EPSRC Programme Grant Outline Stage

Programme grants provide flexible funding to world-leading research groups addressing significant major research challenges. EPSRC programme grants are critical mass investments which bring together the expertise of a team of internationally recognised scientists or engineers to focus on one strategic research theme, covering a diverse engineering and physical sciences portfolio. The grants benefit UK research through the concentration of high-performing talent and provide flexibility to allocate resources between different projects and respond quickly to new challenges. These grants are designed to allow research teams to tackle bigger, more open-ended problems through a more coherent and holistic approach, build partnerships between universities, promote cross-disciplinary working, and provide freedom to conduct feasibility studies and build up new skill sets. They create greater visibility nationally and internationally, help bring in other researchers and attract more funding, and allow early career researchers to be given greater independence and responsibility to promote their career development.