Deadline: 30-Sep-21
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is pleased to announce Network Grants that aims to create new interdisciplinary research communities and topics, by developing interaction between the research community and appropriate science, technology and industrial groups.
Aims
- This funding opportunity aims to ensure the UK is at the forefront of world-leading collaborations in quantum technologies by forming new international networks.
- Each proposal must demonstrate:
- evidence of potential for the network to advance the UK’s capabilities in an emerging area of quantum technologies
- a clear rationale for the selection of network participants and partner country or countries
- a plan for effective international collaboration whilst protecting intellectual property, sensitive research and personal information.
- coverage of expertise and skills in order to achieve the network’s stated aims
- the ability to enable virtual collaboration.
- Successful networks should achieve collaborative international partnerships that draw on global talent and skills to tackle major research problems in new and innovative ways. Participants from a range of organisations, including from industry, are encouraged so that there is appropriate coverage of the expertise and skills needed. However, there is no formal requirement to include industry partners.
- Networks are expected to lead to new, collaborative and often multidisciplinary research, and some may develop into virtual centres of excellence, providing critical mass of expertise in quantum technologies.
- Therefore, it is generally expected that a network will form a new collaboration. An existing collaboration could only be considered for this opportunity if it demonstrated a significant change in purpose, scope or membership, and provided it aligned with all other aims of the opportunity.
- Networks must have one lead organisation, but you may work closely with other organisations. Parent-child applications are possible.
Scope
- The research and capability enabled by these networks must focus on quantum technologies.
- Quantum technologies are those that involve the creation, control and manipulation of sensitive and fragile quantum effects within single systems.
- Although many current and future technologies are described by quantum theory, the focus of this funding opportunity is on expanding capabilities focused on the direct exploitation of quantum phenomena such as superposition or entanglement to enable disruptive impacts in security, precision, sensitivity, accuracy or speed of sensing.
- This includes:
- quantum computing and simulation
- quantum sensing and timing
- quantum imaging
- quantum communication
- quantum components
- cross-cutting quantum proposals.
Funding Information
- The total funding available is £5,000,000.
- Under full economic costing there is no limit on the amount of funding that can be applied for, although the network should last for no longer than three years. Funding is intended to cover the operating and support costs of the Network and full justification for the sum requested should be included in the proposal. Funding will not be renewed beyond the original length of the grant. Requests for funding may include:
- Investigator’s salaries
- Travel and subsistence
- Workshops
- Administrative support
Eligibility Criteria
- The proposal should be submitted by a researcher (the Principal Investigator) who meets the current EPSRC eligibility criteria as described in the funding guide. The Principal Investigator will be responsible to EPSRC for the management of the grant.
- Each Network should:
- Be a new collaboration.
- Should normally have as its key objectives in the formation of a new interdisciplinary research community and identification of new interdisciplinary research topics.
- Involve a group of people with a range of expertise and experience.
- Be based in the UK, but may include collaboration with those overseas.
- Demonstrate the added value that EPSRC funding will bring.
- Applicants are encouraged to be innovative in the choice of mechanisms for operation of the proposed Network.
- Should an existing Network Principal Investigator submit a proposal for a new Network, it is important that he / she illustrates that the new proposal is demonstrably different from his / her previous Network. An incremental change from the aims / objectives / remit will not normally be funded by EPSRC
For more information, visit https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/establish-an-international-network-in-quantum-technology/