Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£7,500,000
Minimum award:
£250,000
Publication date:
4 March 2026
Opening date:
3 March 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
14 May 2026 4:00pm UK time
Last updated: 6 March 2026 -
Apply for funding to support ambitious, collaborative research programmes.
Materials Innovation Partnership projects must:
* be co-created and co-delivered by business and academic partners
* focus on one or more of the six high-growth opportunity themes from the
* aim to create long-term prosperity for the UK
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).
The business cash contribution must at least match the amount funded by EPSRC.
Who can apply
This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility.. The below section provides more detail about what role your organisation may take in an application.
Primary academic partner
Research organisations can act as the ‘primary academic partner’ if they are eligible to receive EPSRC funding. This includes:
* UK higher education institutions
* research council institutes
* UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-approved independent research organisations
* public sector research establishments
* NHS bodies with research capacity
For full details about eligibility, visit .
The primary academic partner will be required to create and submit the application on the UKRI Funding Service, but all partners are expected to contribute to the application in the spirit of the partnership before its added to the system.
Primary business partner
Applications must be co-created with a primary business partner that has an established relationship with the lead academic partner. The business partner (or partners) must make a cash contribution to the project which matches or exceeds the amount requested from EPSRC. Businesses can act as the ‘primary business partner’ if they meet at least one of the following requirements:
* be a UK-based business of any size
* be a business of any size with a UK presence and significant UK-based research activity
* be a public sector research establishment (PSRE), noting that your financial contribution to the match funding requirement must not be derived from public funds (appropriate confirmation and assurance of this will be required)
* be the lead of a consortium of organisations which collectively contributes the match funding, the members of which meet any of the above requirements
Collaborations may include international partners, noting that the match funding must be contributed by a partner or consortium meeting the above definitions. All partners are expected to be involved in the creation of your application.
The individual acting as the primary academic partner and the individual acting as the primary business partner may only be named in these joint roles on one application at a time.
Established partnership
This funding opportunity will support collaborative partnerships between the primary partner organisations which have been established for at least one year.
A partnership is a working relationship between the two individuals who will lead the project in both organisations, as well as a broader relationship between the two organisations. An established partnership in this context is one which meets all the following requirements:
* has individual relationships at the core of the partnership
* can be recognised by both primary partner organisations
* can demonstrate a track record of at least one year (prior to the point of application) showing significant, regular collaborative research projects which the primary academic and business partners have developed and progressed together
* can demonstrate a clear trajectory for future collaborative work
These partnerships may involve the signing of a memorandum of understanding or collaboration agreement.
Individual eligibility
EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit .
UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the Funding Service. For full details, visit .
International researchers
As EPSRC is a lead funder for this opportunity, international researchers can only apply as ‘project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))’ as part of an applications making use of the or the .
You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.
Resubmissions
We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder.