Apply for for EPSRC New Investigator Award Funding from UKRI to support your transition to research independence. You will present and develop a strong and clear independent research vision and lead a project team to successfully deliver this.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding. It must be your first application to EPSRC as a project lead.
We will award 80% of the full economic cost (fen) of the project. Projects should apply for the duration and funding required to fully meet their research goals.
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must be resident in the UK.
You must meet UKRI’s individual eligibility policy to hold research grants and it must be your first application to us as project lead.
Those with fixed-term appointments cannot depend on the success of a new investigator award application, and the organisation must provide the same support as for permanent staff.
Post-doctoral research contracts are not considered to be an ongoing substantial relationship for the purposes of the New Investigator Award funding opportunity.
We do not consider years post-PhD or job title to be a marker of career progression. Eligibility is determined on the basis of funding history.
You can apply if:
- this is your first application as project lead to EPSRC
- you consider yourself to be an early-career individual (someone who has capacity to use the funds available to transition to independence, establish their own research group and develop their own, independent research vision, per the scheme aim)
- you have not been the project lead or equivalent on any grant, funded project or programme that was a single award valued at over £175,000 fen (or GBP equivalent)
- you have not held a position where you supervised postdoctoral staff for more than 12-months (cumulative)
- you can show evidence of the assessed criteria
Who is not eligible to apply (note exceptions in further eligibility information)
You are not eligible if:
- this is not your first application to EPSRC as a project lead
- you have previously applied to an EPSRC New investigator Award scheme, whether successful or unsuccessful
- you have an application for a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Type 1: Early Independence Fellowship or a UKRI new investigator award that is currently being assessed
- you are an established researcher, or someone who has demonstrated sustained career independence, vision and leadership, at odds with the aim of the scheme
- you have been the project lead or equivalent on any grant, funded project or programme that was a single award valued at over £175,000 fen (or GBP equivalent)
- you have held a position where you supervised postdoctoral staff for more than 12-months (cumulative)
- you hold, or have previously held, a comparable grant designed to support early independence and leadership, per this award (for example, other council New Investigator Awards; Wellcome Early Career Award)
Further eligibility information
Funding received from local sources while working overseas must be taken into consideration within the £175,000 award history limit, and the same scheme eligibility principles apply.
To establish whether you are eligible, please convert any grant totals received in foreign currency into British pounds using a commonly available currency converter, based on the exchange rate at the time the grant was awarded for comparison purposes. An approximate conversion is sufficient for this purpose.
If you have previously been part of a grant’s leadership and management team but not as project lead (for example, project co-lead), you are eligible to apply if you meet all eligibility criteria.
If you have held or currently hold a postdoctoral or early career fellowship, the value of the award may exceed £175,000 fen without affecting New Investigator Award eligibility, though all other eligibility criteria must be met. Please pay particular attention to UKRI’s individual eligibility policy.
If you are on a fixed term contract, your research organisation must be able to confirm that the contract will last at least until the end date of the grant.
The application to the New Investigator Award scheme must be your first to EPSRC as a project lead, with the following exceptions:
- if your application was rejected at an outline stage
- overseas travel grant
- workshop grant
- funding opportunities which specifically note in the information to applicants that they do not affect the eligibility for the scheme, including for example: EPSRC New Horizons, EPSRC Mathematical Science Small Grants Scheme, EPSRC Unlocking the full potential of nature-based engineering scheme, EPSRC Early career researcher international collaboration grants scheme
- devolved funding from an EPSRC grant, for example funding from an EPSRC hub or receipt of an EPSRC studentship (such as doctoral training partnerships, university doctoral landscape awards, centres for doctoral training, doctoral focal awards, industrial CASE awards, or industrial doctoral landscape awards)
- applicants who have previously applied unsuccessfully to the EPSRC Early Career Fellowship, EPSRC Open Fellowship, or UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship
If you have previously collaborated with industry, or held an industry grant (for example, a Knowledge Transfer Partnership), you may apply, the eligibility criteria still applies.
Eligibility for the New Investigator Scheme is assessed at the point of application.
Applications that do not align with the aims of the scheme, which are to support early-career individuals transition to independence, establish their own research group and develop their own, independent research vision, will be rejected.
If you are still uncertain about your eligibility please see the ‘Additional Information’ section.
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 project co-lead (international)”.
You should include all international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.
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 including those who have taken a non-standard career path after their first degree.
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.
New investigator award eligibility considers your experience, including your contributions to, and leadership of, past projects.
What we’re looking for?
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
We are committed to the continued support of excellent responsive, discovery led research.
The new investigator award aims to support early career individuals in developing their own research vision, establishing a research group to pursue it, and build research independence and leadership in their field.
A new investigator award is not intended to be an alternative to a fellowship, standard mode grant or other similar funding mechanism.
Scope
New investigator awards should have a single research vision with clearly defined objectives and outcomes. Complex, multi-faceted research projects with many objectives are not appropriate to the new investigator award.
You should typically seek 10% to 20% of the project lead (previously principal investigator) time. Those who are seeking to substantially exceed this should consider other funding opportunities.
We encourage you to have early discussions with your institution to identify what training and development opportunities are available to meet your aspirations over the duration of the award. Your research organisation’s statement of support is important.
You can apply for a new investigator award in any field of research relevant to our remit. We support high quality research in:
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- resilience and security
- clean energy
- engineering
- healthcare technologies
- information and communication technologies (ICT)
- sustainable manufacturing
- mathematical sciences
- physical sciences
- quantum technologies
You will be asked to signpost which remit your research falls into in your application. This will not be used to change the rank order of applications for funding. Applications received will be considered on their scientific and engineering merit in competition with all other applications. Find out more about our research areas and themes.
The majority of your research must fall within our remit.
We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.
We encourage you to contact us first to discuss your application if you believe your research may cross research council boundaries. See our remit query form.
For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.
Duration
There is no limit on the length of your project. However, new investigator awards are typically one to three years in duration.
Funding available
There is no limit on the value of the grant.
We will fund 80% fen of your project.
What we will fund
We will fund:
- staff costs
- equipment (between £25,000 to £400,000 per item)
- other items required to carry out the project
- costs related to impact
- travel and subsistence
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. For details of how to include equipment in your application see Equipment on research grants.
All resources and costs must be comprehensive, appropriate and justified, representing optimal use of resources to achieve intended outcomes. Resources and costs requested will be part of the overall assessment.
What we will not fund
We will not fund:
- doctoral studentships
- funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants
- publication costs
Costs for students supporting research under a new investigator award must not be charged to the grant. A doctoral student may work with the you on related research, providing a valuable training and development opportunity for the applicant.
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.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/epsrc-new-investigator-award-applicant-led-mode/)
