EPSRC Strategic Infrastructure outlines: September 2026
Funding
From £400,000
Deadline
Check with the funder
Location
England
Applications
Rolling applications
Overview
This EPSRC opportunity funds strategic infrastructure at UK research organisations. The aim is to improve UK scientific capability and enable cutting-edge research that fits national priorities, including the UKRI strategy and the EPSRC Strategic Delivery Plan. There are two routes. Route one pays for buying and setting up equipment, digital infrastructure or both. The infrastructure must cost at least £400,000 including VAT. That can be one item, or several items clearly meant to work together as a single asset. EPSRC funds up to 100% of full economic cost for capital items and 80% for non-capital costs such as technical staff time, training and engagement. You do not need to offer matched funding, but your institution must show the project is a strategic priority. Route two is for invited applicants only. It pays for resources that get more use out of equipment you already have, such as staff support or pump-priming. You must get approval from the relevant EPSRC theme lead first. Awards normally last up to two years, and items of equipment over £25,000 are not covered. The opportunity opened on 17 September 2026 and has no closing date. Applications are grouped into batching periods, and the first runs from September 2026 to the end of December 2026. You can apply when your application is ready. One important caveat. Each institution can send no more than three applications per batching period, and any extras are automatically rejected. Your research office submits the final application on the UKRI Funding Service. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/epsrc-strategic-infrastructure-outlines-september-2026/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Infrastructure must cost at least £400,000 including VAT, as a single item or several items combined into one asset
- EPSRC funds up to 100% of full economic cost for capital costs and 80% for non-capital costs
- No more than three applications per institution in each batching period
- Route two is for invited applicants only and needs approval from the relevant EPSRC theme lead
- Requests over £5 million need EPSRC approval before applying
- Route one awards over 36 months need prior approval from the Research Infrastructure team
The host must be a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. The opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility only, and UKRI individual eligibility rules apply. A research technical professional can apply as a project lead or co-lead if they meet those rules. Each institution can submit no more than three applications per batching period. Uninvited resubmissions of projects already sent to UKRI or another funder are not accepted. Applications cannot include a Norway-based Project Co-Lead (international). Route two is for invited applicants only.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
UK research organisations planning to buy major equipment or digital infrastructure costing £400,000 or more that supports research of high priority to EPSRC.
Regions
No published award history for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Apply for funding to purchase strategic infrastructure that will improve UK scientific capability and enable cutting-edge research of high priority to EPSRC.You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding.
Apply through the UKRI Funding Service, not Je-S. Select 'Start application' on the funder's page, confirm you are the project lead, and sign in or create an account. Answer the questions in the text boxes, then send the completed application to your research office. They check it and submit it to UKRI. Only the lead research organisation can submit. For route two, get approval from the relevant EPSRC theme lead first.
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Create free accountLast updated: 15 October 2026