Aim

This opportunity aims to accelerate our progress towards the realisation of a just, prosperous, sustainable and resilient net zero transition through the exploitation of outputs of prior EPSRC-funded research. It will support the further development of research into practical application to deliver economic, societal, policy and environmental benefits. We are looking to provide follow-on funding to research outputs that are ready to move beyond fundamental research and need additional resource to be taken up as a solution by users. This funding will ‘bridge the gap’, ensuring that the benefits from EPSRC research can be truly realised to drive forward the transition to net zero.

This follow-on funding opportunity is a pilot for EPSRC. We will conduct review and evaluation activities during and after the opportunity.

Scope

Engineering and physical sciences research is critical to the discovery, development and deployment of the solutions needed to create a sustainable future, and the scale and urgency for these solutions is growing. EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero (ENZ) priority aims to address this by increasing the speed of deliverability of net zero and shifting us to more sustainable and circular industries and processes. This includes pioneering new technologies and the rapid scaling and evolution of current technologies, as well as driving the realisation of a just, prosperous, sustainable, and resilient net zero transition. This is a wide-ranging challenge that will require contributions from many different disciplines and research areas to realise.

A breadth of challenges is in scope, including but not limited to new energy technologies and systems, decarbonisation of sectors, more sustainable manufacturing technologies and realising a circular economy. In addition to UK-wide programmes, programmes which connect with and contribute to the innovation and sustainable development priorities of places, at local, region and devolved administration level are encouraged.

This follow-on funding opportunity is open to applications from all EPSRC disciplines and research areas, provided they can address the aim of the opportunity to accelerate our progress towards the realisation of a just, prosperous, sustainable and resilient net zero transition.

Projects considered through this programme should:

• build on the outputs of a current or previously funded EPSRC research or training grant(s) and describe why this follow-on funding is the most appropriate route to exploit the outputs of that project
• clearly demonstrate how they will enable research outputs to be further developed beyond fundamental research into practical applications to deliver benefits relevant to ENZ
• be primarily within EPSRC remit and deliver against EPSRC’s ENZ strategy as outlined in objective 5.1 of our strategic delivery plan. See the additional information section for further information about the ENZ challenge
• involve appropriate users and beneficiaries to deliver the proposed impact, with a focus on non-academic audiences and new users
• be based on a sound understanding of the benefits that its product, service, technology or insight will deliver to meet the needs of end users
• consider a broad range of possible impacts and unintended consequences, including economic, societal, policy and environmental, in the development and delivery of the programme
• support pathways to impact that have not already been taken account of in the original award and demonstrate clearly how these will enhance the value and wider benefits of the original EPSRC-funded research project

Applications that address any aspect of impact, that is economic, societal, policy and environmental, are welcome. The application must demonstrate how you will seek to deliver demonstrable benefit to the UK. However, it is recognised that the outcomes of some projects may also provide benefits to, or operate within, an international landscape.

EPSRC are looking to support a wide range of activities, from projects aimed at de-risking innovative ideas and knowledge exchange, to later-stage projects that encompass significant translational milestones. We recognise that smaller scale projects may not require the full word count allowance for each application section.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Features of the funding

This opportunity will award follow-on funding for activities to take a project from the fundamental research stage onto the next level, where it could then be picked up by users. These activities could include, but are not limited to:

• knowledge exchange and embedding of research outputs in stakeholder practice
• commercialisation
• proof-of-concept of a product, tool or service
• public engagement as a pathway to achieving societal and/or economic impact
• active dissemination
• market exploration including building evidence of policy or other barriers and growth opportunities for the UK
• application of modelling, data, and evidence to develop policy solutions
• environmental impact and benefits exploration and estimation

The follow-on funding can also be used to enable engagement between researchers and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, and the public, to deliver greater benefits from the prior research. We encourage you to consider how your work can complement and build on existing initiatives and articulate the added value of your work within the wider research, innovation and policy landscape.

Applications to this scheme should have a primary focus on the translation of research or knowledge, or both, to deliver defined benefits, making projects focused solely on delivering training, new research or extending an existing research grant ineligible. We would not expect to see significant new fundamental research in your proposal, however we recognise that achieving impact does not always follow a linear pathway so some incremental research may be included as part of your application, provided it delivers against the objectives and is not the primary activity.

This follow-on funding opportunity sits alongside a suite of other impact-driven funding that EPSRC supports, for example the impact acceleration accounts (IAAs) and flexible funding delivered via EPSRC hubs, centres or institutes. It is intended to complement, not duplicate, other sources of support, so we would not expect to see applications that would more appropriately be funded through other EPSRC funding routes, or that are at a stage where they could already be funded by commercial partners or Innovate UK.

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

In line with the ethos of this opportunity, applicants are expected to consider RRI during planning and throughout the lifetime of their project. We strongly encourage the use of the EPSRC AREA framework (anticipate, reflect, engage and act) to support consideration of impact and activities to maximise positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits. All applicants should take time to anticipate the wider potential impacts of their work and reflect on the purposes, motivations, and possible implications. This should inform, where appropriate, plans for wider stakeholder dialogue (engage) and ultimately how they might actively adjust their plans (act). This should be demonstrated in the application. We recognise that RRI considerations will take different forms for different research areas and projects and should be proportionate and appropriate to the proposal and discipline.

We conduct reviews of applications to ensure our alignment with the designated scope and we retain the authority to reject applications considered out of scope before assessment.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Project partners

Involvement of users and expected beneficiaries as project partners is strongly encouraged. Proposals which do not have formal project partners are expected to clearly articulate how users and beneficiaries have shaped the project to date and how they will be engaged in the future development of the project.

Duration

The duration of this award can be up to two years.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be from £100,000 up to £800,000.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

The costs requested at the full stage must be within 10% of the value requested at the outline stage. If, in exceptional circumstances, your costs have changed by more than this, you must email us before submitting your application to seek our approval. Please allow at least 10 working days before submission.

We are keen to support a broad portfolio of projects and value for money will be a key consideration. As such, we encourage applications of different sizes, across the full range of funding available, and do not expect all funded projects to be awarded the maximum allowable budget or take the full allowable duration. Applicants should apply for the minimum amount of funding required to achieve their objectives.

What we will fund

You can request funding for costs such as:

• a contribution to the salary of the project lead and project co-lead(s)
• support for other posts such as research, specialist and technical staff
• research consumables
• travel costs
• collaboration and stakeholder engagement
• impact and knowledge exchange activities
• estates and indirect costs
• equipment

Individual items of equipment between £10,000 and £400,000 can be included on applications if both of the following apply:

• the equipment is essential to the proposed project
• no appropriate alternative provision can be accessed

We will contribute 80% of the final purchase price and will expect the research organisation or project partner to contribute the remainder from non-EPSRC funding.
Quotes for equipment do not need to be included in your application, but please retain quotes for equipment costing more than £138,000 as we may ask for these before releasing funds.

We expect applicants to provide a justification for the cost of the equipment in the justification of resources. We do not require a business case or an equipment letter of support.

What we will not fund

The following would be ineligible:

• projects focused solely on delivering training
• costs relating to students
• significant new fundamental research or projects extending existing research
• applied or contract research conducted on behalf of commercial organisations
• supporting the direct costs associated with applying for Intellectual Property (IP) protections, for example patent filing
• projects not built on prior EPSRC research
• projects at a stage where they could already be funded by commercial partners or Innovate UK
• projects that would more appropriately be funded through EPSRC’s existing critical mass investments (such as centres, hubs and institutes)
• applications primarily outside of EPSRC’s remit

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline stage application. The start application link will be provided via email to the invited applicants.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Follow the ‘start application’ link which will have been emailed to you if you are invited to apply following a successful outline stage.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
   Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
• insert each new image onto a new line
• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
• ensure files are smaller than 8MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service
• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

EPSRC must receive your application by 4:00pm UK time on 24 September 2024.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. If an application is withdrawn prior to peer review or office rejected due to substantive errors in the application, it cannot be resubmitted to the opportunity.

Personal data

Processing personal data

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

EPSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at EPSRC Funding Application Outcomes | Tableau Public.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)
• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
• specialist
• grant manager
• professional enabling staff
• research and innovation associate
• technician
• visiting researcher
• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers
• policymakers
• the public
• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context
• the challenge the project addresses
• aims and objectives
• potential applications and benefits

Application questions

Vision and Approach

Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than five sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. You may include images, graphs, tables. References may be included but should not exceed one page of your document. You can have an additional page for a diagrammatic work plan.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, do not include any sensitive data within the attachment.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

For the Vision, explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to address a stakeholder need, technological challenge, or exploit a market opportunity
• meets the needs of potential users and cou ld lead to the development or deployment of a new or improved product, service, technology or policy change.
• is timely given current trends, context and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

• identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be

For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it:

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• includes any key deliverables and/or translation milestones
• is feasible, and is supported by technical, research or scientific evidence
• comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
• if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

Within the Approach section we also expect you to:

• demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work
• provide a project plan including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or similar (additional one-page A4)

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word count for this section is 1,650 words; 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

References may be included within this section.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service. For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
• the project partner contact name and email address
• the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partners section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’. Each letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
• describe any additional value that they bring to the project
• the page limit is two sides A4 per partner

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the contributions template.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB)
• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
• how you will manage these considerations

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

If you are collecting or using data, identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data
• formal information standards with which your study will comply

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) will be included in the Funding Service. These will ask about numbers, species/strain and justification about:

• genetic and biological risk
• research involving the use of animals
• conducting research with animal overseas
• research involving human participation
• research involving human tissues or biological samples

Impact towards EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero challenge

Word limit: 600

How will your project accelerate progress towards the realisation of a just, prosperous, sustainable and resilient net zero transition?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Within your response, you should provide:

• evidence for the expected impact that the project will have towards the realisation of a just, sustainable and resilient net zero transition
• a clear demonstration of the added value will bring with reference to outcomes and impacts and where possible, you should quantify the benefits you expect to realise

Within the ‘Impact towards EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero challenge’ section, where possible we expect you to provide the metrics you will use to measure the benefits of your project with respect to net zero. These could include, but are not limited to:

• reduction in CO2 emissions
• reduction in energy consumption
• reduction in water usage
• waste reduction
• material efficiency

Stakeholder engagement

Word limit: 600

How will you actively engage with relevant stakeholders on an ongoing basis throughout the project to ensure that it appropriately meets their needs and delivers the anticipated benefits?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You should provide evidence for how you will:

• develop relationships with the identified partners, collaborators and other beneficiaries of your project
• foster genuine and committed two-way engagement with relevant stakeholders, such that they can shape or co-deliver the project to ensure that benefits are delivered
• incorporate learning and feedback from your stakeholders into your project on an ongoing basis to be resilient to changing external circumstances and user behaviours
• disseminate and communicate the outputs of your project
• manage any intellectual assets and intellectual property

Assessment process

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline application. This is the full stage of the opportunity.

We will assess your application using the following process.

Panel

We will invite experts to assess the quality of your application against the published criteria and rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

Prior to the panel, expert panellists may ask questions for clarification about your application, to which you will be invited to respond. Panel members may not need to seek clarification on all applications.

EPSRC will make the final funding decision. Subject to a satisfactory quality threshold being met, decisions for funding may be made using a portfolio approach, to ensure an appropriate geographic and thematic coverage across the UK.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within three months of receiving your application.

Feedback

Applicants will have the right to respond to any questions for clarification submitted by the panel members prior to the panel assessment meeting taking place. The final funding recommendation list will be published online after the panel has taken place via What EPSRC has funded.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Assessment criteria

The criteria we will assess your application against are:

• Vision
• Approach
• Applicant team and capability
• Resources and cost justification
• Ethics and RRI
• Impact towards EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero challenge
• Stakeholder engagement

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

Important note: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact energyanddecarbonisation@epsrc.ukri.org, quoting ‘ENZ FoF’ in the subject line.

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

You can also find information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, please contact tfschangeepsrc@epsrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Background

EPSRC’s World-Class Impacts’ objective was published in our strategic delivery plan and aims to deliver advances in four mission-inspired, interdisciplinary challenges, including ENZ.

Engineering and physical sciences research is critical to the discovery, development and deployment of the solutions needed to create a sustainable future. EPSRC’s plans in ENZ align to the UKRI Building a Green Future strategic theme, as well as the British Energy Security Strategy. We will take a whole systems approach to developing the technological solutions needed to deliver a just transition to net zero for all.

Throughout the ENZ challenge, we aim to:

• strike a balance between supporting the evolution of current systems and transformational next generation solutions
• increase our resilience and adaptability to the known and anticipated effects of climate change
• facilitate partnership working to maximise the economic benefit to the UK

The following are priority areas with ENZ.

Tackling the biggest emitters

Major progress is required to reduce industrial emissions, as well as in surface transport, aviation, shipping, and buildings emissions. To tackle this will require research into:

• reducing demand on fossil fuels
• scalable and commercially viable, low- and zero-emission alternative technologies and processes
• carbon capture, utilisation, storage, and negative emission technologies

Pioneering environmentally sustainable advanced technologies

Current solutions for net zero come at a cost to the natural environment. An opportunity exists to work towards:

• discovery and development of next generation, more sustainable low and zero-emission technologies and processes
• identifying near-term solutions to increase the sustainability of current technologies

Delivering accessible and affordable net zero solutions

Ensure everyone can benefit from a ‘just transition’ to net zero. Research in this area could enable:

• lower consumer costs alongside growth for UK businesses
• delivery and uptake of affordable, clean energy
• regional and localised solutions, supporting a just transition across the whole UK
• optionality in the available solutions for the UK and internationally

Harnessing the power of digital

While acknowledging the environmental impacts of digital technologies as they stand, they offer huge potential. Research in this area could enable:

• faster development and faster improvements in the quality of sustainable technologies, processes, products, systems and services
• more resilience and better optimised national infrastructures and systems, for example the UK power grid
• new digital products and systems to service sustainability needs

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Accelerating research outcomes to deliver a prosperous net zero: outline (PDF, 326KB)