Funding Opportunities

Impact of Coronavirus on UKRI-supported research

Grant-funded research

STFC operates the following grant-funded research programmes:

• Accelerator Science – project grants to research in areas of accelerator science.
   
• Analysis for Innovators – funding to support UK industry to overcome existing problems using novel measurement and analysis techniques.
   
• Astronomy Research Grants - which are awarded for research in the areas of astronomy, cosmology and solar system science.
   
• Bridging for Innovators Funding is now available through the Bridging for Innovators Programme to support UK industry in improving productivity.
   
• Computational Science – project grants to support computing for STFC’s PPAN programme.
   
• PATT Travel Grants - which are awarded for the travel and subsistence cost of observing trips to recognised telescopes, including STFC telescopes.
   
• Particle Physics and Particle Astrophysics Research Grants - which are awarded for research in areas of experimental and theoretical particle physics and certain aspects of particle astrophysics.
   
• Nuclear Physics - grants, which provide funding in support of the UK nuclear physics programme.
   
• Project Research and Development (PRD) Scheme - which are to intended to develop the capabilities needed to underpin UK science and technology leadership in future STFC projects.
   
• Major New Projects (PPRP) - focus on major new projects that are considered to have significant scientific priority in particle physics, nuclear physics, astronomy, particle astrophysics and solar system science. Examples of these include participation in new experiments or missions, the development of new instruments or upgrades to existing detectors. Applicants should submit a statement of interest in the first instance, and proposers may subsequently be invited to submit a full proposal to the Project Peer Review Panel (PPRP) for assessment.
   
• 21^st Century Challenge schemes (formerly the STFC Global Challenge Programme) - which provide funding to create new multidisciplinary research communities and to support small scale proof of concept projects to show that STFC expertise and technology can be applied to 21^st Century Challenges.
   
• Challenge Led Applied Systems Programme (CLASP) - which aims to support the application and commercialisation of STFC-funded research in industrial, environmental and societal grand challenges.
   
• Innovations Partnership Scheme (IPS) grants - which provides a maximum project value of £150k per annum, over a period not exceeding three years.
   
• IPS Fellowship – which is designed to support a knowledge exchange and commercialisation (KEC) professional in a position at a UK university in developing innovation and impact from its STFC-funded research outputs.
   
• Follow on Fund - which is intended to provide financial support at the very early or pre-seed stage of turning research outputs into a commercial proposition.
   
• Newton Fund – Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding - which is part of the UK’s official development assistance. Its aim is to develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries.
   
• Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) - which supports cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries through: challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research; strengthening capacity for research and innovation within both the UK and developing countries and providing an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need.
   
• Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund – which is a fund to strengthen UK science and business innovation and take on the biggest challenges that society and industries face today.
   
• Ernest Rutherford Fellowships – which will enable early career researchers with clear leadership potential to establish a strong, independent research programme. They will encourage talented researchers in UK universities to remain in the country and at the same time attract outstanding overseas researchers to the UK.
   
• Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) Programme – On 30 September STFC and EPSRC will open a research call for the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) programme.
   
• ExCALIBUR High Priority Use Cases: Phase 1

• Enabling Research in Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging - UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invites proposals for projects to establish academic‑led research that addresses widely understood problems in relation to plastic packaging.
   

• Announcement of Opportunity: Space Weather Innovation, Modelling, Measurement and Risk (SWIMMR) -- Project S4 -STFC invites proposals relating to the improvement of forecasting techniques for solar wind propagation from the Sun to the Earth.  This topic forms part of the Space Weather Innovation, Modelling, Measurement and Risk (SWIMMR) project which is funded as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF).

• Pre-announcement: Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk (SWIMMR) SPF - STFC will shortly begin inviting proposals in a series of funding Calls, as part of the UKRI Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk (SWIMMR) programme.

Public Engagement Funding

• STFC offers a range of grant schemes that are designed to allow our community to meet the aims of our public engagement strategy.

Closing dates

• When preparing a proposal for a STFC research grant, please take account of the closing date for the scheme for which you are applying.
   
• Proposals must be submitted by 4.00pm on the closing date.
   
• Closing dates will be strictly enforced.