The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has launched their Prosperity Partnerships round six call.

This funding opportunity has two routes aimed at supporting both promising earlier-stage research partnerships with business which are on their way towards becoming strategic partnerships, as well as established partnerships that already have a long-term strategic partnership in place.

If you are interested in applying to this EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships call:

The Process

Although we are not limited on the number of application submissions, there is an internal demand managed process in place. The EoI forms part of that process.

The initial internal EoI assessment will consider:

  • funder eligibility requirements
  • due diligence checks on partner organisations
  • fit to funding opportunity

In addition to these viability checks, senior academics will be asked to review the EoIs to recommend which bids to progress. This prioritisation will be based on:

  • the research idea, novelty, and timeliness
  • fit with funder and university priorities
  • institutional/faculty support (bids may need to be prioritised on this basis, if the opportunity is oversubscribed)

Additionally, please note that as institutional support will be an assessment criterion, to be competitive applicants will need to demonstrate support from the University. Although supportive of applications being submitted, the central University is not able to make any new cash available, so there is a need to identify and utilise existing resource or explore support from your faculty.

Final decisions on which EoIs will progress to full application will be made by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Professor Sarah Hainsworth. Applicants will be made aware of the outcome from w/c 1 April 2024.

The EPSRC call deadline is on 21 May 2024. However, applicants are expected to submit their applications by 14 May 2024 to allow for the necessary pre-award checks and timely submission to the funder.

About the Call

EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships funding opportunities support business-led research that arises from an industrial need, with the work being co-delivered between the business and academic partners through two routes:

Route one
If a collaborative relationship is at a relatively early-stage of approximately one to five years in duration, then the amount of EPSRC funding you may apply for must not exceed £1 million. Grants are normally between two to three years in duration.

Route two
If a collaborative relationship is well-established and has lasted for five years or more, then there is no restriction on the maximum amount of EPSRC funding you may apply for. Grants are normally between three to five years in duration. This route is intended for larger grants of more than £1 million.

Scope

The primary business partner and primary academic partner should consider the following criteria before applying:

  • the business and academic partners have a demonstrable, research-based relationship that has been established for at least one year
  • there are clear plans to evolve this relationship via user-inspired shared research challenges demonstrating a desire to enhance the partnership
  • both partners are committed to the co-creation of a jointly delivered research programme at technology readiness level (TRL) one to three:
    • basic and applied research
    • principles are demonstrated through experimentation
    • early proof of concept demonstrated in the lab

The business and academic partners can commit to leveraging EPSRC funding for their Prosperity Partnership, and should consider the following:

  • business cash contribution will at least match the amount funded by EPSRC
  • no UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) public or government funding will be used as leverage

Projects must be at least 50% within the EPSRC remit. Cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary projects are welcomed. EPSRC welcome applications across the whole breadth of EPSRC’s remit, but for this round of Prosperity Partnerships are particularly encouraging applications for certain areas in EPSRC’s quantum technologies and engineering net zero portfolios.