated by our Science, Engineering and Technology Board (SETB) to support the delivery of aspects of the EPSRC Big Idea ‘The UK Metamaterials Revolution: Innovative solutions to global challenges in energy, communication, health and security.’ This Big Idea was accepted into our Ideas Bank in 2020. A copy of the Big Idea is available on the UK Metamaterials Network Plus website.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 22 October 2024, 10:00 to 11:30am. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Join or watch the webinar

The webinar will be recorded and uploaded and linked to this page. Please allow two weeks for this to be completed post webinar.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Equality impact assessment (DOCX, 94KB)

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• EPSRC policies and standards

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

Important note: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact materials@epsrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

See further information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need 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.